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Moderator 
Posts: 3975 |
Hope my spelling is right.. Devote yourself to the absolute emptiness; contemplate earnestly in Quiescence. All things are together in action, but I look into their non-action, for things are continuously moving, restless, yet each is proceeding back to its origin. Proceeding back to the origin means Quiescence. To be in Quiescence is to see "Being-for-itself." - Lao tzu     | ||
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Guru
Posts: 3325 |
Taoism and the Tao Te Ching, excellent. ------------------ | ||
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Pro Bodybuilder 
Posts: 333 |
Chapter 16, if I'm not mistaken. You're spelling is right, but I take issue with your translation. 1. The first 2 phrases are parallel: V-Adj-Obj, So these should read: "Touch the extreme emptiness, Grasp firm/steady stillness." Laozi is suggesting here that Emptiness and Stillness are as tangible as the myriad things of creation. In fact, he goes on to say that they are the source of all things. It is therefore essential that we understand these not as concepts to be "contemplated" but as "things" to be sought and attained. 2. The phrase "wu yi guan fu" which you translate as "I look into their non-action" is more aptly rendered "I gaze into them and see them reverting." The character 'fu' means 'to return' or 'to be restored' in this context. This character "fu" is very important in this chapter as it appears four times in the first 3 lines. As we see in the next line, things move and change, but they always revert to their origin, so "non-action" is incorrect. 3. "Fu wu yun yun". You translate this as "all things are together in action" but "yun yun" suggests more than just action. It means "to teem, to overflow with fullness and plentitude." Also, where do you find the word "together" in this line? I'd rather translate this line " All things come forth and flourish, each (ge) returns to its origin". 4. The last line is not from the same piece. After "proceeding back to the origin means Quiensence (stillness)", the poem continues: "And this is called returning to the cosmic Will. Embracing the world is Peace. Though your body may die, Some of these points may seem nit-picky, but I really do think they are important. The Tao Te Ching flourished during the Spring and Autumn period (722-481 BC) when China was divided into fractous warring states that all sought hegemony over the others. Philosophy at this time is characterized by a predominant concern with attaining political stability. Accordingly, the Tao Te Ching was originally conceived as a handbook for the enlightened ruler. The point is that deep within everything is stillness which is the root of all nature and life. If a king attaches himself to this eternal root, he will bring the world to peace, unify the Empire. While Confucians advocated a code of morality as the means to stability, Laozi advocates mystical union with the cosmos. To omit the last stanza is to overlook the most important aspect of the poem. | ||
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Pro Bodybuilder
Posts: 333 |
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Moderator
Posts: 3975 |
I think your translations are much more beautiful and too the point. |
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posted February 01, 2001 11:09 AM
