Joys and Passions

My brother, when thou hast a virtue, and it is thine own virtue, thou hast it in common with no one.

My brother, when you have a virtue that is truly your own, you share it with no one.

To be sure, thou wouldst call it by name and caress it; thou wouldst pull its ears and amuse thyself with it.

Of course, you would call it by name and stroke it. You would pull its ears and play with it.

And lo! Then hast thou its name in common with the people, and hast become one of the people and the herd with thy virtue!

And look! Now you share its name with the people, and your virtue has made you one of the herd!

Better for thee to say: “Ineffable is it, and nameless, that which is pain and sweetness to my soul, and also the hunger of my bowels.”

Better for you to say: “What brings pain and sweetness to my soul, and hunger to my gut, cannot be named or put into words.”

Let thy virtue be too high for the familiarity of names, and if thou must speak of it, be not ashamed to stammer about it.

Let your virtue be too lofty to be reduced to a familiar name. And if you must speak of it, do not be ashamed to stumble over your words.

Thus speak and stammer: “That is MY good, that do I love, thus doth it please me entirely, thus only do I desire the good.

Speak and stammer like this: “That is MY good. I love it. It pleases me completely. Only this way do I desire the good.

Not as the law of a God do I desire it, not as a human law or a human need do I desire it; it is not to be a guide-post for me to superearths and paradises.

I do not want it as a law of God, a human law, or a human need. I do not want it to guide me toward superearths and paradises.

An earthly virtue is it which I love: little prudence is therein, and the least everyday wisdom.

I love an earthly virtue. It contains little prudence and the least everyday wisdom.

But that bird built its nest beside me: therefore, I love and cherish it—now sitteth it beside me on its golden eggs.”

But that bird built its nest beside me, so I love and cherish it. Now it sits beside me on its golden eggs.”

Thus shouldst thou stammer, and praise thy virtue.

This is how you should stammer and praise your virtue.

Once hadst thou passions and calledst them evil. But now hast thou only thy virtues: they grew out of thy passions.

Once you had passions and called them evil. But now you have only your virtues: they grew out of your passions.

Thou implantedst thy highest aim into the heart of those passions: then became they thy virtues and joys.

You planted your highest aim in the heart of those passions. Then they became your virtues and joys.

And though thou wert of the race of the hot-tempered, or of the voluptuous, or of the fanatical, or the vindictive;

And though you belonged to the hot-tempered, the pleasure-seeking, the fanatical, or the vengeful,

All thy passions in the end became virtues, and all thy devils angels.

In the end, all your passions became virtues, and all your devils became angels.

Once hadst thou wild dogs in thy cellar: but they changed at last into birds and charming songstresses.

Once you had wild dogs in your cellar, but in the end they turned into birds and charming singers.

Out of thy poisons brewedst thou balsam for thyself; thy cow, affliction, milkedst thou—now drinketh thou the sweet milk of her udder.

You brewed a healing balm for yourself from your poisons. You milked your cow, affliction. Now you drink the sweet milk from her udder.

And nothing evil groweth in thee any longer, unless it be the evil that groweth out of the conflict of thy virtues.

And nothing evil grows in you anymore, except the evil that grows from the conflict between your virtues.

My brother, if thou be fortunate, then wilt thou have one virtue and no more: thus goest thou easier over the bridge.

My brother, if you are fortunate, you will have only one virtue. That will make it easier to cross the bridge.

Illustrious is it to have many virtues, but a hard lot; and many a one hath gone into the wilderness and killed himself, because he was weary of being the battle and battlefield of virtues.

Having many virtues is glorious, but it is a hard fate. Many people have gone into the wilderness and killed themselves because they were tired of being both the battle and the battlefield of virtues.

My brother, are war and battle evil? Necessary, however, is the evil; necessary are the envy and the distrust and the back-biting among the virtues.

My brother, are war and battle evil? Yet evil is necessary. Envy, distrust, and backbiting among the virtues are necessary too.

Lo! how each of thy virtues is covetous of the highest place; it wanteth thy whole spirit to be ITS herald, it wanteth thy whole power, in wrath, hatred, and love.

Look how each of your virtues craves the highest place. Each wants your whole spirit to be ITS herald. Each wants all your power, in anger, hatred, and love.

Jealous is every virtue of the others, and a dreadful thing is jealousy. Even virtues may succumb by jealousy.

Every virtue is jealous of the others, and jealousy is a terrible thing. Even virtues may be destroyed by jealousy.

He whom the flame of jealousy encompasseth, turneth at last, like the scorpion, the poisoned sting against himself.

A person engulfed by the flames of jealousy eventually turns against himself, like a scorpion with its poisoned sting.

Ah! my brother, hast thou never seen a virtue backbite and stab itself?

Ah! My brother, have you never seen a virtue speak ill of itself and stab itself?

Man is something that hath to be surpassed: and therefore shalt thou love thy virtues,—for thou wilt succumb by them.—

Man is something that must be surpassed. So you should love your virtues, because you will fall through them.

Thus spake Zarathustra.

This is what Zarathustra said.