Friedrich Nietzsche "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" quotes from the book. Read Thus Spoke Zarathustra online in full by Friedrich Nietzsche

I came across this book for the first time at the age of 21. I don't know why, but it ended up on my personal MUST read list. The snowball of rumors and controversy about Zarathustra crept deep into my mind, and it was necessary for me to form a personal opinion about this work.

The work itself consists of four parts, in which the author describes the thoughts, dialogues and monologues of a certain fictional hero - Zarathustra. Zarathustra appears in the novel as a wandering philosopher, who, as he believes, carries the knowledge of a new link in the evolutionary chain of man. And this new link - the superman - should become a logical "replacement" for the current homo sapiens. This is what Zarathustra speaks and thinks about. Being a first-class philologist and philosopher at the same time, Nietzsche wrote not only interesting work in the field of philosophy, but also a very interesting novel in terms of literature. The whole process of reading did not leave me with the thought that I was reading a poem or one large poem, moreover, written very figuratively and somewhat even lyrically. The plot consists of the literal teachings of Zarathustra and of the many symbolic scenes and images which he observes or participates in. The text is full of poetic images, often very beautiful and original.

“I, a wanderer and wanderer in the mountains,” he said in his heart, “I do not like the valleys, and it seems that I cannot sit still for a long time.”

The book can be read as an interesting work in philosophy, you can cut into hundreds and thousands of quotes to try to understand them, or at least explain them. In any case, reading Zarathustra is not a waste of time and it promotes the thought process, and there is nothing reprehensible in this. The main thing, probably, is not to try to “squeeze” it into the framework of any dogma or system. The novel, most likely, is more global and wider than any superficial impression.

The title of the book best describes the work itself. And I agree that this book is for everyone and for no one. More than anything else in this book, I saw the image of the author himself. One gets the impression that Nietzsche created a platform from which he could speak out completely, without being interrupted by the critics and dogmatists of the then religion and science. When reading the book, I personally acutely empathized not with its main character, but with the author of the work. The loneliness of the philosopher and the craving for knowledge of the scientist are felt. As a result, it turns out that the book is very useful, like any worthy work on philosophy - and at the same time, it is more like a medicine for Nietzsche alone, a medicine for personal phobias and complexes, which any person has enough of.

I felt a certain relief after reading the book: many of the fictions that entwined it turned out to be really fictions. If until the beginning of the modern time of history, Thus Spoke Zarathustra was one of the key books (again, both in philosophy and literature), now it looks more like a myth or legend. There are few books in the memory of mankind, so mercilessly "distorted" by numerous scholastics. And you can meet many people who have a "clear" idea about the book based only on rumors and rumors about these rumors, without the slightest acquaintance with the text itself. You should not expect answers to all questions from the work, as, indeed, in any other book. But if you are interested in philosophy in all its facets, or you want to get to know the era better, then the book is undoubtedly worthy of attention.

In conclusion, I wanted to quote Zarathustra himself:

“Man and the earth of man have not yet been exhausted and discovered.”

I bring to your attention a review of the book "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" by Friedrich Nietzsche. Perhaps it can even be called impressions and reflections on this book, but you know better.

World of Zarathustra

"When Zarathustra was thirty years old, he left
he his homeland and the lake of his homeland and went to the mountains".

The main character of the book is the ancient sage Zarathustra. The action takes place somewhere in antiquity, you can, for example, imagine that in Ancient Greece(Nietzsche himself lived in the nineteenth century). The world surrounding Zarathustra is simple and attractive - mountains, seas, forests and small towns. Wildlife, inhabited by various animals, creates a special background for the story that unfolds around the sage and his teachings. Zarathustra himself expresses himself in simple and understandable images taken from his immediate environment. Modern problems sound very unusual and even threatening in such an ancient context. I have often wanted to imagine how the teaching of Zarathustra would be received in the present ancient world. However, for all the outward archaism, the world of Zarathustra implicitly contains some fatigue, dead end and other features characteristic of the nineteenth century.

Place in society

"My mouth is the mouth of the people; too rude and hearty
I say for silky rabbits".

One of the topics covered in the book is the opposition between the philosopher and society. Zarathustra lives alone on a mountain, in a cave, among wild animals who take care of him and with whom he talks a lot. The book begins with the fact that Zarathustra announces the beginning of his "decline", and descends from his mountain to the people, but after that the loneliness of the sage only intensifies - the people in their mass do not hear and do not understand Zarathustra. On several occasions he despaired of his mission and returned to the mountain, although he made disciples and friends in the process. Gaining strength and silence, he again descended to the people in order to continue to carry his teachings.

Images and metaphors

"And there are those who sit in their swamp and say so
from a reed: "Virtue is to sit
quietly in the swamp".

I would like to pay special attention to how the author uses the language. On the one hand, Zarathustra speaks according to his surroundings, using in his speech all those objects and phenomena that are usually encountered by his contemporaries. On the other hand, his speech is so figurative and metaphorical, so immersing the listener into the magical world of images and allegories that it allows him to move from simple objects of the environment to a deep description of the problems of the era of the end of the New Age.
In general, the book is written very harmoniously, the metaphor of Zarathustra's speeches is complemented by a deep metaphor of the protagonist himself: his lifestyle, environment, actions and events reveal the idea even more fully and brighter. It can be said that both the words and deeds of Zarathustra and all other characters are different levels of one metaphor, very skillfully brought together.
Of particular charm is the interweaving of metaphor and reality, which creates the feeling of a metaphor coming to life, as, for example, in this statement: " And when I saw my demon, I found it serious, solid, deep, solemn: it was the spirit of gravity, because of it all things fall". The last words, as it were, bring the spirit of gravity out of the space of metaphor into our everyday world, in which things fall.

Christianity

"Many who wanted to exorcise their devil themselves
entered at the same time into the pigs".

