the "snow-faced demon"? translation

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SamBodhi
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2012 12:56 pm

the "snow-faced demon"? translation

Post by SamBodhi »

Hello, everybody. Dharma greetings.

I am reading through slowly the translation of the Songs of Milarepa Dover Thrift edition. I am on the fourth and I already am thinking that I have a poor translation. Has anybody read this? Is there a better one to be recommended?

In particular, I have looked for more information about the "snow-faced demon." It seems to only appear in the Dover Thrift edition. I am assuming that it is in reference to cold, considering that the verse is particularly speaking to the victory of inner heat. It just seemed to me that it would have been transcribed a little more directly or something.

Here's the phrase:
The two breaths, both the hot and the cold,
imparted their invigoration
and I utterly overcame the snow-faced demon,
who promised to obey my commands thereafter.
I feel that it was simply a metaphor personifying the character of all cold. But it concerned me that maybe it wasn't anything like that in the original.


Any help helps,
:)
SamBodhi
no tea is too good for me
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