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Lao Tzu : Tao Te Ching : A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way
by Lao Tzu, Ursula K. Le Guin , J.P. Seaton
by Lao Tzu, Ursula K. Le Guin , J.P. Seaton
I've literally read 10 different translations of the Tao Te Ching. If I was going to recommend just one to a friend, this would be it.
There are more careful and scholarly translations (such as Robert G. Henricks'), but Le Guin's translations is highly readable and poetic. She takes poetic liberties with the language (favoring the pithy), but - unlike most of the translations that take liberties - she stays close to the spirit of the original. It rarely feels like she is projecting her own interpretation onto the language. Crucially, there is no New Age taint to the text.
That said, she habitually softens the the text's political rough edges. Male pronouns become general neutral. Advice on ruling people becomes advice on working with other people.
As a footnote, I think Le Guin has a personal relationship with this book; it has left an imprint on her wisdom.
There are more careful and scholarly translations (such as Robert G. Henricks'), but Le Guin's translations is highly readable and poetic. She takes poetic liberties with the language (favoring the pithy), but - unlike most of the translations that take liberties - she stays close to the spirit of the original. It rarely feels like she is projecting her own interpretation onto the language. Crucially, there is no New Age taint to the text.
That said, she habitually softens the the text's political rough edges. Male pronouns become general neutral. Advice on ruling people becomes advice on working with other people.
As a footnote, I think Le Guin has a personal relationship with this book; it has left an imprint on her wisdom.
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