It is surprising how many allusions to the Bible and Christianity are in the book. Here and there there are phrases, allusions, events, on the one hand referring to Holy Scripture, but on the other hand, received in the mouth of the author a completely different meaning. Nietzsche was well acquainted with both the Bible and the practical side of Christianity, since he was born in the family of a Lutheran priest, and he himself studied theology. However, it is obvious that he could not resist on the Christian path, and even began to call himself "Antichrist". At the very beginning of the book, having met the holy hermit who praised God, Zarathustra is surprised: " maybe whether this is?! This holy man in my forest has not yet heard about volume, what God is dead! ". The author reveals this rather deep metaphor throughout the book. The old foundations, the foundation of the former world are no longer able to keep morality and morality from falling. This is what Zarathustra teaches: " When there are supports on the water, ... they won’t believe if someone says then: “Everything flows” ... “Everything is strong above the stream, all the values ​​​​of things, bridges, concepts, all “good” and “evil” - all this is strong !" - And when a harsh winter comes ... then they say: "Isn't everything - motionless?" ... "In essence, everything is motionless" - but contrary to this, a moist warm wind teaches! ... And ice breaks bridges! O my brothers, does not everything now flow in a stream? Didn't all the railings and walkways fall into the water? Who will still hold on to "good" and "evil"?".
Having seen enough of people who call themselves Christians, the author writes off not only the foundations of ethics, but also ethics itself. What is the use of all this if no one really lives up to their ideals? Why try to become a saint if it is impossible? " “A person must become better and angrier,” is how I teach. The most evil is necessary for the good of the superman Not finding an answer in Christianity, the author offered his own answers to eternal questions, although, of course, most of the criticism of how many representatives of Christianity behaved is completely justified.

Joy and sadness

"And let the day be lost for us when
we never danced! And let it be called false
we have every truth in which there was no laughter!"

Zarathustra is very emotional, he loves life, nature, animals and even some people very much. Some of the most used words in the book are "laugh" and "dance". However, quite often he is also comprehended by horror, disgust, depression. At the beginning of the book, the reasons for this are not entirely clear, but later on the reason is revealed. Zarathustra describes the following situation: a heavy snake crawled down the throat of a man and began to choke him, but the man bit off her head and spat it out. Later, Zarasthustra confesses that this man is himself, and what exactly choked him: " The great satiation of man - it choked me and crawled down my throat". It can be said that the cause of Zarathustra's strong emotional swings is the realization of the depth of a person's fall and an attempt to cope with it. Despair and disappointment in a person follow Zarathustra everywhere, but he struggles to overcome them and find a way out, sacrificing in the process many very important things for many people with things such as goodness, holiness, justice, and so on.

Man and Superman

"I am teaching you about the superman. Man is something that must

surpass. What did you do to surpass him?...

You have made the journey from a worm to a man, but much in you is still from a worm".

Disillusioned with man, the author creates a theory that one should not look too harshly at human shortcomings, because he is only an intermediate link in the evolutionary chain. The final point of evolution is the superman. He is strong, stubborn, cheerful, but not burdened with moral and ethical problems and other similar "excesses". For the arrival of the superman, it is necessary to give way to him, therefore death and departure are welcome. However, I was surprised that in connection with the advent of the superman, the author put the institution of the family in a rather high place, and spoke relatively much about marital relations and even the upbringing of children, although this did not sound very convincing against the background of his other statements.

Higher people (summary)

"Tell me, my animals: these higher people are all together - perhaps they smell bad? O pure scent that surrounds me! Now I only know and feel how much I love you, my animals. And Zarathustra repeated once more: "I love you, my animals!" The eagle and the snake approached him when he spoke these words, and raised their eyes to him. So the three of them stood quietly and inhaled and drew in the clean air. For the air here outside was better than that of higher men"

The path to the superman, apparently, lies through the higher people whom Zarathustra managed to educate at the end of the journey. And what do we see? A variety of rabble gathered in Zarathustra's cave and spoiled the air there, and one of their highest achievements is described in the scene of worship of the donkey, which says "I-a" to everything (similar to the German "yes"). To all appearances, the transition to the superman is expected to be long and painful. After reading the book, the impression remains that Zarathustra (and Nietzsche with him) does not really believe in his plan for the development of mankind.
Despite this rather sad result, the impressions from the book remained very good - primarily from the style of presentation and from the depth of penetration into the problems. There was an impression of a beautiful, but rather sad world, which is confused in its bold statements. Reading the book helped me to better understand the problems that are now relevant for me and for society, we can say that it was approximately from this book that special disappointment in man and culture, which still permeates our society, came from this book. Thus I managed to look into the "origins" of this disappointment. It took me quite a long time to read the book, but as Zarathustra says: " what is the use of time, which has "no time" for Zarathustra?".

“Thus spoke Zarathustra.

A book for everyone and for no one

Friedrich Nietzsche "Also Sprach Zarathustra"

Part one

Foreword by Zarathustra

1

When Zarathustra was thirty years old, he left his homeland and the lake of his homeland and went to the mountains. Here he enjoyed his spirit and his solitude, and for ten years he did not tire of it. But finally his heart changed - and one morning he rose with the dawn, stood in front of the sun and spoke to him like this:

"Great light! What would your happiness be reduced to if you didn’t have those for whom you shine!

For ten years you have been ascending to my cave: you would have had enough of your light and this road if it were not for me, my eagle and my snake.

But every morning we waited for you, received from you your abundance and blessed you.

Look! I am fed up with my wisdom, like a bee that has collected too much honey; I need hands outstretched to me.

I would like to bestow and bestow until the wise among men again rejoice in their foolishness, and the poor in their riches.

To do this, I must go down: as you do every evening, plunging into the sea and bringing your light to the other side of the world, you, the richest luminary!

I must, like you, roll up, as people call it, to which I want to go down.

So bless me, you calm eye, without envy looking even at excessively great happiness!

Bless the cup, ready to spill, so that golden moisture flows from it and carries everywhere a reflection of your joy!

Look, this cup wants to become empty again, and Zarathustra wants to become a man again.

Thus began the decline of Zarathustra.

2

Zarathustra descended alone from the mountain, and no one met him. But when he entered the forest, an old man suddenly appeared before him, leaving his sacred hut to look for roots in the forest. And so the elder said to Zarathustra:

“This wanderer is not alien to me: several years ago he passed here. He was called Zarathustra; but he has changed.

Then you carried your ashes to the mountain; do you now want to carry your fire into the valleys? Are you not afraid of punishment for the arsonist?

Yes, I recognize Zarathustra. His eyes are pure, and there is no disgust on his lips. Isn't that why he's walking, like he's dancing?

Zarathustra was transformed, Zarathustra became a child, Zarathustra woke up: what do you want among the sleepers?

Like the sea, you lived alone, and the sea bore you. Alas! do you want to go on land? Do you want to carry your own body again?”

Zarathustra replied: "I love people."

“Isn’t that why,” said the saint, “I also went into the forest and the desert? Is it not because I also loved people too much?

