Need help with a 13th century Zhuangzi commentary

[Flozi]

Hey folks!

I'm currently wrestling with translating a Zhuangzi commentary on the famous butterfly dream and hope that some of you can help/give some feedback. My target language is German but I made a rough English translation for this forum of what I've got so far. I wrote annotations and questions in italics to avoid confusion. Since I pulled this text straight out of the Daozang where there's no punctuation, I structured it into "sentences" and lines myself, which can obviously be faulty. This is about half of the Chinese text. Feel free to comment

萬物同根是非一氣奚 Is the source of all the myriad things not one Qi/breath/force?

物而為周奚 Are the things Zhou? (not sure about the 而為)

物而為蝶認 As a butterfly, the things can be recognized.

周以為非蝶是未能忘我也 Recognizing that Zhou thinks he's not a butterfly, the butterfly can't forget itself (really confused about subject/object)

執蝶以為非周未能忘物也 Grasping that the butterfly does not think it's Zhou, it can't forget the things (or 物=butterfly?)

-------------------------------------

物我對待萬態紛糾 When the object and the self interact(?), the myriad appearances are in disorder

謂彼不齊皆安 Calling that disorder, all is peace

情爾不知物自無物 Feeling (?) and thus not knowing the object, one does not have a thing/object

雖蝶亦非我自無我 Even if the butterfly too is not me, it does not have a self

雖周亦幻況容有分也 Even if Zhou too is confused, the condition permits the existence of a separation (between subject and object)

-------------------------------------

栩栩然而夢為蝶即無周 Merrily dreaming of being a butterfly, there suddenly no longer is a Zhou

蘧蘧然而覺為周即周無蝶 Unhurriedly awaking as Zhou, Zhou suddenly no longer has a butterfly

此見之所獨而物之所齊也 He sees his aloneness and the order of things

-------------------------------------

夫覽一身而私膠萬物 If one looks at a body and selfishly adheres to the myriad things

而執以形開之覺 then grasping at appearances starts his sleep (or awakening, since 覺 can be both)

而為事之實以魂交之寐 and makes the value of affairs take the soul and exchange it for slumber

而為夢之虛不知 and makes the emptiness of dreams his ignorance

一名之覺夢一形之開闔是也 The awakening of a name is the opening and closing (?) of the appearances

一形之開闔一性之往來是也 The opening and closing of appearances is the coming and going of a character

一化為物戚然而惡 One transformation makes the things full of sorrow and hate

一復為人忻然而樂 One restoration makes man content and happy

物固系 Are the things solid?

足惡人固系 from here on I'm lost

足樂此特萬化而為始有極者

爾一範其形竊竊然而私之妄也

-------------------------------------

[Hofmann]

This is 李元卓's 莊列十論. There's some punctuation right here.

[Flozi]

Thanks a lot! This definitely helps, as I obviously was quite off the mark in places...