第五十三章
使我介然有知，行於大道，唯施是畏。大道甚夷，而人好徑。朝甚除，田甚蕪，倉甚虛；服文采，帶利劍，厭飲食，財貨有餘；是為盜誇。非道也哉！
Some People Like By-path
If I have acquired a little understanding of the world,
I will do something according to the principle of the divine law.
The only thing I am worried about is going the wrong way.
Although the road is even,
some people like to take the by-path.
The corruption of the imperial government was so great
that the fields were deserted, and the warehouses were empty.
However, some people were still wearing splendid clothes,
carrying sharp swords, feasting on fine food, and searching for rare goods,
so they may be called the heads of thieves and robbers.
How uncivilized it is!
1、「使我介然有知，行於大道，唯施是畏」的英譯
此句的意思是「假如我稍微有了認識，就會按照「道」的原理來做，唯一擔心的是害怕走了邪路」。 Arthur Waley 的譯文「He who has the least scrap（碎片） of sense, once he has got started on the great highway, has nothing to fear, so long as he avoids turnings.」，把「大道」譯成「the great highway」（第一章已有論述），可能是為了後面的turnings。更有意思的是，他把「唯施是畏」譯成「has nothing to fear, so long as he avoids turnings（只要不拐彎就沒有什麽可怕的）」 ，有點太直白了。
許淵沖譯成「Little as I know, I will follow the great way, only afraid to go astray（誤入歧途）.」，把「使我介然有知」譯成了讓步狀語從句「Little as I know（盡管我知道得很少）」。辜正坤譯成「If I have acquired a little knowledge, I will be afraid of going astray when I walk on the road」，符合原句，但從句與主句之間似乎沒有必然的聯系。我們譯成「If I have acquired a little understanding of the world, I will do something according to the principle of the divine law. The only thing I am worried about is going the wrong way. 」，較好地闡釋了老子的本意。
2、 「服文采，帶利劍，厭飲食，財貨有餘；是為盜誇」 的英譯
對於此句的轉譯，三位譯者的理解一致，只是用詞不一。Arthur Waley譯成「They wear patterns and embroideries, carry sharp swords, glut themselves with drink and food, have more possessions than they can use. These are the riotous ways of brigandage（搶劫; 土匪行為）」；許淵沖譯成「If lords are magnificently dressed, carrying precious swords, satiated with food and drink, and possessed for fabulous wealth, they may be called thieves and robbers.」；辜正坤譯成「There are persons who are still dressed gaudily, wearing ornamented swords, satiated with fine food and drink, in possession of extravagant goods. They can be called the chieftains of robbers.」。此句中，「服文采」是指「穿華美的服裝」，Arthur Waley 譯成「wear patterns（花樣） and embroideries（刺繡品）」，倒不失本意，蠻可愛的；許淵沖用了短語「be magnificently dressed」; 辜正坤則譯成「be dressed gaudily(俗麗地)」。對於「利劍」的轉譯，Arthur Waley譯成「sharp swords」； 許淵沖譯成「precious swords（寶劍）」；辜正坤則譯成「ornamented（裝飾用的）swords」。關於「厭」的轉譯，Arthur Waley用了「glut（狼吞虎咽）」一詞；其他兩位譯者都用了「satiate（使飽足,使厭膩）」。對於「盜誇」的轉譯，Arthur Waley 譯成「the riotous（暴亂的, 聚眾鬧事的） ways of brigandage（搶劫; 土匪行為）」，雖然意思和原文相符，但指向不同。許淵沖轉譯的「thieves and robbers」沒能準確反映「誇」（即首領）的本意，辜正坤的「the chieftains（強盜首領）of robbers」更符合原意。我們則據上下文，譯成「However, some people were still wearing splendid clothes, carrying sharp swords, feasting on fine food, and searching for rare goods, so they may be called the heads of thieves and robbers. 」，更加通俗易懂。
