Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None — Page 8
—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!—
—Et maintenant, après avoir longtemps cheminé de la sorte, nous autres Argonautes de l'idéal, plus courageux peut-être que prudents, et souvent naufragés et blessés, néanmoins dangereusement sains, toujours de nouveau sains,—il semblerait que, en récompense de tout cela, nous ayons devant nous un pays encore inexploré dont personne n'a encore aperçu les frontières, un au-delà de tous les pays et recoins de l'idéal connus jusqu'ici, un monde si surabondamment riche en beau, en étrange, en douteux, en terrible et en divin, que notre curiosité aussi bien que notre soif de le posséder en ont perdu toute mesure—hélas ! que rien désormais ne saurait plus nous satisfaire !—
"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.
« Comment pourrions-nous encore nous contenter de L'HOMME DU TEMPS PRÉSENT après de telles perspectives, et avec une telle fièvre dans notre conscience et notre connaissance ? C'est bien triste ; mais il est inévitable que nous considérions les buts et les espoirs les plus dignes de l'homme du temps présent avec un amusement mal dissimulé, et que peut-être nous ne les regardions plus du tout.
Vocabulary
- Et
- Conjunction meaning 'and', connecting words or clauses.
- maintenant
- Adverb meaning 'now' or 'at this moment'.
- après
- Preposition meaning 'after' indicating sequence or time.
- avoir
- Infinitive of 'to have', also used as auxiliary verb.
- longtemps
- Adverb meaning 'for a long time' or 'a long while'.
- cheminé
- Past participle of cheminer, meaning 'traveled' or 'journeyed along'.
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.
- la
- Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.
- sorte
- Noun meaning 'sort', 'kind', or 'manner'.
- nous
- First person plural pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'.
- autres
- Plural adjective or pronoun meaning 'others' or 'other'.
- Argonautes
- Mythological Greek heroes who sailed with Jason seeking the Golden Fleece.
- l'
- Elided definite article meaning 'the' before a vowel.
- idéal
- Noun or adjective meaning 'ideal', a perfect standard or goal.
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'most', indicating greater degree.
- courageux
- Adjective meaning 'courageous' or 'brave'.
- peut
- Third person singular of pouvoir, meaning 'can' or 'may'.
- être
- Infinitive meaning 'to be', fundamental French verb.
- que
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that', 'than', or 'what'.
- prudents
- Adjective meaning 'prudent', 'cautious', or 'careful'.
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and', connecting words or clauses.
- souvent
- Adverb meaning 'often' or 'frequently'.
- naufragés
- Noun or adjective meaning 'shipwrecked' or 'castaways'.
- blessés
- Past participle meaning 'wounded', 'injured', or 'hurt'.
- néanmoins
- Adverb meaning 'nevertheless' or 'nonetheless'.
- dangereusement
- Adverb meaning 'dangerously' or 'in a dangerous manner'.
- sains
- Adjective meaning 'healthy', 'sound', or 'wholesome'.
- toujours
- Adverb meaning 'always' or 'still'.
- nouveau
- Adjective meaning 'new' or 'novel'; also used in 'à nouveau'.
- il
- Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
- semblerait
- Conditional of sembler, meaning 'it would seem' or 'appear'.
- en
- Preposition or pronoun meaning 'in', 'on', or 'some of it'.
- récompense
- Noun meaning 'reward' or 'recompense' for effort or service.
- tout
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all', 'every', or 'whole'.
- cela
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'all of that'.
- ayons
- Subjunctive of avoir, meaning 'let us have' or 'that we have'.
- devant
- Preposition meaning 'in front of' or 'before' something.
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- pays
- Noun meaning 'country', 'land', or 'region'.
- encore
- Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'again'.
- inexploré
- Adjective meaning 'unexplored' or 'uncharted', not yet investigated.
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'of which', or 'from which'.
- personne
- Pronoun meaning 'nobody' or noun meaning 'person'.
- n'
- Elided negation particle used before vowels with 'ne'.
- a
- Third person singular of avoir, meaning 'has'.
- aperçu
- Past participle of apercevoir, meaning 'glimpsed' or 'noticed'.
- les
- Plural definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'them'.
- frontières
- Noun meaning 'borders', 'frontiers', or 'boundaries'.
- au
- Contraction of 'à le', meaning 'to the' or 'at the'.
- delà
- Adverb meaning 'beyond' or 'on the other side'.
- tous
- Plural of tout, meaning 'all' or 'everyone'.
- recoins
- Noun meaning 'nooks', 'corners', or 'hidden recesses'.
- connus
- Past participle of connaître, meaning 'known' or 'familiar'.
