Thoughts I've thunk while sippin' at a cup of tea and reading something provoking, often get dropped here for the benefit of humanity and my own hubris.
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I just picked up yet another copy of the Tao Te Ching. This one is translated by Red Pine. I've just loved some of his other translations (see Poetry of Stone House) as he seems to make a good balance between accuracy of the Chinese meaning and readability in English.
The other nice aspect of this translation is the commentary that Red Pine includes on each page. While much of the meaning associated with any particular verse, I have often figured out by consulting my multiple translated versions, but his "commentaries" are a particularly nice addition.
While I guess that I will always have a spot for Ursula Le Guin's version (for its readability and poetic slant), I am really enjoying this version.
I suppose that now you are wanting an example of his ability as a translator... Well, the first line of Verse 10 begins:
Can you hold fast your crescent sould and not let it wander?
The Chinese word here rendered as crescent soul can also be translated as new-lit moon (tasi-ying-p'o). Not only does he give the best meaning (i.e. soul), but keeps the reference to moon (via the use of crescent) and at the same time bringing to mind (via his introduction) about how the original author used the image of the new moon as a symbol for the Tao.
© 2002-2005, Howard Abrams • Except where otherwise noted, all original content is licensed under a Creative Commons License (see details).
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