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Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None — Page 7

English → De Preface Level 9/10

I know not how to express my meaning more plainly or more personally than I have done already in one of the last chapters (Aphorism 382) of the fifth book of the 'Gaya Scienza'."

Ich weiß nicht, wie ich meinen Sinn deutlicher oder persönlicher ausdrücken könnte, als ich es bereits in einem der letzten Kapitel (Aphorismus 382) des fünften Buches der 'Gaya Scienza' getan habe."

"We, the new, the nameless, the hard-to-understand,"—it says there,—"we firstlings of a yet untried future—we require for a new end also a new means, namely, a new healthiness, stronger, sharper, tougher, bolder and merrier than all healthiness hitherto.

„Wir, die Neuen, die Namenlosen, die Schwer-zu-Verstehenden," — so heißt es dort — „wir Erstlinge einer noch unerprobten Zukunft — wir brauchen für einen neuen Zweck auch ein neues Mittel, nämlich eine neue Gesundheit, stärker, schärfer, zäher, verwegener und fröhlicher als alle Gesundheit bisher.

He whose soul longeth to experience the whole range of hitherto recognised values and desirabilities, and to circumnavigate all the coasts of this ideal 'Mediterranean Sea', who, from the adventures of his most personal experience, wants to know how it feels to be a conqueror, and discoverer of the ideal—as likewise how it is with the artist, the saint, the legislator, the sage, the scholar, the devotee, the prophet, and the godly non-conformist of the old style:—requires one thing above all for that purpose, GREAT HEALTHINESS—such healthiness as one not only possesses, but also constantly acquires and must acquire, because one unceasingly sacrifices it again, and must sacrifice it!

Wer mit seiner Seele die ganze Breite der bisher anerkannten Werte und Wünschbarkeiten erfahren und alle Küsten dieses idealen 'Mittelmeers' umschiffen möchte, wer aus den Abenteuern seiner persönlichsten Erfahrung wissen will, wie es sich anfühlt, ein Eroberer und Entdecker des Ideals zu sein — wie es ebenso mit dem Künstler, dem Heiligen, dem Gesetzgeber, dem Weisen, dem Gelehrten, dem Frommen, dem Propheten und dem gottgefälligen Nonkonformisten alten Stils bestellt ist: — der bedarf dafür vor allem einer Sache, der GROSSEN GESUNDHEIT — einer solchen Gesundheit, die man nicht nur besitzt, sondern auch beständig erwirbt und erwerben muss, weil man sie unaufhörlich wieder opfert und opfern muss!

Vocabulary

weiß
Know; first person singular of wissen
meinen
My (accusative plural) or to mean/think
Sinn
Sense, meaning, or purpose of something
deutlicher
More clearly or more distinctly expressed
persönlicher
More personal or more individually expressed
ausdrücken
To express or articulate something in words
könnte
Could; subjunctive form of können
bereits
Already; indicating something has occurred before
letzten
Last or final in a sequence or series
Kapitel
Chapter of a book or text
Aphorismus
Aphorism; a concise, witty statement of truth
fünften
Fifth; ordinal number in genitive form
Buches
Book; genitive singular form of Buch
getan
Done; past participle of tun
Neuen
The new ones; plural adjective used as noun
Namenlosen
The nameless ones; those without a name
Schwer-zu-Verstehenden
The difficult-to-understand ones; hard to comprehend
heißt
Is called; third person singular of heißen
Erstlinge
Firstlings; first ones or pioneers of something
unerprobten
Untested or unproven; not yet put to trial
Zukunft
Future; time that has not yet come
brauchen
To need or require something
Zweck
Purpose, goal, or objective of an action
Mittel
Means, method, or remedy for a purpose
nämlich
Namely or that is to say; used for clarification
Gesundheit
Health; physical and mental well-being
stärker
Stronger; comparative form of stark
schärfer
Sharper or keener; comparative form of scharf
zäher
Tougher or more tenacious; comparative of zäh
verwegener
Bolder or more daring; comparative of verwegen
fröhlicher
Merrier or happier; comparative of fröhlich
bisher
Until now or so far; up to this point
Seele
Soul or spirit; inner being of a person
ganze
Whole or entire; adjective indicating completeness
Breite
Breadth or width; the full extent of something
anerkannten
Recognized or acknowledged; accepted by general agreement
Werte
Values; principles regarded as important in life
Wünschbarkeiten
Desirabilities; things considered worthy of desire
erfahren
To experience or learn; also experienced as adjective
Küsten
Coasts or shores; edges of land meeting water
idealen
Ideal; adjective in declined form
Mittelmeers
Mediterranean Sea; genitive form of Mittelmeer
umschiffen
To sail around or circumnavigate by ship
möchte
Would like; subjunctive form of mögen
Abenteuern
Adventures; exciting or daring experiences
persönlichsten
Most personal; superlative of persönlich
Erfahrung
Experience; knowledge gained through practice
wissen
To know a fact or information
anfühlt
Feels like; reflexive verb for physical sensation
Eroberer
Conqueror; one who conquers lands or people
Entdecker
Discoverer or explorer; one who finds new things
Ideals
Ideal; genitive form of Ideal
ebenso
Likewise or equally; in the same manner
Künstler
Artist; person who creates art professionally
Heiligen
Saint or holy one; dative/accusative form
Gesetzgeber
Lawgiver or legislator; one who creates laws
Weisen
Wise ones or sages; plural of Weise
Gelehrten
Scholars or learned ones; dative plural form
Frommen
Pious ones or devout people; declined form
Propheten
Prophets; those who foretell or proclaim truth
gottgefälligen
Pleasing to God; adjective in declined form
Nonkonformisten
Nonconformists; those who reject established norms
Stils
Style; genitive singular form of Stil
bestellt
Appointed or destined; past participle of bestellen
bedarf
Needs or requires; third person singular of bedürfen
dafür
For it or for that purpose
allem
All; dative form, used in vor allem (above all)
Sache
Thing or matter; a subject or item
GROSSEN
Great; emphatic capitalized form of groß
GESUNDHEIT
Health; emphatic capitalized form highlighting importance
solchen
Such; dative form of solcher indicating type
man
One or you; impersonal pronoun for general statements
besitzt
Possesses or owns; third person singular of besitzen
sondern
But rather; conjunction contrasting after negation
beständig
Constantly or continuously; without interruption
erwirbt
Acquires or earns; third person singular of erwerben
erwerben
To acquire or obtain something through effort
muss
Must; third person singular of müssen
unaufhörlich
Incessantly or unceasingly; without stopping
opfert
Sacrifices; third person singular of opfern
opfern
To sacrifice or give up something valuable
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