- jusqu'
- Elided preposition meaning 'until' or 'up to' before vowel.
- ici
- Adverb meaning 'here' or 'in this place'.
- monde
- Noun meaning 'world' or 'people'.
- si
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or adverb meaning 'so' or 'yes'.
- surabondamment
- Adverb meaning 'superabundantly' or 'in overwhelming excess'.
- riche
- Adjective meaning 'rich', 'wealthy', or 'abundant'.
- beau
- Adjective meaning 'beautiful', 'handsome', or 'fine'.
- étrange
- Adjective meaning 'strange', 'odd', or 'unusual'.
- douteux
- Adjective meaning 'doubtful', 'dubious', or 'uncertain'.
- terrible
- Adjective meaning 'terrible', 'dreadful', or 'awe-inspiring'.
- divin
- Adjective meaning 'divine', 'godly', or 'heavenly'.
- notre
- Possessive adjective meaning 'our'.
- curiosité
- Noun meaning 'curiosity' or 'inquisitiveness'.
- aussi
- Adverb meaning 'also', 'too', or 'as well'.
- bien
- Adverb meaning 'well', 'good', or 'indeed'.
- soif
- Noun meaning 'thirst' or 'craving' for something.
- le
- Masculine definite article meaning 'the'.
- posséder
- Verb meaning 'to possess', 'to own', or 'to have'.
- ont
- Third person plural of avoir, meaning 'they have'.
- perdu
- Past participle of perdre, meaning 'lost'.
- toute
- Feminine singular of tout, meaning 'all' or 'every'.
- mesure
- Noun meaning 'measure', 'moderation', or 'extent'.
- hélas
- Interjection meaning 'alas' expressing sorrow or regret.
- rien
- Pronoun meaning 'nothing' or 'not anything'.
- désormais
- Adverb meaning 'henceforth', 'from now on', or 'hereafter'.
- ne
- Negation particle used with pas, rien, etc. to negate verbs.
- saurait
- Conditional of savoir, meaning 'could' or 'would be able to'.
- satisfaire
- Verb meaning 'to satisfy' or 'to fulfill' a need or desire.
- Comment
- Adverb meaning 'how' used in questions or exclamations.
- pourrions
- Conditional of pouvoir, first plural meaning 'we could'.
- contenter
- Verb meaning 'to content', 'to satisfy', or 'to please'.
- L'
- Elided definite article meaning 'the' before a vowel.
- HOMME
- Noun meaning 'man' or 'human being'.
- DU
- Contraction of 'de le', meaning 'of the'.
- TEMPS
- Noun meaning 'time', 'weather', or 'tense'.
- PRÉSENT
- Adjective or noun meaning 'present' referring to current time.
- telles
- Feminine plural of tel, meaning 'such' or 'such like'.
- perspectives
- Noun meaning 'perspectives', 'prospects', or 'outlooks'.
- avec
- Preposition meaning 'with' indicating accompaniment or means.
- une
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
- telle
- Feminine of tel, meaning 'such' or 'such a'.
- fièvre
- Noun meaning 'fever' or intense passionate excitement.
- dans
- Preposition meaning 'in', 'inside', or 'within'.
- conscience
- Noun meaning 'conscience', 'awareness', or 'consciousness'.
- connaissance
- Noun meaning 'knowledge', 'acquaintance', or 'understanding'.
- C'
- Elided form of ce, meaning 'it' before est.
- est
- Third person singular of être, meaning 'is'.
- triste
- Adjective meaning 'sad', 'sorrowful', or 'gloomy'.
- mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but' indicating contrast or opposition.
- inévitable
- Adjective meaning 'inevitable' or 'unavoidable'.
- considérions
- Imperfect of considérer, meaning 'we considered' or 'we regarded'.
- buts
- Noun meaning 'goals', 'aims', or 'purposes'.
- espoirs
- Noun meaning 'hopes' or 'aspirations'.
- dignes
- Adjective meaning 'worthy', 'dignified', or 'deserving'.
- homme
- Noun meaning 'man' or 'human being'.
- du
- Contraction of 'de le', meaning 'of the'.
- temps
- Noun meaning 'time', 'weather', or grammatical tense.
- présent
- Adjective or noun meaning 'present' referring to current time.
- amusement
- Noun meaning 'amusement', 'entertainment', or 'fun'.
- mal
- Noun or adverb meaning 'evil', 'harm', 'badly', or 'poorly'.
- dissimulé
- Past participle meaning 'concealed', 'hidden', or 'disguised'.
- regardions
- Imperfect of regarder, meaning 'we were looking at' or 'watching'.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →