Thus Spake Zarathustra : A Book for All and None

A considerable part and parcel of Nietzsche's genius is his ability to make his language dance, and this is what becomes extraordinarily difficult to translate. Some have failed in the attempt while others have hardly tried. Our present translator, Thomas Wayne, is himself an aphorist of palpable genius if not yet repute, with several collections to his credit which I have been privileged to edit. He knows that wordplay is the thing wherein he'll catch the conscience of the reader. I have seen him wrestle with a particularly intractable word or phrase of Nietzsche's masterwork and snatch an exasperated success from the jaws of failure. While the great tendency among earlier translators has been to smooth out the rough edges, cut corners and sometimes omit troublesome passages outright, this one honors and respects the original as no other. Preface......Page 13 PART ONE......Page 0 On The Three Metamorphoses......Page 30 On The Academic Chairs Of Virtue......Page 31 On The Afterworlders......Page 34 On The Despisers Of The Body......Page 36 On Joys And Passions......Page 38 On The Pale Criminal......Page 39 On Reading And Writing......Page 41 On the Tree on the Mountainside......Page 43 On The Preachers Of Death......Page 45 On War and Warlike People......Page 46 On The New Idol......Page 48 On The Flies Of The Marketplace......Page 50 On Chastity......Page 53 On The Friend......Page 54 On the Thousand and One Goals......Page 55 Neighborly Love......Page 57 On the Way of the Creator......Page 59 On Little Old and Young Ladies......Page 61 On The Adder’s Bite......Page 63 On The Child And Marriage......Page 64 On Free Death......Page 66 On The Bestowing Virtue......Page 68 The Child With The Mirror......Page 73 On The Blessed Isles......Page 75 On The Pitying Ones......Page 77 On Priests......Page 80 On The Virtuous......Page 82 On the Rabble......Page 84 On The Tarantulas......Page 86 On the Famous Wise Men......Page 89 The Night Song......Page 91 The Dance Song......Page 93 The Grave Song......Page 95 On Self-Overcoming......Page 98 On The Sublime Ones......Page 101 On the Land of Culture......Page 103 On Immaculate Perception......Page 105 On The Scholars......Page 107 On Great Events......Page 111 On Redemption......Page 117 On Man-Craft......Page 121 The Stillest Hour......Page 124 The Wanderer......Page 127 On the Vision and the Riddle......Page 130 On Involuntary Bliss......Page 134 Before Sunrise......Page 136 On The Bedwarfing Virtue......Page 139 On the Mount of Olives......Page 143 On Passing By......Page 146 On the Apostates......Page 149 The Return Home......Page 152 On The Three Evils......Page 155 On the Spirit of Gravity......Page 159 On Old And New Tables......Page 162 The Convalescent......Page 178 On The Great Longing......Page 183 The Other Dance Song......Page 185 The Honey Offering......Page 193 The Cry Of Distress......Page 196 Conversation With The Kings......Page 199 The Leech......Page 202 The Sorcerer......Page 205 Out of Service......Page 211 The Ugliest Man......Page 214 The Voluntary Beggar......Page 218 The Shadow......Page 221 At Noontime......Page 224 The Greeting......Page 227 The Last Supper......Page 231 The Higher Man......Page 232 The Song Of Melancholy......Page 241 On Science......Page 246 Among Daughters Of The Desert......Page 248 The Awakening......Page 253 The Ass Feast......Page 256 The Drunken Song......Page 259 The Sign......Page 266 Preface 13 PART ONE 1 ZARATHUSTRA’S SPEECHES 30 On The Three Metamorphoses 30 On The Academic Chairs Of Virtue 31 On The Afterworlders 34 On The Despisers Of The Body 36 On Joys And Passions 38 On The Pale Criminal 39 On Reading And Writing 41 On the Tree on the Mountainside 43 On The Preachers Of Death 45 On War and Warlike People 46 On The New Idol 48 On The Flies Of The Marketplace 50 On Chastity 53 On The Friend 54 On