Daode Jing : Thomas Meyer Translation

*HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION* A mesmerizing translation of the ancient Taoist text by the poet Thomas Meyer. Rendering this philosophy in the form of couplets and in the mode of "table talk," Meyer is able to bring these teachings even closer to the practical everyday while highlighting the extraordinary eternal lessons they impart. This is my absolute favorite version of this classic. An interesting companion book is Richard Grossman's The Tao of Emerson: The Wisdom of the Tao Te Ching as Found in the Words of Ralph Waldo Emerson that illustrates the parallels between the world views of Lao Tzu and the Sage of Concord, born thousands of years apart.

Poetry. Translated from the Chinese by Thomas Meyer. In an unbroken flow of couplets, Thomas Meyer's translation of the DAODE JING (or Tao-Te Ching) captures the supple thought of this ancient Chinese text: "best to be like water / always useful / never difficult / settling in low-lying places..." Here, the insights of Laozi are rendered as conversational rather than scholarly, intimate rather than formal. As Meyer explains in his afterword, "The DAODE JING is table talk. An old man, not holding forth really, but just telling someone what he knows. After dinner, the dishes pushed aside, a glass of whiskey, a cigarette. Or a pub and a pint of beer, even." Conceived as such, this DAODE JING offers a vibrant mixture of paradox and plain sense,humor and compassion.

Publisher: Flood Editions
Distributor: Flood Editions
Publication Date: 01-01-2005
Pages: 111
Measurements: 9oz