The Dao De Jing is one of the richest, most suggestive, and most popular works of philosophy and literature. Composed in China between the sixth and fourth centuries B.C., its enigmatic verses have inspired artists, philosophers, poets, religious thinkers, and general readers past and present. This new translation captures the beauty and nuance of the original work. In addition, the extensive and accessible commentary by Moss Roberts sheds light on the work’s historical and philosophical contexts and shows how the Dao De Jing addresses topics of relevance to our own times, such as politics, statecraft, cosmology, aesthetics, and ethics.
“Taken as a whole, Moss Roberts's version of the Dao De Jing captures the sense of the original, and it is convincingly poetic in its texture, rhythms, and rhymes.”—Journal of Chinese Philosophy
“Roberts’s is an outstanding translation because he has so skillfully employed the English language to convey successfully the poetic quality of the Dao De Jing. By faithfully following the structure of the original, Roberts provides non-Chinese readers an opportunity to experience the beauty of form of this canonical work.”—Philosophy East & West
“Roberts’s renditions are often refreshing; he displays a fidelity to the poetic qualities of the original and at his best translates with an earthy literalness, which is the very antithesis of the esoteric imaginings of popular paraphrasers.”—Journal of Religious History
"Roberts should be commended for paying close attention to the history of the text and the names, titles, and terms that are often used too carelessly."