the Thousand and One Goals 55 Neighborly Love 57 On the Way of the Creator 59 On Little Old and Young Ladies 61 On The Adder’s Bite 63 On The Child And Marriage 64 On Free Death 66 On The Bestowing Virtue 68 PART TWO 73 The Child With The Mirror 73 On The Blessed Isles 75 On The Pitying Ones 77 On Priests 80 On The Virtuous 82 On the Rabble 84 On The Tarantulas 86 On the Famous Wise Men 89 The Night Song 91 The Dance Song 93 The Grave Song 95 On Self-Overcoming 98 On The Sublime Ones 101 On the Land of Culture 103 On Immaculate Perception 105 On The Scholars 107 On Great Events 111 On Redemption 117 On Man-Craft 121 The Stillest Hour 124 PART THREE 127 The Wanderer 127 On the Vision and the Riddle 130 On Involuntary Bliss 134 Before Sunrise 136 On The Bedwarfing Virtue 139 On the Mount of Olives 143 On Passing By 146 On the Apostates 149 The Return Home 152 On The Three Evils 155 On the Spirit of Gravity 159 On Old And New Tables 162 The Convalescent 178 On The Great Longing 183 The Other Dance Song 185 Thus Spake Zarathustra 193 The Honey Offering 193 The Cry Of Distress 196 Conversation With The Kings 199 The Leech 202 The Sorcerer 205 Out of Service 211 The Ugliest Man 214 The Voluntary Beggar 218 The Shadow 221 At Noontime 224 The Greeting 227 The Last Supper 231 The Higher Man 232 The Song Of Melancholy 241 On Science 246 Among Daughters Of The Desert 248 The Awakening 253 The Ass Feast 256 The Drunken Song 259 The Sign 266 Zarathustra was Nietzsche's masterpiece, the first comprehensive statement of his mature philosophy, and the introduction of his influential and well-known (and misunderstood) ideas including the "overman" or "superman" and the "will to power." It is also the source of Nietzsche's famous (and much misconstrued) statement that "God is dead." Though this is essentially a work of philosophy, it is also a masterpiece of literature, a cross between prose and poetry. A considerable part and parcel of Nietzsche's genius is his ability to make his language dance, and this is what becomes extraordinarily difficult to translate. It has been almost 40 years since Hollingdale's version for Penguin and almost 50 since Kaufmann's. However, anyone who appreciates the German original knows that these translations are merely adequate. While earlier translators have smoothed out the rough edges, cut corners and sometimes omitted troublesome passages outright, this one honors and respects the original as no other. Kaufmann and others are guilty of the deplorable tendency to "improve" on the original. Much is lost by this means, to say nothing of the interior rhythms, the grace notes, the not always graceful but omnipresent and striking puns and wordplays. And in not a few instances the current translation improves on Kaufmann's use of English or otherwise clarifies what Nietzsche is really saying Annotation "Zarathustra" was Nietzsche's masterpiece, the first comprehensive statement of his mature philosophy, and the introduction of his influential and well-known (and misunderstood) ideas including the "overman" or "superman" and the "will to power." It is also the source of Nietzsche's famous (and much misconstrued) statement that "God is dead." This classic was due for an update and overhaul. A considerable part of Nietzsche's genius is his ability to make hislanguage dance, and this is what becomes extraordinarily difficult to translate. Aphorist and punster Thomas Wayne puts the play back into this work Nietzscheocos Classic On The Superman, In A New, More Accurate And More Acute Translation, Recaptures His Wordplay, Emotional Color And Mock-biblical Tone, His Boyish Malice, Cracked Aphorisms, Academic Irreverence And Gutter Rhymes. Walter Kaufmann's celebrated translation of Thus Spoke Zarathustra has not hitherto been available as a separate book. It has gained general recognition as the most authoritative version existing in English.