Books by Lao Tz�
Tao Te Ching: A New Translation
The most widely read of the Asian classics, Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching offers a series of insightful spiritual observations on life and human nature. Part poetry, part paradox, always stirring and profound, the text has been inspiring readers since it was written over two thousand years ago. This extraordinary masterpiece is also one of the most frequently translated books in all of history, in part because it is simply impossible to translate into a Western language in a strictly literal way; there are just too many Chinese characters in the text that convey multiple meanings. This leads many translators to burden the text by having their translation explain too much, thereby losing the clarity of terse poetry that is so often found in the original.
The extraordinary strength of Sam Hamill's translation is that he has captured the poetry of Lao Tzu's original without sacrificing the resonance of the text's many meanings and possible interpretations. The result is a beautiful and deeply meditative rendering, one that is a delight to read over and over again. Accompanying Sam Hamill's translation are eighteen original calligraphies by one of the great masters of the art form, Kazuaki Tanahashi. Each calligraphy is of one Chinese word or character from the text itself, presented facing its appearance in the translation. Hamill then, in a caption to the calligraphy, offers just some of the many ways in which the Chinese character could be translated into English, giving the reader a fuller sense of the amazing richness of the original text and some idea as to the process of translation itself.
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Tao Te Ching: A New Translation
Part poetry, part paradox, always stirring and profound, Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching has been inspiring readers since it was written over two thousand years ago. This masterpiece is also one of the most frequently translated books in all of history, in part because the multiple meanings of the Chinese characters make it impossible to translate into a Western language in a strictly literal way. For this reason, many translations are either too loosely interpretive or are too overloaded with notes, thereby losing the clarity of the terse poetry found in the original Chinese.
The extraordinary strength of Sam Hamill’s translation is that it has captured the poetry of Lao Tzu’s original without sacrificing the resonance of the text’s many meanings and possible interpretations. The result is a beautiful and deeply meditative rendering, one that is a delight to read over and over again.
Accompanying Sam Hamill’s translation are seventeen Chinese characters brushed by one of the great masters of calligraphy, Kazuaki Tanahashi. Hamill provides a comment for each character, giving the reader a fuller sense of the richness of the original text and insight into the process of translation itself.
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No copies available.
Tao Te Ching: A New Translation
The classic Taoist text freshly translated using the original Chinese script from Lao Tzu's time, and beautifully illustrated with seventeenth-century artwork.
Renowned translator William Scott Wilson has rendered Lao Tzu's classic in the most authentic way possible, using both the ancient text and the even older Great Seal script used during Lao Tzu's time. The result is a new and nuanced translation, accompanied by gorgeous Chinese ink paintings and fascinating ancillary material. Wilson includes an introduction that tells the story of Lao Tzu, the "old man" and the "keeper of the archives," and wonderful notes to illuminate the text. He also includes two short essays--one explains the relationship between Taoism and Zen, and the other explores the roots that link the spiritual aspects of the Tao with the practice of Chinese and Japanese martial arts. Wilson's version of this ancient classic is wonderfully fresh and readable.
Copies
No copies available.
Tao Te Ching: A New Translation
Renowned translator William Scott Wilson has rendered Lao Tzu's classic in the most authentic way possible, using both the ancient text and the even older Great Seal script used during Lao Tzu's time. The result is a new and nuanced translation, accompanied by Chinese ink paintings and ancillary material. Wilson includes an introduction that tells the story of Lao Tzu, the "old man" and the "keeper of the archives," and notes to illuminate the text. He also includes two short essays—one explains the relationship between Taoism and Zen, and the other explores the roots that link the spiritual aspects of the Tao with the practice of Chinese and Japanese martial arts. Wilson's version of this ancient classic is wonderfully fresh and readable.
Copies
No copies available.