Now I love God: I do not love people. Man is too imperfect for me. Loving a man would kill me."

Zarathustra answered: “What have I said about love! I bring people a gift.

“Give them nothing,” said the saint. “Better take something off them and carry it with them—that will be the best thing for them, if only it’s the best thing for you too!”

And if you want to give them, give them no more alms and still make them beg for it from you!”

“No,” answered Zarathustra, “I do not give alms. I'm not poor enough for that."

The saint began to laugh at Zarathustra and said thus: “Then try to make them accept your treasures! They are distrustful of hermits and do not believe that we come to give.

Our footsteps through the streets sound too lonely for them. And if at night, in their beds, they hear a man coming long before sunrise, they ask themselves: Where is this thief stealing?

Do not go to people and stay in the forest! Go to the animals! Why don't you want to be like me - a bear among bears, a bird among birds?

"And what does the saint do in the forest?" asked Zarathustra.

The saint answered: “I compose songs and sing them; and when I compose songs, I laugh, weep, and mutter in my beard: thus do I praise God.

By singing, weeping, laughing and muttering, I praise God, my God. But tell me, what are you bringing us as a gift?

Hearing these words, Zarathustra bowed to the saint and said: “What could I give you! Let me leave quickly, so that I don’t take anything from you!” So they parted in different directions, the old man and the man, and each laughed, as children laugh.

But when Zarathustra was left alone, he spoke thus in your heart: "Is it possible! This holy elder in his forest had not yet heard that God is dead".

3

Arriving at the nearest city, lying behind the forest, Zarathustra found there a multitude of people gathered in the marketplace: for he was promised a spectacle - a dancer on a tightrope. And Zarathustra spoke thus to the people:

I teach you about the superman. Man is something that must be transcended. What have you done to surpass him?

All beings have hitherto created something higher than themselves; and you want to be the ebb of this great wave and return to the state of the beast rather than surpass man?

What is a monkey in relation to man? A laughing stock or a painful shame. And the same must be the man for the superman: a laughing stock or a painful shame.

You have made the journey from worm to man, but much of you is still of the worm. Once you were an ape, and even now man is more of an ape than any of the apes.

Even the wisest among you is only discord and a mixture of plant and ghost. But do I tell you to become a ghost or a plant?

Look, I'm teaching you about the superman!

Superman is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: yes it will superman by the meaning of the earth!

I conjure you, my brothers, stay true to the earth and do not believe those who tell you about supermundane hopes! They are poisoners whether they know it or not.

They despise life, those dying and self-poisoned, from whom the earth is tired: let them disappear!

Formerly the blasphemy against God was the greatest blasphemy; but God died, and these blasphemers died with him. Now to blaspheme the earth is the most terrible crime, just as to honor the essence of the incomprehensible higher than the meaning of the earth!

Once the soul looked at the body with contempt: and then there was nothing higher than this contempt - she wanted to see the body thin, disgusting and hungry. So she thought to flee from the body and from the earth.

Oh, this soul itself was still thin, disgusting and hungry; and cruelty was the lust of that soul!

But even now, my brethren, tell me: what does your body say about your soul? Is not your soul poverty and filth and miserable self-satisfaction?

Truly, man is a dirty stream. You have to be the sea to take in a dirty stream and not become unclean.

Look, I teach you about the superman: he is the sea where your great contempt can sink.

What is the highest thing that you can experience? This is the hour of great contempt. The hour when your happiness becomes disgusting to you, as well as your reason and your virtue.

The hour when you say: “What is my happiness! It is poverty and filth and miserable self-satisfaction. My happiness should have justified my very existence!”

The hour when you say: “What is my mind! Does he seek knowledge like a lion for his food? He is poverty and filth and miserable self-satisfaction!”

The hour when you say: “What is my virtue! She hasn't made me mad yet. How weary I am of my good and of my evil! All this is poverty and filth and miserable self-satisfaction!”

The hour when you say: “Where is my justice! I do not see that I am fire and coal. And the just is fire and coal!”

The hour when you say: “What is my pity! Isn't pity a cross to which everyone who loves people is nailed? But my pity is not crucifixion.

Have you already said that? Have you already exclaimed like this? Ah, if only I had heard you so exclaiming!

Not your sin - your self-satisfaction cries out to heaven; the nothingness of your sins cries out to heaven!

But where is the lightning that will lick you with its tongue? Where is the madness that should be instilled in you?

Look, I am teaching you about the superman: he is this lightning, he is this madness! -

While Zarathustra was speaking thus, someone shouted from the crowd: “We have heard enough about the rope dancer; let us show it!” And all the people began to laugh at Zarathustra. And the rope dancer, thinking that these words referred to him, set to work.

4

Zarathustra looked at the people and wondered. Then he said this:

Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the superman, a rope over an abyss.

Passage is dangerous, it is dangerous to be on the way, the gaze turned back is dangerous, fear and stopping are dangerous.

What matters in a person is that he is a bridge, not a goal: in a person you can love only that he is transition and death.

I love those who do not know how to live otherwise than to perish, for they go over the bridge.

I love great haters, for they are great admirers and arrows of yearning for the other shore.

I love those who do not look behind the stars for a reason to perish and become a victim - but sacrifice themselves to the earth so that the earth will one day become the earth of the overman.

I love the one who lives for knowledge and who wants to know so that one day the superman may live. Because he wants his death.

I love the one who works and invents to build a dwelling for the superman and prepare the earth, animals and plants for his coming: for so he wants his death.

I love the one who loves his virtue: for virtue is the will to perish and the arrow of anguish.

I love the one who does not save a drop of spirit for himself, but wants to be wholly the spirit of his virtue: for thus, like a spirit, he passes over a bridge.

I love the one who, out of his virtue, makes his gravity and his misfortune: for thus he wants to live and live no more for the sake of his virtue.

I love someone who doesn't want to have too many virtues. One virtue is more virtue than two, for it is to a greater extent the knot on which the attack is held.

I love the one whose soul is wasted, who does not want gratitude and does not give it back: for he constantly gives and does not want to take care of himself.

I love someone who is ashamed when dice it falls to his luck, and then who asks: am I a cheating player? Because he wants death.

I love the one who throws golden words ahead of his deeds and always fulfills even more than he promises: for he wants his own death.

I love the one who justifies the people of the future and redeems the people of the past: for he wants death from the people of the present.

I love him who punishes his God, because he loves his God: for he must perish from the wrath of his God.

