Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None — Page 14
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The first part of "Zarathustra" was written in about ten days—that is to say, from the beginning to about the middle of February 1883.
La primera parte de «Zarathustra» fue escrita en aproximadamente diez días, es decir, desde el principio hasta mediados de febrero de 1883.
"The last lines were written precisely in the hallowed hour when Richard Wagner gave up the ghost in Venice."
«Las últimas líneas fueron escritas precisamente en la hora sagrada en que Richard Wagner entregó el alma en Venecia».
With the exception of the ten days occupied in composing the first part of this book, my brother often referred to this winter as the hardest and sickliest he had ever experienced.
A excepción de los diez días empleados en la composición de la primera parte de este libro, mi hermano solía referirse a ese invierno como el más duro y el más enfermizo que había experimentado jamás.
He did not, however, mean thereby that his former disorders were troubling him, but that he was suffering from a severe attack of influenza which he had caught in Santa Margherita, and which tormented him for several weeks after his arrival in Genoa.
Sin embargo, con esto no quería decir que sus antiguos trastornos le estuvieran causando problemas, sino que padecía un severo ataque de gripe que había contraído en Santa Margherita y que lo atormentó durante varias semanas después de su llegada a Génova.
As a matter of fact, however, what he complained of most was his spiritual condition—that indescribable forsakenness—to which he gives such heartrending expression in "Zarathustra".
De hecho, sin embargo, lo que más le pesaba era su estado espiritual —ese indescriptible abandono— al que da expresión tan desgarradora en «Zarathustra».
Even the reception which the first part met with at the hands of friends and acquaintances was extremely disheartening: for almost all those to whom he presented copies of the work misunderstood it.
Incluso la acogida que tuvo la primera parte entre amigos y conocidos fue sumamente desalentadora: pues casi todos aquellos a quienes obsequió con ejemplares de la obra la malinterpretaron.
"I found no one ripe for many of my thoughts; the case of 'Zarathustra' proves that one can speak with the utmost clearness, and yet not be heard by any one.
«No encontré a nadie maduro para muchos de mis pensamientos; el caso de 'Zarathustra' demuestra que uno puede hablar con la mayor claridad y, sin embargo, no ser escuchado por nadie.
Vocabulary
- primera
- First in order or sequence
- parte
- A portion, section, or part of something
- fue
- Past tense of 'ser'; was or went
- escrita
- Written; past participle of 'escribir'
- aproximadamente
- Approximately; used to indicate an estimate
- diez
- The number ten
- días
- Plural of 'día'; days of the week or period
- decir
- To say or to tell something
- desde
- Preposition meaning 'from' or 'since'
- principio
- The beginning or starting point of something
- hasta
- Preposition meaning 'until' or 'up to'
- mediados
- Middle point of a time period; mid-
- febrero
- The second month of the year; February
- últimas
- Last or final; feminine plural of 'último'
- líneas
- Lines of text or drawn marks
- fueron
- They were; third-person plural preterite of 'ser'
- escritas
- Written; feminine plural past participle of 'escribir'
- precisamente
- Precisely; exactly at a specific moment or point
- hora
- Hour; a unit of time or a specific moment
- sagrada
- Sacred or holy; treated with great reverence
- entregó
- Handed over or surrendered; third-person preterite of 'entregar'
- alma
- Soul; the spiritual essence of a person
- excepción
- Exception; something excluded from a general rule
- empleados
- Employees or workers; also used as past participle of 'emplear'
- composición
- Composition; the act of creating or arranging something
- este
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this'
- libro
- Book; a written or printed literary work
- hermano
- Brother; a male sibling
- solía
- Used to; imperfect tense indicating habitual past action
- referirse
- To refer to something or someone
- ese
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that'
- invierno
- Winter; the coldest season of the year
- más
- More; used to indicate a greater degree
- duro
- Hard, tough, or difficult
- enfermizo
- Sickly; prone to illness or poor health
- había
- There was/had; imperfect of 'haber'
- experimentado
- Experienced; past participle of 'experimentar'
- jamás
- Never; a strong negation of time
- Sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence of something
- embargo
- Used in 'sin embargo'; meaning however or nevertheless
- esto
- This; neuter demonstrative pronoun referring to something
- quería
- Wanted or loved; imperfect tense of 'querer'
- antiguos
- Old, ancient, or former
- trastornos
- Disorders or disturbances affecting health or mind
- estuvieran
- Were; imperfect subjunctive of 'estar'
- causando
- Causing; present participle of 'causar'
- problemas
- Problems; difficulties or issues to be resolved
- sino
- But rather; used to contrast a negative statement
- padecía
- Suffered; imperfect tense of 'padecer'
- severo
- Severe; very serious or harsh in nature
- ataque
- Attack; a sudden onset of illness or aggression
- gripe
- Flu; influenza illness causing fever and fatigue
- contraído
- Contracted; past participle of 'contraer,' to catch illness
- atormentó
- Tormented; caused great pain or suffering
- durante
- During; throughout a period of time
- varias
- Several; more than two but not many
- semanas
- Weeks; periods of seven days
- después
- After or afterward; indicating later in time
- llegada
- Arrival; the act of arriving at a place
- hecho
- Fact; used in 'de hecho' meaning 'in fact'
- pesaba
- Weighed or burdened; imperfect tense of 'pesar'
- era
- Was; imperfect tense of 'ser'
- estado
- State or condition; also past participle of 'estar'
- espiritual
- Spiritual; relating to the spirit or inner life
- indescriptible
- Indescribable; impossible to describe with words
- abandono
- Abandonment; a feeling of being deserted or forsaken
- da
- Gives; third-person singular present of 'dar'
- expresión
- Expression; conveying a feeling or idea verbally
- tan
- So or such; used to indicate degree or intensity
- desgarradora
- Heartbreaking or harrowing; causing great emotional pain
- Incluso
- Even; used to include an extreme or unexpected case
- acogida
- Reception or welcome; how something is received by others
- tuvo
- Had; third-person singular preterite of 'tener'
- entre
- Between or among; indicating a position or relationship
- amigos
- Friends; people with whom one has a bond
- conocidos
- Acquaintances; people known but not close friends
- sumamente
- Extremely; to the highest degree or extent
- desalentadora
- Discouraging; causing loss of confidence or hope
- pues
- Well, for, or since; a causal or filler word
- casi
- Almost; very nearly but not quite
- todos
- All or everyone; referring to the entire group
- aquellos
- Those; demonstrative pronoun referring to distant people
- quienes
- Who; relative pronoun referring to people
- obsequió
- Gifted or presented; gave something as a gift
- ejemplares
- Copies of a book or publication
- obra
- Work; a literary, artistic, or musical creation
- malinterpretaron
- Misinterpreted; understood something incorrectly
- encontré
- Found or met; first-person preterite of 'encontrar'
- nadie
- Nobody; not a single person
- maduro
- Mature or ripe; ready for something
- muchos
- Many; a large number of things or people
- pensamientos
- Thoughts; ideas formed in the mind
- caso
- Case; an instance or example of something
- demuestra
- Demonstrates or shows; third-person present of 'demostrar'
- uno
- One; the number one or an indefinite pronoun
- puede
- Can or is able to; third-person present of 'poder'
- hablar
- To speak or talk
- mayor
- Greater, older, or larger in degree or size
- claridad
- Clarity; the quality of being clear or understandable
- ser
- To be; fundamental verb of identity or existence
- escuchado
- Heard or listened to; past participle of 'escuchar'
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