This is contrary to the Tao surely!As we have seen, the Way is impartial. Tao does not play favorites. Tao provides for all.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
This is certainly not the way of Tao.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
It is not the Tao!
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
That's not what Tao's about.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
When we behave in a manner that is not equally impartial, we turn away from the path of Tao.
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Ah, but if the Tao is impartial, isn't any way the way of the Tao?
ReplyDelete(I'm probably just playing with words here, hard to say with translations.)
I don't see how Tao can have a way and put things like this down to;
ReplyDeleteA leader asking how to get right with Tao and rather than pick them up in their error just give some explanation they can relate to.
Misrepresentation of Tao that should be attributed to Te.
Poetic mistranslation over time.
This whole verse is about people who think they are following the way, but they have deivated from the path and don't know it. They have been foolishly tempted by the attractions of the by-ways.
ReplyDeleteI don't read this "impartiality" thing here at all.