I love the one whose soul is deep even in wounds and who can perish at the slightest trial: he walks so willingly over the bridge.

I love him whose soul is overflowing, so that he forgets himself, and all things are contained in him: thus all things become his ruin.

I love the one who is free in spirit and free in heart: so his head is only the womb of his heart, and his heart draws him to death.

I love all those who are heavy drops falling one after another from a dark cloud hanging over a person: lightning approaches, they proclaim and perish like heralds.

Look, I am the herald of lightning and the heavy drop from the cloud; but this lightning is called superman.

5

Having uttered these words, Zarathustra looked again at the people and fell silent. “Here they stand,” he said in his heart, “here they laugh: they do not understand me, my words are not for these ears.

Is it really necessary to tear their ears first, so that they learn to listen with their eyes? Is it really necessary to rattle like timpani and like preachers of repentance? Or do they only believe the stutterer?

They have something they are proud of. But what do they call that which makes them proud? They call it culture, it distinguishes them from the goatherds.

Therefore, they do not like to hear the word “contempt” about themselves. I will speak to their pride.

I will speak to them about the most contemptible creature, and this is the last person."

And thus spoke Zarathustra to the people:

The time has come for man to set his own goal. The time has come for man to plant the sprout of his highest hope.

Its soil is still rich enough for this. But this soil will someday be poor and barren, and not a single tall tree will grow on it anymore.

Woe! The time is approaching when man will no longer shoot the arrow of his longing above man, and his bowstring will forget how to tremble!

I tell you: you need to carry more chaos in yourself in order to be able to give birth to a dancing star. I tell you: there is still chaos in you.

Woe! The time is approaching when man will give birth to no more stars. Woe! The time of the most contemptible man is approaching, who can no longer despise himself.

Look! I show you last person.

About the Superman and Man

When Zarathustra was thirty years old, he left his fatherland and his native lake and retired to the mountains. Here he enjoyed his spirit and solitude and did not tire of this happiness for ten whole years. But at last his heart was transformed, and one morning, rising from the dawn, he stood before the sun and addressed it thus:

"Great light! What would be your happiness if you did not have those for whom you shine?

For ten years you ascended over my cave: you would be fed up with your light and your ascent, if it were not for me, my eagle and my snake.

But every morning we waited for you, accepted your generosity and blessed you.

Look! I am fed up with my wisdom, like a bee that has collected too much honey; and behold, I need hands stretched out to me.

I want to give and bestow until the wisest of men rejoice in their folly, and the poor in their riches.

And therefore I must go down, like you, when every evening you plunge into the abyss of the sea, bringing your light to the lower world, you, the richest of the luminaries!

Like you, I must roll*—that is what the people I want to go to call it.

So bless me, O calm eye, looking without envy at the greatest happiness!

Bless the cup, ready to spill, so that precious moisture flows from it, spreading everywhere the reflection of your bliss!

Look! This cup is ready to empty again, and Zarathustra wants to become a man again.

Zarathustra descended from the mountain without meeting anyone on his way. But when he entered the forest, an old man suddenly appeared before him, leaving his sacred hut to look for roots in the forest. And the elder turned to Zarathustra with these words:

“I know this wanderer: several years ago he passed here. His name is Zarathustra; but he changed.

Then you carried your ashes to the mountains: do you now want to carry your fire to the valleys? Are you not afraid of the punishment that threatens the arsonist?

Yes, I recognize Zarathustra. His gaze is clear, and there is no disgust on his face. Isn't that why he walks like he's dancing?

Zarathustra changed, Zarathustra became a child and awakened from his sleep. What do you want from the sleepers?

As if in the sea, you plunged into loneliness, and the sea bore you. Alas! Do you want to go back to the beach? And again carry your mortal body yourself?

And Zarathustra answered: "I love people."

“But isn’t it because,” said the saint, “I went into the forest and the desert, moving away from everyone, because I loved people too much?

Now I love God: I don't love people. Man is too imperfect for me. Loving him would kill me."

Zarathustra answered: “Did I say anything about love? I bring people a gift.

“Give them nothing,” said the saint, “better take some of their burden from them and carry it with them—it will be best for them, if only it will be to your own taste!

And if you want to give them, give no more alms, and even make her beg!”

“No,” answered Zarathustra, “I do not give alms. I'm not poor enough for that."

The saint laughed at Zarathustra and said: “So try to make them accept your treasures! They do not trust hermits and do not believe that we come to them in order to give.

Our steps along their streets sound too lonely. And if at night, lying in their beds, long before sunrise, they hear a man walking, then they ask themselves: “Where is this thief sneaking?”

So don't go to people, stay in the forest! Go to the animals! Why don't you want to be like me, a bear among bears, a bird among birds?

"And what is the saint doing in the forest?" asked Zarathustra.

And he answered: “I compose songs and sing them; composing songs, I laugh, cry and sing: thus I praise God.

With singing, weeping and laughter I praise God, my Lord. What are you bringing us as a gift?

Hearing these words, Zarathustra bowed to the saint and said: “What can I give you! Better let me get out of here as soon as possible, so as not to take anything away from you! And so they parted from each other, the old man and the husband, laughing like two children.

But when Zarathustra was left alone, thus he said in his heart: “Is it possible? This holy elder in his forest has not yet heard anything about the fact that God is dead!

Arriving at the nearest city, which was located behind the forest, Zarathustra saw a crowd of people gathered in the market square, for they were promised a spectacle - a rope dancer. And Zarathustra addressed the people with these words:

“I am teaching you about the Superman. Man is something that must be overcome. What did you do to overcome it?

Hitherto all beings have created something that is higher than them; do you want to become the ebb of this great wave and return to the beasts rather than overcome man?

What is an ape compared to a man? A laughingstock or a painful shame. And the same should be the person for the Superman - a laughing stock or a painful shame.

You have made the journey from a worm to a man, but much in you is from a worm. Once you were apes, and even now man is more ape than any other ape.

Even the wisest of you is something ambiguous and indefinitely bisexual, something between something that grows out of the earth and a deceptive ghost. But do I command you to be one or the other?

Listen, I'm teaching you about the Superman!

Superman is the meaning of the earth. Let your will also say: Let the Superman be the meaning of the earth!

I conjure you, my brothers, remain true to the earth and do not believe those who tell you about unearthly hopes! They are poisoners; it doesn't matter if they know it themselves.

They despise life; these are the dying and poisoned themselves, these are those from whom the earth is tired: let them perish!

