Zarathustra's roundelay

The poem first appears in Thus Spoke Zarathustra's chapter "The Second Dance-Song", then reappears in a later chapter, "The Drunken Song".[3]

German original

O Mensch! Gib acht!
Was spricht die tiefe Mitternacht?
»Ich schlief, ich schlief—,
Aus tiefem Traum bin ich erwacht:—
Die Welt ist tief,
Und tiefer als der Tag gedacht.
Tief ist ihr Weh—,
Lust—tiefer noch als Herzeleid:
Weh spricht: Vergeh!
Doch alle Lust will Ewigkeit—,
—will tiefe, tiefe Ewigkeit!«

Selected English translations

Alexander Tille:^[4]

O man! Lose not sight!
What saith the deep midnight?
"I lay in sleep, in sleep;
From deep dream I come to light.
The world is deep,
And deeper than ever day thought it might.
Deep is its woe—
And deeper still than woe—delight.
Saith woe: 'Pass, go!
Eternity's sought by all delight—,
Eternity deep—by all delight!'"

Thomas Common:^[5]

O man! Take heed!
What saith deep midnight's voice indeed?
"I slept my sleep—
"From deepest dream I've woke and plead:—
"The world is deep,
"And deeper than the day could read.
"Deep is its woe—
"Joy—deeper still than grief can be:
"Woe saith: Hence! Go!
"But joys all want eternity—
"Want deep profound eternity!"

Textual characteristics

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Interpretation

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See also

• Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche
  • God is dead
  • Apollonian and Dionysian

References