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Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None — Page 8

English → De Preface Level 9/10

—And now, after having been long on the way in this fashion, we Argonauts of the ideal, more courageous perhaps than prudent, and often enough shipwrecked and brought to grief, nevertheless dangerously healthy, always healthy again,—it would seem as if, in recompense for it all, that we have a still undiscovered country before us, the boundaries of which no one has yet seen, a beyond to all countries and corners of the ideal known hitherto, a world so over-rich in the beautiful, the strange, the questionable, the frightful, and the divine, that our curiosity as well as our thirst for possession thereof, have got out of hand—alas! that nothing will now any longer satisfy us!—

—Und nun, nachdem wir lange auf diese Weise unterwegs waren, wir Argonauten des Ideals, mutiger vielleicht als klug, und oft genug gescheitert und zu Schaden gekommen, gleichwohl gefährlich gesund, immer wieder gesund,—so scheint es, als ob uns zum Ersatz für all das noch ein unentdecktes Land vor uns liegt, dessen Grenzen noch niemand gesehen hat, ein Jenseits aller bisher bekannten Länder und Winkel des Ideals, eine Welt so überreich an Schönem, Fremdem, Fragwürdigem, Furchtbarem und Göttlichem, dass unsere Neugier sowohl als auch unser Durst nach Besitz davon außer Rand und Band geraten ist—ach! dass uns nun nichts mehr genügen will!—

"How could we still be content with THE MAN OF THE PRESENT DAY after such outlooks, and with such a craving in our conscience and consciousness? Sad enough; but it is unavoidable that we should look on the worthiest aims and hopes of the man of the present-day with ill-concealed amusement, and perhaps should no longer look at them.

„Wie könnten wir nach solchen Ausblicken und mit einem solchen Hunger in unserem Gewissen und Bewusstsein noch mit dem MENSCHEN DER GEGENWART zufrieden sein? Traurig genug; aber es ist unvermeidlich, dass wir die würdigsten Ziele und Hoffnungen des gegenwärtigen Menschen mit schlecht verborgenem Belustigung betrachten, und sie vielleicht gar nicht mehr betrachten sollten.

Vocabulary

nun
Now; at this point in time
nachdem
After; following a certain event or time
lange
For a long time; over an extended period
Weise
Way, manner, or method of doing something
unterwegs
On the way; traveling or in transit
Argonauten
Argonauts; mythological heroes on a quest
Ideals
Genitive form of 'Ideal'; of the ideal
mutiger
Braver, more courageous than something else
vielleicht
Perhaps; possibly; expressing uncertainty
klug
Clever, wise, or intelligent
oft
Often; frequently occurring
genug
Enough; a sufficient amount or degree
gescheitert
Failed; past participle of 'scheitern'
Schaden
Harm, damage, or loss suffered
gleichwohl
Nevertheless; nonetheless; despite everything
gefährlich
Dangerous; posing a risk or threat
gesund
Healthy; in good physical or mental condition
immer
Always; at all times or repeatedly
wieder
Again; once more; returning to a state
scheint
Seems; appears to be a certain way
ob
Whether; introducing an indirect question
Ersatz
Substitute, replacement, or compensation for something
noch
Still; yet; in addition to
unentdecktes
Undiscovered; not yet found or explored
Land
Land, country, or territory
liegt
Lies; is situated or located somewhere
dessen
Whose; genitive relative pronoun
Grenzen
Borders, boundaries, or limits
niemand
Nobody; no one; not any person
Jenseits
Beyond; on the other side of something
bisher
Until now; up to this point in time
bekannten
Known; familiar; previously recognized
Länder
Countries, lands, or territories (plural)
Winkel
Corner, angle, or remote spot
Welt
World; the entire earth or a realm
überreich
Exceedingly rich or abundantly filled with something
Schönem
Beautiful things; dative form of 'schön'
Fremdem
Strange or foreign things; unfamiliar elements
Fragwürdigem
Questionable or dubious things worth doubting
Furchtbarem
Terrible or frightful things; what is dreadful
Göttlichem
Divine things; what is godlike or transcendent
Neugier
Curiosity; desire to know or discover
sowohl
Both; as well as; used in correlative pairs
Durst
Thirst; intense desire or craving for something
Besitz
Possession; ownership of property or things
davon
Of it; from it; thereof
außer
Outside of; except for; beyond
Rand
Edge, rim, or border of something
Band
Ribbon, bond, or restraint; also volume/book
geraten
To get into; to end up in a state
ach
Oh; ah; exclamation of longing or regret
nichts
Nothing; not anything at all
mehr
More; anymore; to a greater extent
genügen
To suffice; to be enough or adequate
könnten
Could; subjunctive form of 'können'
solchen
Such; of this kind (dative/accusative form)
Ausblicken
Outlooks, views, or prospects (dative plural)
Hunger
Hunger; strong desire or craving
Gewissen
Conscience; inner moral sense of right/wrong
Bewusstsein
Consciousness; awareness of self and surroundings
MENSCHEN
Human being, person, or humanity (emphatic caps)
GEGENWART
The present time; contemporary era (emphatic)
zufrieden
Satisfied, content, or pleased with something
Traurig
Sad; sorrowful; expressing grief or melancholy
unvermeidlich
Unavoidable; inevitable; impossible to prevent
würdigsten
Most worthy or most dignified (superlative form)
Ziele
Goals, aims, or targets (plural)
Hoffnungen
Hopes; expectations for a positive outcome (plural)
gegenwärtigen
Current, present-day, contemporary (adjective form)
Menschen
People, humans, or persons (plural)
schlecht
Bad, poor, or of low quality
verborgenem
Hidden, concealed, or secret (dative form)
Belustigung
Amusement; entertainment; finding something funny
betrachten
To look at, regard, or consider something
gar
At all; used for emphasis, often with negation
sollten
Should; past subjunctive of 'sollen'
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