Before the greatest crime was blasphemy against God, but God died, and these crimes died with him. Now the most terrible crime is to blaspheme the earth and honor the incomprehensible above the meaning of the earth!

Once upon a time, the soul looked with contempt at the body: and then this contempt was considered something higher. The soul yearned to see the body lean, disgusting and hungry - so hoped it would be freed from it and from the earth.

Oh, that soul itself was thin, disgusting and hungry, and cruelty was the highest pleasure for her.

But tell me, my brethren, what does your body say about your soul? Is your soul not poverty and filth and miserable self-satisfaction?

Truly, man is a dirty stream. You have to be the sea to take it into yourself and not become unclean.

And so I teach you about the Superman: he is the sea where your great contempt will sink.

What is high that you can experience? This is the hour of great contempt: the hour when your happiness becomes as disgusting to you as your reason and virtue.

The hour when you say: “What is my happiness? It is poverty and filth and miserable self-satisfaction. But it must be such as to serve as a justification for being itself!

The hour when you say, “What is my mind? Does he seek knowledge like a lion for his food? My mind is poverty and filth and miserable self-satisfaction!

The hour when you say: “What is my virtue? She hasn't made me mad yet. How tired I am of my good and evil! All this is poverty, and filth, and pitiful complacency!

The hour when you say: “Where is my justice? For I am neither flame nor coal. And the just one is flame and coal!

The hour when you say: “Where is my compassion? Is it not a cross to which one who loves people is nailed? But my compassion is not a crucifix!

Did you say so? Did you scream like that? Oh, if I had already heard all this from you!

Not your sins - your self-satisfaction cries out to heaven, the insignificance of your sins cries out to heaven!

Where is the lightning that will lick you with its tongue? Where is the madness that should inspire you?

Listen, I teach you about the Superman: he is that lightning, he is that madness!

When Zarathustra finished his speeches, someone shouted from the crowd: “We have heard enough about the rope dancer; Let them show it to us now! And all the people laughed at Zarathustra. And the rope dancer, thinking that it was about him, set to work.

Zarathustra looked at the crowd and wondered. Then he said this: “Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Superman, it is a rope over an abyss.

Passing is dangerous, stopping along the way is dangerous, looking back is dangerous, fear is dangerous.

The greatness of man is that he is a bridge and not a goal; and the only thing worthy of love in him is that he is a transition and annihilation.

I love the one who does not know how to live otherwise than in the name of his own death, for he is walking over the bridge.

I love the one who bears in himself great contempt, for he is a great admirer and an arrow languishing on the other side.

I love the one who does not look in heaven, behind the stars, for reasons to perish and sacrifice himself; the one who sacrifices himself to the earth so that one day it becomes the earth of the Superman.

I love the one who lives for the sake of knowledge and seeks to know in order that the Superman might once live. Because he wants his death.

I love the one who works and invents in order to build a dwelling for the Superman and prepare the earth, animals and plants for him: for thus he wants his death.

I love him who loves his virtue: for virtue is the will to perish and the arrow of the desire of the other shore.

I love the one who leaves not a single drop of spirit for himself, but longs to be wholly the spirit of his virtue: thus, like this spirit, he passes over the bridge.

I love the one who makes attraction and destiny out of his virtue: only for the sake of his virtue does he still want to live, and not to live anymore.

I love someone who does not strive to have too many virtues. One virtue is stronger than two, because then it becomes the knot on which fate rests.

I love the one who wastes his soul, who does not want gratitude and does not give it himself: for he always bestows and does not seek to save himself.

I love the one who is ashamed when happiness accompanies him in the game, and asks himself: "Am I a dishonest player?" - For he longs to lose everything.

I love the one who throws golden words ahead of his deeds and always fulfills more than he promised: for he longs for death.

I love the one who justifies the coming generation, and the past one delivers, for he longs for the destruction of the living now.

I love the one who punishes his God, because I love him: for from the wrath of his Lord he must perish.

I love the one whose soul is deep even in her wounds; who can be destroyed by the slightest trial: he willingly walks over the bridge.

I love the one whose soul is so overflowing that he forgets himself and contains all things in himself. So everything that he contains becomes his death.

I love the one who is free in spirit and heart; one whose mind is only a small particle of his heart - a heart that leads to death.

I love all who are like heavy drops falling one after another from the dark cloud hanging over mankind: they foreshadow the approach of lightning and perish like heralds.

Look, I am the herald of lightning, I am a heavy drop from a thundercloud; and the name of that lightning is Superman.

Having uttered these words, Zarathustra looked again at the crowd, and fell silent. “Here they stand and laugh,” he said in his heart, “they do not understand me: my words are not for their ears.

Is it really necessary to first deprive them of their ears so that they learn to listen with their eyes? Is it really necessary to rattle like timpani and crackle like preachers of repentance? Or maybe they only believe the stutterer?

They have something that they are proud of. How do they call the object of their pride? They call it "culture", which they say distinguishes them from the shepherds.

Therefore, they do not like to take the word “contempt” personally. Then I will appeal to their pride.

I will tell them about the most contemptible, and the most contemptible is the last person.

And Zarathustra addressed the people with these words:

“The time has come for a man to set himself a goal. It is time for him to plant the sprout of his highest hope.

So far, its land is plentiful and generous: but the time will come when it will become meager and powerless, and not a single tall tree will grow on it.

Woe! The time is approaching when a person will no longer be able to shoot the arrow of his desire above himself, and his bowstring will forget how to tremble.

I tell you: you have to have chaos in yourself to give birth to a dancing star. I tell you: you still have chaos in you.

Woe! The time is approaching when man will no longer be able to give birth to a single star. Woe! The time of the most contemptible man is approaching, who is no longer able to despise himself.

Look! I'll show you the last person.

"What is love? What is creation? What is passion? What is a star? ”- so the last person asks and blinks his eyes in bewilderment.

The earth has become small, and the last man is swarming on it, who makes everything as insignificant as himself. His race is indestructible, like earthen fleas: the last man lives the longest.

“Happiness is found by us,” say the last people, blinking senselessly.

They left the countries where it was cold, because they needed warmth. They still love their neighbor and huddle close to each other - just because they need warmth.

Sickness and incredulity are considered sins among them, for they walk circumspectly. Only a madman can stumble upon stones and people!

From time to time - a little bit of poison: it evokes pleasant dreams. And more poison in the end, so that it would be more pleasant to die.

