Preachers of Death

There are preachers of death: and the earth is full of those to whom desistance from life must be preached.

There are preachers of death, and the earth is full of people who must be taught to give up on life.

Full is the earth of the superfluous; marred is life by the many-too-many. May they be decoyed out of this life by the “life eternal”!

The earth is full of people who are not needed. Life is spoiled by the far too many. May they be lured out of this life by “eternal life”!

“The yellow ones”: so are called the preachers of death, or “the black ones.” But I will show them unto you in other colours besides.

The preachers of death are called “the yellow ones” or “the black ones.” But I will show them to you in other colors too.

There are the terrible ones who carry about in themselves the beast of prey, and have no choice except lusts or self-laceration. And even their lusts are self-laceration.

There are terrifying people who carry a beast of prey within them. They have no choice but to indulge their desires or tear themselves apart. And even their desires tear them apart.

They have not yet become men, those terrible ones: may they preach desistance from life, and pass away themselves!

Those terrible people have not yet become men. May they preach giving up life and pass away themselves!

There are the spiritually consumptive ones: hardly are they born when they begin to die, and long for doctrines of lassitude and renunciation.

There are those whose spirits are wasting away. They have hardly been born before they begin to die. They long for teachings of weariness and renunciation.

They would fain be dead, and we should approve of their wish! Let us beware of awakening those dead ones, and of damaging those living coffins!

They would gladly be dead, and we should approve of their wish! Let us be careful not to wake these dead people or damage these living coffins!

They meet an invalid, or an old man, or a corpse—and immediately they say: “Life is refuted!”

They meet a sick person, an old man, or a corpse, and immediately say: “Life is disproved!”

But they only are refuted, and their eye, which seeth only one aspect of existence.

But only they are refuted, along with their eye, which sees only one side of existence.

Shrouded in thick melancholy, and eager for the little casualties that bring death: thus do they wait, and clench their teeth.

Wrapped in deep sadness and eager for the little mishaps that bring death, they wait and clench their teeth.

Or else, they grasp at sweetmeats, and mock at their childishness thereby: they cling to their straw of life, and mock at their still clinging to it.

Or else, they reach for sweets and mock themselves for being childish. They cling to their straw of life and mock themselves for still clinging to it.

Their wisdom speaketh thus: “A fool, he who remaineth alive; but so far are we fools! And that is the foolishest thing in life!”

Their wisdom says: “Anyone who stays alive is a fool. But so far, we are fools! And that is the most foolish thing in life!”

“Life is only suffering”: so say others, and lie not. Then see to it that YE cease! See to it that the life ceaseth which is only suffering!

“Life is only suffering”: others say this, and they do not lie. Then see to it that YOU cease! See to it that the life that is only suffering ceases!

And let this be the teaching of your virtue: “Thou shalt slay thyself! Thou shalt steal away from thyself!”—

And let your virtue teach this: “You must kill yourself! You must steal away from yourself!”

“Lust is sin,”—so say some who preach death—“let us go apart and beget no children!”

“Lust is a sin,” say some who preach death. “Let us separate and have no children!”

“Giving birth is troublesome,”—say others—“why still give birth? One beareth only the unfortunate!” And they also are preachers of death.

“Giving birth is painful,” say others. “Why give birth at all? One only gives birth to the unfortunate!” They too are preachers of death.

“Pity is necessary,”—so saith a third party. “Take what I have! Take what I am! So much less doth life bind me!”

“Pity is necessary,” says a third person. “Take what I have! Take what I am! Then life will have that much less hold on me!”

Were they consistently pitiful, then would they make their neighbours sick of life. To be wicked—that would be their true goodness.

If they were always compassionate, they would make their neighbors sick of life. Being wicked would be their true goodness.

But they want to be rid of life; what care they if they bind others still faster with their chains and gifts!—

But they want to be rid of life. What do they care if their chains and gifts bind others even more tightly!

And ye also, to whom life is rough labour and disquiet, are ye not very tired of life? Are ye not very ripe for the sermon of death?

And you, too, for whom life is hard work and unrest, aren't you very tired of life? Aren't you very ready for the sermon of death?

All ye to whom rough labour is dear, and the rapid, new, and strange—ye put up with yourselves badly; your diligence is flight, and the will to self-forgetfulness.

All of you who love hard work and what is fast, new, and strange can barely stand yourselves. Your hard work is an escape, a desire to forget yourselves.

If ye believed more in life, then would ye devote yourselves less to the momentary. But for waiting, ye have not enough of capacity in you—nor even for idling!

If you believed more in life, you would devote less of yourselves to the fleeting moment. But you do not have enough patience to wait, or even to idle!

Everywhere resoundeth the voices of those who preach death; and the earth is full of those to whom death hath to be preached.

The voices of those who preach death echo everywhere. And the earth is full of people who need to hear death preached.

Or “life eternal”; it is all the same to me—if only they pass away quickly!—

Or “eternal life”. It is all the same to me, if only they pass away quickly!

Thus spake Zarathustra.

This is what Zarathustra said.