Last week my yoga teacher mentioned a lovely quote from Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). When I went to find the citation on the Internet, I encountered no less than eight different translations of the same quote:
- Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.
- Don’t follow in the footsteps of the old poets, seek what they sought.
- Do Not Seek to Follow in the Footsteps of the Wise. Rather, Seek What They Sought.
- Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.
- Seek not to follow in your elders’ footsteps. Instead, seek what they sought.
- Do not follow in the footsteps of the men of old. Seek what they sought.
- Seek not to follow the footsteps of the masters. Seek what they sought.
- I do not seek to follow in the footsteps of men of old, I seek the things they sought.
The first is the most common one I found. Still, the presence of the others (with their use of “men” vs. “poets” vs. “wise” vs. “elders” vs. “masters”) leaves me a bit disquieted. It seems like there’s an important word choice here; which is most faithful to the text?
I wonder if Basho would have been amused by this situation.