They are still working, because work is entertainment for them. But they take care that this entertainment does not tire them excessively.

There will be no more poor or rich: both are too troublesome. And who among them wants to rule? Who to obey? Both are too troublesome.

There is no shepherd, there is only one flock! Everyone has the same desires, everyone is equal; he who thinks otherwise voluntarily goes to a lunatic asylum.

“Before the whole world was mad,” say the most shrewd of them, blinking senselessly.

They are all smart, they know everything about what happened: so there is no end to their ridicule. They still quarrel, but quickly reconcile - strong quarrels would disturb their peace and digestion.

They also have their little pleasures: one - during the day, the other - at night; but most of all they care about health.

“We have discovered happiness,” the last people say and blink senselessly.

Thus ended the first speech of Zarathustra, which is also called the Preface, because at this point he was interrupted by the cries and jubilation of the crowd: “Give us this last man,” the crowd exclaimed, “make us the last people, O Zarathustra! We don't need your Superman!". And everyone rejoiced, clicking their tongues. But Zarathustra was saddened and thus said in his heart:

“They do not understand me: my speeches are not for these ears.

Too long have I lived in the mountains, too often listened to the noise of streams and trees, that's why I turn to them, as if to shepherds.

Like mountains in the morning, my soul is serene and bright. They think that I am a cold mocker and amuse myself with cruel jokes.

Here they look at me and laugh, and laughing, they also hate me. Ice in their laughter.

But then something happened that made all mouths dumb and eyes motionless, for at that time the rope dancer set to work; he emerged from behind a small door and walked along a tightrope stretched between two towers over a marketplace full of people. When he had already overcome halfway, the door opened again, and some fellow, dressed like a clown in all motley, jumped out of it and quickly walked along the rope after the first one.

“Forward, lame,” he shouted in a terrible voice, “forward, lazy brute, smuggler, bleached mug! Watch out I don't tickle you with my heel! What are you doing here between the towers? Your place is in the tower, they should lock you up there so that you don’t block the way for someone who is better than you! And with every word he got closer and closer to the rope dancer, and when he came within a step, something terrible happened that made all the lips dumb and the eyes motionless: he let out a devilish cry and jumped over the one who blocked his path. The rope dancer, seeing that the opponent was winning, having lost his head and balance, threw his pole and flew into the abyss, like a whirlwind of legs and arms flashing in the air. The crowd in the square was agitated like the sea when a storm comes up: in confusion, knocking each other down, they all rushed in different directions, but mostly in the direction where the body fell.

Zarathustra did not move, and right next to him fell the rope dancer, all mutilated and broken, but still alive. After a while consciousness returned to him, and he saw Zarathustra kneeling beside him. “What are you doing here? asked the unfortunate man. “I knew for a long time that the devil himself would set his foot on me. Now he will drag me to hell: do you really want to prevent him?

“By my honour, friend,” answered Zarathustra, “there is nothing like what you speak of: there is neither the devil nor hell. Your soul will die even sooner than your body: do not be afraid of anything!”

The dying man looked at him in disbelief. “If you are telling the truth, then by losing my life, I lose nothing. I am nothing more than an animal that has been taught to dance by beatings and hunger.”

“Oh no,” said Zarathustra, “danger has become your calling, and for that you cannot despise. Now your calling has brought you to ruin. For this, I myself will bury you.”

The dying man did not answer these words; he only moved his hand, as if seeking the hand of Zarathustra, in order to thank him.

Meanwhile, evening had come, and the market-place was plunged into darkness; the people have already dispersed, for even curiosity and fear are tired. And Zarathustra still sat on the ground next to the dead, immersed in his thoughts, so that he forgot about time. At last night came, and a cold wind began to pierce the lonely man. Then Zarathustra arose and said in his heart:

“I had a really good catch today! I did not catch a single person, except perhaps the dead.

Terrible and still devoid of meaning is human existence: the lot of a person can be the fate of a buffoon.

I want to teach people the meaning of their existence: this meaning is the Superman, lightning from the dark cloud of humanity.

But I am still far from them, and my thought does not reach them. For people, I'm still something between a madman and a corpse.

Dark is the night, dark are the ways of Zarathustra. Let's go, cold immovable comrade! I'll take you to where I'll bury you myself."

Having said this in his heart, Zarathustra heaved the corpse on his back and set off. But before he had gone a hundred steps, someone crept up to him and whispered in his ear - it was a clown from the tower.

“Get out of this city, O Zarathustra,” he said, “too many have hated you here. Both the good and the righteous hate you and call you their enemy and hater; believers hate and say that you are a danger to the crowd. It is your happiness that they laughed at you: and truly, you spoke like a clown. Your happiness is that you got in touch with this carrion: having humiliated yourself like this, today you saved yourself. But get away from this city, otherwise tomorrow I will jump over you - alive over the dead. And having said this, the clown disappeared, and Zarathustra went on along the dark streets.

At the city gates, gravediggers met him: they lit his face with a torch and, recognizing him, mocked him for a long time: “Zarathustra takes away dead dog: bravo, he became a gravedigger! Even our hands are too clean for this harvest. Doesn't he want to steal a piece from the devil himself? Well! Happy lunch! Only the devil is an even better thief than Zarathustra - he will steal them both and devour them! And the grave-diggers whispered among themselves and laughed.

Zarathustra answered this with silence, continuing on his way. For two hours he walked through the forests and marshes, and all the time he heard the howling of hungry wolves; Finally, hunger attacked him. He stopped at some lonely house, in the window of which a light was burning.

“Hunger attacks me like a robber,” said Zarathustra to himself. - In the forests and swamps, at midnight, my hunger attacks me.

He has strange whims: he often comes to me after dinner, but today I did not feel him all day. Where did he linger?"

Saying this to himself, Zarathustra knocked on the door. An old man appeared with a lantern and asked: “Who came to me and disturbed my bad dream?”

"Alive and dead," answered Zarathustra. - Give me something to eat and drink; I forgot about it during the day. He who feeds the hungry satisfies own soul: thus says wisdom.

The old man left, but immediately returned, bringing Zarathustra bread and wine. “These places are bad for the hungry,” he said, “that's why I live here. Man and beast come to me, to the hermit. But call your companion too, he is hungry no less than you.

Zarathustra replied: "It would be difficult to persuade him to share a meal with me, for my companion is dead."

“What does it matter to me,” grumbled the old man, “whoever knocks at my house, let him accept what is offered to him. Eat and say goodbye."

