第五十二章
天下有始
原文
英译
The World Has a Beginning
Everything in the world has a beginning,
and this beginning serves as the root of all things in the world.
Now that you know the root, you can know everything.
If you grasp the root of everything,
you will avoid danger all your life.
Block the hole of lust and shut the door of desire
so that you will have not any trouble from birth to death.
If you open the hole of desire,
there will be more trouble,
and you will never be cured.
To be able to see the subtle is called "intelligent";
to be able to hold on to the weak is called "strong".
If you use its light to restore keen sight,
you will not endanger yourself.
This is the everlasting divine law.
说明
1、“母”与“子”的英译
老子认为，天下万物都有一个开始，而这个开始就是天地万物的根源，就是所谓的道。所以，他把道比作生养万物的母亲，而把万物比作道的孩子。许渊冲和Arthur Waley都直接译成“mother”与“sons”，没有点明真正含义。辜正坤译成“the mother of all things”与“children(all things)”, 点出了“母”是“万物之母”，“子”是“万物”, 符合原意。我们则更进一步，意译成“the root of all things in the world”与“all things”，更容易理解。
2、“塞其兑，闭其门，终身不勤”的英译
“兑”在《易经》的八卦里作“口”解；可解释为口耳鼻，泛指与外界相通的器官。许渊冲采用了此意，把整句译成“Dull（使钝）your senses and shut their doors, you need not toil（辛苦工作） all your life.”。再看“勤”的解释，其主要意思有“用力”、“劳苦”、“担心、忧虑”等。Arthur Waley把“勤”理解为“用力”，整句译成了“Block the passages（通道）, shut the doors, and till the end your strength shall not fail.”。辜正坤译成“Block the openings (of knowledge), shut the door (of desires), and you will be free from illness all your life.”，把“勤”译成“illness”，和其字意及原文都有出入。我们认为，“兑”引申为“孔穴”，老子的意思是 “欲望之兑”和“欲望之门”，而且，此处“勤”应是“忧虑、烦扰”之意。所以，我们译成了“Block the hole of lust and shut the door of desire so that you will have not any trouble from birth to death.”，应该更符合老子的本意吧。
3、“见小曰明，守柔曰强”的英译
此句话的意思是察看细小便可见大，这才叫明；守住柔弱便可克刚，这才叫强。此句是一个并列句，但Arthur Waley的译文“A good sight means seeing what is very small, so strength means holding on to what is weak. ”是一个表示因果关系的句子，译得不错。许渊冲意译成“Keen（敏锐的） sight can see the smallest thing; supple（灵活的）mind can resist the strongest force.”，基本符合原意。辜正坤译成“To be able to perceive（感知）the minute is called Discernment（洞察力）; to be able to play the role of the weak is called Strong”，觉得上半句很好，下半句一般。我们译成：“To be able to see the subtle（微妙的）is called ‘intelligent’; to be able to hold on to the weak is called ‘strong’. ”, 句子结构对应，而且用词简单，便于理解。