Tao Te Ching
“The above is the most accurate translation of the ancient classic available anywhere at any price.”<p>Quite a bold statement that immediately makes me very sceptical. When reading ancient classics in translation, the wisest approach is comparing multiple translations. Only then a more complete picture will emerge.<p>This website allows one to compare some translations side by side: <a href="https://ttc.tasuki.org/display:Code:gff,sm,jc,rh" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://ttc.tasuki.org/display:Code:gff,sm,jc,rh</a><p>With this said, the Tao Te Ching is one of the most astonishing texts to ever be written. It hovers around what I see as an essential truth, pointing at it while intentionally avoiding defining it. Any translation and any form is worth being read.<p>I have recently been reading a new Italian translation of it, by Luigi Maggio and published by Bompiani, and I have been really appreciating its care for the mystic, shamanic origin of the text, and the deep discussions of each translation choice, together with the presence of the original text.