Then Zarathustra walked for another two hours, trusting in the road and in the light of the stars: for he was accustomed to walking at night and loved to look into the face of everything that sleeps. But when it began to get light, Zarathustra found himself in a dense forest, and not a single road was visible. Then he put the dead man in the hollow of a tree near his head - to protect him from the wolves - and he himself lay down on the moss under the tree. And he immediately fell asleep, tired in body, but adamant in soul.

For a long time Zarathustra slept, and not only the dawn, but also the noon passed over his face. But at last his eyes were opened: with surprise Zarathustra looked at the forest, immersed in deep silence, with surprise he looked inside himself. Then he quickly got up, like a navigator who suddenly sees the land, and rejoiced: for he had discovered a new truth. And so he spoke in his heart:

“The light of truth has shone on me: I need followers, and, moreover, the living, not the dead - not the dead, whom I carry wherever I want.

I need living followers, those who will follow me, for they want to follow themselves; so they will follow me wherever I want.

The light of truth shone on me: I should not address the people, but the followers! Zarathustra will not become a shepherd and a dog for the flock!

Lure many of the herd - that's what I came for. The people and the flock will be indignant at me: the shepherds will call Zarathustra a robber.

I said "shepherds", they call themselves good and righteous. I called them shepherds, they call themselves believers.

Look at these good and righteous ones! Who do they hate the most? Breaking the tables of their values, destroying and transgressing, but he is the creator.

Look at the believers! Who do they hate the most? Breaking the tables of their values, destroying and transgressing, but he is the creator.

The creator is looking for followers, not the people of the crowd, not the dead, not the believers. He is looking for those who will create with him: those who will write new values ​​on new tablets.

The creator is looking for followers and those who will reap the harvest with him, for everything is ripe for the harvest with him. Only a hundred sickles are missing: therefore he plucks out the ears and gets angry.

Followers are looking for creators, those who know how to sharpen their sickles. They will be called destroyers and despisers of good and evil. But these are the reapers and the celebrating at the feast.

Zarathustra is looking for those who will create with him, comrades in the harvest and companions: what does he care about the dead and the shepherds with their flocks!

And you, my first companion, farewell! Well I buried you in a hollow, safely hidden from the wolves.

But I part with you, for my hour has come. Between two dawns a new truth was revealed to me.

I will not become a shepherd or a gravedigger. And I will never again turn to the people: for the last time I called out to the dead.

I want to unite with those who create, harvest and celebrate: I will show them the rainbow and all the steps leading to the Superman.

To all the lonely and distant from the world, and to those who are alone together, I will sing my song; and to him who still has ears to hear the unheard, I will put in my heart the burden of my happiness.

I strive for my goal, I follow my own path; I will jump over the slow and the careless. May my path be their ruin!”

Thus spoke Zarathustra in his heart, and the sun stood at its zenith: and then he looked up, for he heard above him a piercing cry of a bird. And what! Describing wide circles, an eagle soared in the sky and carried a snake, but not in the way that prey is worn: the snake wrapped itself around his neck, like a girlfriend.

"These are my animals!" said Zarathustra and rejoiced in his heart.

“The proudest animal under the sun and the wisest animal under the sun, they set off; they wanted to know if Zarathustra was still alive. And really, am I alive?

It is more dangerous for me to be among men than among beasts, Zarathustra walks in dangerous ways. Let my animals lead me!"
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Having said this, he remembered what the holy elder had said in the forest, sighed and said in his heart: “I wish I could become smarter! Oh, that I could become as wise as my snake!

But I thirst for the impossible: for I ask my pride to always accompany my wisdom!

And if someday my wisdom leaves me - and she loves to leave me so much - then let my pride, along with stupidity, be carried away!

Thus began the decline of Zarathustra.


.....................................................
Copyright: Friedrich Nietzsche ( translation Rynkevich a)

Painting "Sunset, Mont Blanc" Wenzel Hablik (Wenzel Hablik)

Very briefly

Telling people parables and stories of moral and philosophical content, the wandering philosopher preaches the doctrine of the Superman, but the world is indifferent to the speeches of the sage.

The novel consists of four parts, each of which contains parables on various moral and philosophical topics. According to the style, the poetic-rhythmic prose of the work is referred to the genre of "philosophical poem".

Part one

Zarathustra returns to the people after ten years of loneliness in the mountains to bring the message of the Superman.

Descending from the mountains, he meets a hermit who speaks of love for God. Continuing on his way, Zarathustra is perplexed: “Is it possible?! This holy elder in his forest has not yet heard that God is dead!”

In the city, the sage sees a crowd that has gathered to stare at the rope dancer. Zarathustra tells people about the Superman: he calls on people to be "loyal to the earth" and not to believe in "unearthly hopes" because "God is dead". The crowd laughs at Zarathustra and watches the performance of the Rope Dancer. As a result of the intrigues of Pagliac, the tightrope walker falls and dies. Having picked up the corpse of the deceased, the sage leaves the city. He is accompanied by the Eagle and the Snake.

In his "Speeches", consisting of twenty-two parables, Zarathustra laughs at the false morality and foundations of mankind.

The sage begins with a story about "three transformations of the spirit": first, the spirit is a Camel, which turns into a Lion, and the Lion becomes a Child. The spirit is loaded, but he wants to gain freedom and, like a lion, become a master. But the Lion cannot become the Spirit-Creator without the Child - the "sacred affirmation" of the spirit.

Many paradoxical aspirations in life and different types of people are discussed by Zarathustra:

He condemns the godlike - they desire "doubt to be a sin". They despise healthy body- strong and perfect. The philosopher curses the priests - these preachers of death, who must disappear "from the face of the earth."

Zarathustra teaches to respect warriors - they "overcome the man in themselves", not wanting a long life.

He speaks of “a thousand and one goals”, when the good of one people is considered evil by another people, because “humanity has no goal yet.”

The wise man is talking about the "new idol" that people worship - about the state. The death of this myth signifies the beginning of a new man.

He advises to avoid fame, clowns and actors, because far from this "inventors of new values ​​\u200b\u200bhave always lived."

Zarathustra calls it stupidity when they respond with good to Evil - this is a humiliation for the enemy, and "a little revenge is more humane than the absence of revenge."

Marriage he calls "the will of two to create a single, greater than those who created it", and he calls truly chaste those who are indulgent and cheerful.

The sage also speaks of love for "those who create in solitude" - they are able to "create beyond themselves."

