查拉图斯特拉如是说 英文版 Thus Spake Zarathustra
尼采 Friedrich Nietzsche
XXVII. The Virtuous.
With thunder and heavenly fireworks must one speak to indolent andsomnolent senses.
But beauty's voice speaketh gently: it appealeth only to the most awakenedsouls.
Gently vibrated and laughed unto me to-day my buckler; it was beauty's holylaughing and thrilling.
At you, ye virtuous ones, laughed my beauty to-day. And thus came itsvoice unto me: "They want--to be paid besides!"
Ye want to be paid besides, ye virtuous ones! Ye want reward for virtue,and heaven for earth, and eternity for your to-day?
And now ye upbraid me for teaching that there is no reward-giver, norpaymaster? And verily, I do not even teach that virtue is its own reward.
Ah! this is my sorrow: into the basis of things have reward and punishmentbeen insinuated--and now even into the basis of your souls, ye virtuousones!
But like the snout of the boar shall my word grub up the basis of yoursouls; a ploughshare will I be called by you.
All the secrets of your heart shall be brought to light; and when ye lie inthe sun, grubbed up and broken, then will also your falsehood be separatedfrom your truth.
For this is your truth: ye are TOO PURE for the filth of the words:vengeance, punishment, recompense, retribution.
Ye love your virtue as a mother loveth her child; but when did one hear ofa mother wanting to be paid for her love?
It is your dearest Self, your virtue. The ring's thirst is in you: toreach itself again struggleth every ring, and turneth itself.
And like the star that goeth out, so is every work of your virtue: ever isits light on its way and travelling--and when will it cease to be on itsway?
Thus is the light of your virtue still on its way, even when its work isdone. Be it forgotten and dead, still its ray of light liveth andtravelleth.
That your virtue is your Self, and not an outward thing, a skin, or acloak: that is the truth from the basis of your souls, ye virtuous ones!--
But sure enough there are those to whom virtue meaneth writhing under thelash: and ye have hearkened too much unto their crying!
And others are there who call virtue the slothfulness of their vices; andwhen once their hatred and jealousy relax the limbs, their "justice"becometh lively and rubbeth its sleepy eyes.
And others are there who are drawn downwards: their devils draw them. Butthe more they sink, the more ardently gloweth their eye, and the longingfor their God.
Ah! their crying also hath reached your ears, ye virtuous ones: "What I amNOT, that, that is God to me, and virtue!"
And others are there who go along heavily and creakingly, like carts takingstones downhill: they talk much of dignity and virtue--their drag theycall virtue!
And others are there who are like eight-day clocks when wound up; theytick, and want people to call ticking--virtue.
Verily, in those have I mine amusement: wherever I find such clocks Ishall wind them up with my mockery, and they shall even whirr thereby!
And others are proud of their modicum of righteousness, and for the sake ofit do violence to all things: so that the world is drowned in theirunrighteousness.
Ah! how ineptly cometh the word "virtue" out of their mouth! And when theysay: "I am just," it always soundeth like: "I am just--revenged!"
With their virtues they want to scratch out the eyes of their enemies; andthey elevate themselves only that they may lower others.
And again there are those who sit in their swamp, and speak thus from amongthe bulrushes: "Virtue--that is to sit quietly in the swamp.
We bite no one, and go out of the way of him who would bite; and in allmatters we have the opinion that is given us."
And again there are those who love attitudes, and think that virtue is asort of attitude.
Their knees continually adore, and their hands are eulogies of virtue, buttheir heart knoweth naught thereof.
And again there are those who regard it as virtue to say: "Virtue isnecessary"; but after all they believe only that policemen are necessary.
And many a one who cannot see men's loftiness, calleth it virtue to seetheir baseness far too well: thus calleth he his evil eye virtue.--
And some want to be edified and raised up, and call it virtue: and otherswant to be cast down,--and likewise call it virtue.
And thus do almost all think that they participate in virtue; and at leastevery one claimeth to be an authority on "good" and "evil."
But Zarathustra came not to say unto all those liars and fools: "What doYE know of virtue! What COULD ye know of virtue!"--
But that ye, my friends, might become weary of the old words which ye havelearned from the fools and liars:
That ye might become weary of the words "reward," "retribution,""punishment," "righteous vengeance."--
That ye might become weary of saying: "That an action is good is becauseit is unselfish."
Ah! my friends! That YOUR very Self be in your action, as the mother is inthe child: let that be YOUR formula of virtue!
Verily, I have taken from you a hundred formulae and your virtue'sfavourite playthings; and now ye upbraid me, as children upbraid.
They played by the sea--then came there a wave and swept their playthingsinto the deep: and now do they cry.
But the same wave shall bring them new playthings, and spread before themnew speckled shells!
Thus will they be comforted; and like them shall ye also, my friends, haveyour comforting--and new speckled shells!--
Thus spake Zarathustra.