查拉图斯特拉如是说 英文版 Thus Spake Zarathustra
尼采 Friedrich Nietzsche
XL. Great Events.
There is an isle in the sea--not far from the Happy Isles of Zarathustra--on which a volcano ever smoketh; of which isle the people, and especiallythe old women amongst them, say that it is placed as a rock before the gateof the nether-world; but that through the volcano itself the narrow wayleadeth downwards which conducteth to this gate.
Now about the time that Zarathustra sojourned on the Happy Isles, ithappened that a ship anchored at the isle on which standeth the smokingmountain, and the crew went ashore to shoot rabbits. About the noontidehour, however, when the captain and his men were together again, they sawsuddenly a man coming towards them through the air, and a voice saiddistinctly: "It is time! It is the highest time!" But when the figurewas nearest to them (it flew past quickly, however, like a shadow, in thedirection of the volcano), then did they recognise with the greatestsurprise that it was Zarathustra; for they had all seen him before exceptthe captain himself, and they loved him as the people love: in such wisethat love and awe were combined in equal degree.
"Behold!" said the old helmsman, "there goeth Zarathustra to hell!"
About the same time that these sailors landed on the fire-isle, there was arumour that Zarathustra had disappeared; and when his friends were askedabout it, they said that he had gone on board a ship by night, withoutsaying whither he was going.
Thus there arose some uneasiness. After three days, however, there camethe story of the ship's crew in addition to this uneasiness--and then didall the people say that the devil had taken Zarathustra. His discipleslaughed, sure enough, at this talk; and one of them said even: "Soonerwould I believe that Zarathustra hath taken the devil." But at the bottomof their hearts they were all full of anxiety and longing: so their joywas great when on the fifth day Zarathustra appeared amongst them.
And this is the account of Zarathustra's interview with the fire-dog:
The earth, said he, hath a skin; and this skin hath diseases. One of thesediseases, for example, is called "man."
And another of these diseases is called "the fire-dog": concerning HIM menhave greatly deceived themselves, and let themselves be deceived.
To fathom this mystery did I go o'er the sea; and I have seen the truthnaked, verily! barefooted up to the neck.
Now do I know how it is concerning the fire-dog; and likewise concerningall the spouting and subversive devils, of which not only old women areafraid.
"Up with thee, fire-dog, out of thy depth!" cried I, "and confess how deepthat depth is! Whence cometh that which thou snortest up?
Thou drinkest copiously at the sea: that doth thine embittered eloquencebetray! In sooth, for a dog of the depth, thou takest thy nourishment toomuch from the surface!
At the most, I regard thee as the ventriloquist of the earth: and ever,when I have heard subversive and spouting devils speak, I have found themlike thee: embittered, mendacious, and shallow.
Ye understand how to roar and obscure with ashes! Ye are the bestbraggarts, and have sufficiently learned the art of making dregs boil.
Where ye are, there must always be dregs at hand, and much that is spongy,hollow, and compressed: it wanteth to have freedom.
'Freedom' ye all roar most eagerly: but I have unlearned the belief in'great events,' when there is much roaring and smoke about them.
it then--the highest time?"--devil had taken.
And believe me, friend Hullabaloo! The greatest events--are not ournoisiest, but our stillest hours.
Not around the inventors of new noise, but around the inventors of newvalues, doth the world revolve; INAUDIBLY it revolveth.
And just own to it! Little had ever taken place when thy noise and smokepassed away. What, if a city did become a mummy, and a statue lay in themud!
And this do I say also to the o'erthrowers of statues: It is certainly thegreatest folly to throw salt into the sea, and statues into the mud.
In the mud of your contempt lay the statue: but it is just its law, thatout of contempt, its life and living beauty grow again!
With diviner features doth it now arise, seducing by its suffering; andverily! it will yet thank you for o'erthrowing it, ye subverters!
This counsel, however, do I counsel to kings and churches, and to all thatis weak with age or virtue--let yourselves be o'erthrown! That ye mayagain come to life, and that virtue--may come to you!--"
Thus spake I before the fire-dog: then did he interrupt me sullenly, andasked: "Church? What is that?"
"Church?" answered I, "that is a kind of state, and indeed the mostmendacious. But remain quiet, thou dissembling dog! Thou surely knowestthine own species best!
Like thyself the state is a dissembling dog; like thee doth it like tospeak with smoke and roaring--to make believe, like thee, that it speakethout of the heart of things.
For it seeketh by all means to be the most important creature on earth, thestate; and people think it so."
When I had said this, the fire-dog acted as if mad with envy. "What!"cried he, "the most important creature on earth? And people think it so?"And so much vapour and terrible voices came out of his throat, that Ithought he would choke with vexation and envy.
At last he became calmer and his panting subsided; as soon, however, as hewas quiet, I said laughingly:
"Thou art angry, fire-dog: so I am in the right about thee!
And that I may also maintain the right, hear the story of another fire-dog;he speaketh actually out of the heart of the earth.
Gold doth his breath exhale, and golden rain: so doth his heart desire.What are ashes and smoke and hot dregs to him!
Laughter flitteth from him like a variegated cloud; adverse is he to thygargling and spewing and grips in the bowels!
The gold, however, and the laughter--these doth he take out of the heart ofthe earth: for, that thou mayst know it,--THE HEART OF THE EARTH IS OFGOLD."
When the fire-dog heard this, he could no longer endure to listen to me.Abashed did he draw in his tail, said "bow-wow!" in a cowed voice, andcrept down into his cave.--
Thus told Zarathustra. His disciples, however, hardly listened to him: sogreat was their eagerness to tell him about the sailors, the rabbits, andthe flying man.
"What am I to think of it!" said Zarathustra. "Am I indeed a ghost?
But it may have been my shadow. Ye have surely heard something of theWanderer and his Shadow?
One thing, however, is certain: I must keep a tighter hold of it;otherwise it will spoil my reputation."
And once more Zarathustra shook his head and wondered. "What am I to thinkof it!" said he once more.
"Why did the ghost cry: 'It is time! It is the highest time!'
For WHAT is it then--the highest time?"--
Thus spake Zarathustra.