Mitchell's translation of part 50, in particular, has long resonated with me:
The Master gives himself upto whatever the moment brings.He knows that he is going to die,and he has nothing left to hold on to:no illusions in his mind,no resistances in his body.He doesn't think about his actions;they flow from the core of his being.He holds nothing back from life;therefore he is ready for death,as a man is ready for sleepafter a good day's work.
He admits (in the end notes, If I remember correctly) that this is not a literal translation; but comparing it to translations that do stick more closely to the original text I find that there's a lot here I prefer.
So I have Mitchell's version and like it as well. But he notably did not call his piece a new translation, only a new version. He doesn't speak or read any Chinese[1], so to begin with he was studying from secondary sources. He also generally just rephrased and reworded liberally. It's his version of Tao Te Ching, and to be fair this is the case for many translations.
But for example, Mitchell begins #3:
If you overesteem great men,
people become powerless.
If you overvalue possessions,
people begin to steal.
While American sinologist Robert Henricks[2] translated it as:
By not elevating the worthy, you bring it about that people will not compete.
By not valuing goods that are hard to obtain, you bring it about that people will not act like thieves.
By not displaying the desirable you bring it about that people will not be confused.
And from Chinese jurist John C. H. Wu[3]:
By not exalting the talented you will cause the people to cease from rivalry and contention.
By not prizing goods hard to get, you will cause the people to cease from robbing and stealing.
By not displaying what is desirable, you will cause the people's hearts to remain undisturbed.
Some of his changes are like this, Mitchell's version was more readable and accessible compared to the genuine translations, but compressed the message (sometimes to the point of being a bit reductive).
In other cases his edits were more substantial. In #9 for example:
Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.
Compare to Henricks:
To hold it upright and fill it,
Is not so good as stopping [in time].
When you pound it out and give it a point,
It won't be preserved very long.
When gold and jade fill your rooms,
You'll never be able to protect them.
Arrogance and pride with wealth and rank,
On their own bring on disaster.
When the deed is accomplished you retire;
Such is Heaven's Way!
And Wu:
As for holding to fullness,
Far better were it to stop in time!
Keep on beating and sharpening a sword,
And the edge cannot be preserved for long.
Fill your house with gold and jade,
And it can no longer be guarded.
Set store by your riches and honour,
And you will only reap a crop of calamities.
Here is the Way of Heaven:
When you have done your work, retire!
Mitchell's version differs significantly from Henricks, in meaning. He interprets Tao as the way to serenity (vs the Way of Heaven), and gold and jade like money (risk of consumerism, individual peril) instead of a gratuitous display of wealth (risk of burglary, social peril).
Very happy to see this as the top comment. His translation isn't word for word, he tried to translate the mind of Lao tzu after having been trained in Zen for 14 years.
Lao Tzu has almost nothing to do with Zen. Zen is influenced by Daoism, but it's a school of Buddhism. The core teachings and conclusions are different, and the religious aspect is completely separate from Daoism.
The Master gives himself up to whatever the moment brings. He knows that he is going to die, and he has nothing left to hold on to: no illusions in his mind, no resistances in his body. He doesn't think about his actions; they flow from the core of his being. He holds nothing back from life; therefore he is ready for death, as a man is ready for sleep after a good day's work.
He admits (in the end notes, If I remember correctly) that this is not a literal translation; but comparing it to translations that do stick more closely to the original text I find that there's a lot here I prefer.