Le Dao De Zing
Modernist Taoist Twist
The Tao Te Ching by the Chinese sage Lao Tzu is without a doubt, one of the great wisdom texts of the ancient world. Written circa 400 BCE, it has granted insight and inspiration to countless seekers over the millennia. Its enigmatic style has also given rise to a myriad of interpretations, making it one of the most widely translated texts throughout history.
Among Obsidian Eagle’s favorite translations is Ursula K. Le Guin’s poetic rendition. However, the poem presented below was inspired equally by Tai Sheridan’s, Pantanjali — Yoga Sutras in Lingo, as well as by the aphoristic sayings of another modern Taoist mystic, Wei Wu Wei.
Although this treatment is at times very tongue-in-cheek, it’s not meant to be irreverent. Instead, Yours Truly has striven to communicate with contemporary readers in terms that they might relate to more readily rather than providing a merely literal translation. Lastly, these stanzas only interpret the first few sections of the classic Dao.
From the forthcoming, Future Sutras: A Decade of Anti-Poetry.
Le Dao De Zing
- I -
The Dow that can be bought, is not the Eternal Dao!
Any name that can be sold, is not an Eternal name.
Nameless be the origin of both Heaven and Hell.
Named lies this…