Zarathustra tells a young man about the evil nature of a person who is like a tree and “the more persistently he strives upwards, towards the light, the more forcefully his roots rush deep into the earth, downwards, into darkness - into evil.”

The sage mentions the nature of a woman - the key to her is pregnancy, and the rule for dealing with her is one: “Are you going to women? Don't forget the whip!"

Zarathustra condemns people who "being in miserable self-satisfaction", wallowed in these "virtues". A person on the way to the Superman must keep a “hero in his soul”, be faithful to the earth, find himself and “desire with one will”, denying any other faith.

The "Speeches" end with a prophecy about the coming of the "Great Midday", when on the way from the animal to the Superman, man "celebrates the beginning of his sunset."

"All the gods have died: now we want the Superman to live" - ​​this, according to Zarathustra, should be the motto of mankind.

Part two

Zarathustra retires to his cave. Years later, the sage again decides to go to people with new parables.

He again speaks of the rejection of religion, because "it is a thought that makes everything straight crooked." The existence of gods kills any creation and creation. Away from gods and priests who die in fire for false ideas.

The true virtue for a person is the Self, which "manifests itself in every act." One must love creation more than compassion, since compassion cannot create anything.

Zarathustra reveals the lie of the concept of "equality" - this myth is used to avenge and punish the strong, despite the fact that people are not equal and "they should not be equal!"

All the "illustrious sages", like donkeys, served "the people and popular superstition and not the truth." But the real sages live in the desert, not in the cities. Therefore, a real sage avoids the crowd and does not drink from its "poisoned springs."

Zarathustra teaches about the “will to power”, which he saw “everywhere where there was life” and which encourages the weak to submit to the strong: “Only where there is life, there is also will: but not the will to live - the will to power! This is how I teach you." It is the “will to power” that makes a person strong and sublime, like a column - “the higher it is, the more tender and beautiful, while inside it is harder and more enduring.”

He speaks of a "culture" that is dead and comes from an illusory reality. The scientists of this dead reality pretend to be sages, but their truths are worthless. Zarathustra calls for “spotless” and pure knowledge, “so that everything deep rises to my height!”

He laughs at the poets for their "eternal femininity" - they are too "superficial and not clean enough: they muddy the water to make it seem deeper."

All great events, says Zarathustra, must revolve "not around those who invent new noise, but around the inventors of new values." Only the “will to power” can destroy compassion and bring the Great to life.

Zarathustra teaches his listeners three human wisdoms: to allow oneself to be deceived, “so as not to beware of deceivers”, to spare the conceited more than others, and not to allow “because of your cowardice, the sight of the evil ones becomes disgusting to me.”

In deep sadness, he leaves his uncomprehending listeners.

Part three

Zarathustra is on his way again. He tells his fellow travelers about his meeting with the Spirit of Gravity - “he was sitting on me, half mole, half dwarf; lame, he tried to make me lame too.” This Dwarf saddled the sage, trying to drag him into the abyss of doubt. Only courage saves the philosopher.

Zarathustra warns that the Spirit of Gravity is given to us from birth in the form of the words "good" and "evil". This enemy who says "good for all, evil for all" is defeated only by "who says: here is my good and my evil." There is neither good nor bad - there is "my taste, which I do not need to be ashamed of or hide."

There is no universal way that can be shown to everyone - there is only an individual choice of everyone in matters of morality.

“Shouldn't it be like this: everything that can happen has already passed along this path? Shouldn’t it be like this: everything that can happen has already happened once, happened and passed? - asks Zarathustra, affirming the idea of ​​the Eternal Return. He is sure: “everything that can happen on this long way forward must happen again!”

The sage says that all life is determined by "the most ancient aristocracy of the world" - Chance. And the one who seeks happiness never finds it, because "happiness is a woman."

Returning to his cave through the cities, Zarathustra again speaks of moderate virtue, which is combined with comfort. People crushed and revered "what makes modest and tame: so they turned the wolf into a dog, and people into the best pet of man."

The sage is saddened by the deafness of people to the truth and says that “where you can no longer love, you need to pass by!”

He continues to mock the "old, jealous, malicious" prophets who speak of monotheism: "Isn't divinity also in that there are gods, but there is no God?"

Zarathustra praises voluptuousness, lust for power and selfishness. These are healthy passions, beating "with a key from a strong soul, connected to an exalted body" and they will be characteristic of the "new aristocracy". These new people will destroy the "old tables" of morality, replacing them with new ones. "Undaunted courage, long distrust, cruel denial, satiety, cutting life" - this is what, according to Zarathustra, characterizes the new elite and gives birth to truth.

In order to be strong, one must have a "broad soul", which is free from external circumstances and "throws itself into everything Accidental". This soul has a thirst for will, wisdom and love, "in which all things find striving and confrontation."

Only those who want to overcome themselves have the "will to power" and a broad soul will be saved. The weak and the falling must be pushed and taught to "fall faster!" calls Zarathustra.

The best should strive for dominance in all areas of life. A man must be "capable of war", and a woman - for childbearing. “You are concluding a marriage: see that it does not become a conclusion for you!” the philosopher warns.

Zarathustra denies the "social contract", because society "is an attempt, it is a long search for the one who commands."

He sings of "everything evil in man", because "everything bad and evil is the best power and a solid stone in the hand of the highest of creators."

After these sermons, the beasts call Zarathustra "the teacher of the Eternal Return."

Part four and last

Zarathustra grew old and "his hair turned grey."

He continues to believe in the "thousand-year kingdom of Zarathustra" and adheres to the main slogan of the Superman - "Be who you are!"

One day he hears a cry for help and goes to look for a "higher man" who is in trouble. He comes across various characters - a gloomy Soothsayer, two Kings with a donkey, a conscientious spirit, an old Wizard, the last Pope, the Ugliest Man, a Volunteer Beggar and a Shadow. They all tell Zarathustra their stories and want to find the "higher man". The sage sends them to his cave and continues on his way.

Tired, Zarathustra returns to the cave and sees there all the travelers he met during the day. Among them are the Eagle and the Snake. The sage gives a sermon on the signs of a "higher man", summarizing all the ideas that were said in the earlier sermons.

After that, he arranges a "supper" where everyone drinks wine, eats lambs and praises the wisdom of Zarathustra. All guests, including the donkey, pray.

The sage calls his guests "recovering" and sings of the coming of the "Great Noon".

In the morning Zarathustra leaves his cave.