Reading group: the ren passages of the Analects in five English translations
Following the recent arguments here about whether ren means "benevolence", I'd like to propose something slower: reading the key ren passages of the Analects side by side in five translations, with the Chinese for those who read it, and noticing exactly where the translations part company.
Translations:
– James Legge (1861)
– Arthur Waley (1938)
– D. C. Lau (1979)
– Roger Ames and Henry Rosemont (1998)
– Edward Slingerland (2003), useful for its selections from the traditional commentaries
Numbering differs slightly between editions, so I'll give the opening words of each passage as well as the number.
Plan (three weeks):
1. Book 4, the first several passages. A run of short sayings about ren: dwelling in it, the ren person's likes and dislikes, whether anyone has ever devoted a day's strength to it.
2. Book 12, the first three passages and 12.22. Yan Hui's question (overcome the self, return to ritual), Zhonggong's (do not impose on others what you would not want yourself) and Fan Chi's (love people). Three disciples, three answers. Why?
3. Book 6 near the end and Book 7. The passage about wishing to establish oneself and so establishing others, and Confucius's refusal to claim sagehood or ren for himself.
For each passage, post: which translation surprised you, what the choice of English word makes visible or hides, and whether "benevolence", "Goodness", "humaneness" or "authoritative conduct" fits this passage best. I suspect the answer will change from passage to passage, which is itself the lesson.