The Flies in the Marketplace

Flee, my friend, into thy solitude! I see thee deafened with the noise of the great men, and stung all over with the stings of the little ones.

Flee into solitude, my friend! I see that the noise of the great men has deafened you. The little ones have stung you all over.

Admirably do forest and rock know how to be silent with thee. Resemble again the tree which thou lovest, the broad-branched one—silently and attentively it o’erhangeth the sea.

The forest and the rocks know how to be silent with you. Be like the tree you love again, the broad-branched tree. It hangs over the sea, silent and attentive.

Where solitude endeth, there beginneth the market-place; and where the market-place beginneth, there beginneth also the noise of the great actors, and the buzzing of the poison-flies.

Where solitude ends, the marketplace begins. And where the marketplace begins, so do the noise of the great actors and the buzzing of the poison-flies.

In the world even the best things are worthless without those who represent them: those representers, the people call great men.

In the world, even the best things are worthless without people to represent them. People call those who represent them great men.

Little do the people understand what is great—that is to say, the creating agency. But they have a taste for all representers and actors of great things.

People understand little of what is great, namely, the power to create. But they enjoy all who represent and act out great things.

Around the devisers of new values revolveth the world:—invisibly it revolveth. But around the actors revolve the people and the glory: such is the course of things.

The world revolves around those who create new values, though it does so invisibly. But people and glory revolve around the actors. That is how things are.

Spirit, hath the actor, but little conscience of the spirit. He believeth always in that wherewith he maketh believe most strongly—in HIMSELF!

The actor has spirit, but little conscience about it. He always believes most strongly in what he makes others believe in most strongly: HIMSELF!

To-morrow he hath a new belief, and the day after, one still newer. Sharp perceptions hath he, like the people, and changeable humours.

Tomorrow he has a new belief, and the day after, an even newer one. Like the people, he is perceptive and has changeable moods.

To upset—that meaneth with him to prove. To drive mad—that meaneth with him to convince. And blood is counted by him as the best of all arguments.

To him, upsetting someone means proving his point. Driving someone mad means convincing them. And he considers blood the best of all arguments.

A truth which only glideth into fine ears, he calleth falsehood and trumpery. Verily, he believeth only in Gods that make a great noise in the world!

He calls a truth that reaches only refined ears false and worthless. Indeed, he believes only in gods that make a great noise in the world!

Full of clattering buffoons is the market-place,—and the people glory in their great men! These are for them the masters of the hour.

The marketplace is full of noisy buffoons, and the people celebrate their great men! To them, these men are the masters of the moment.

But the hour presseth them; so they press thee. And also from thee they want Yea or Nay. Alas! thou wouldst set thy chair betwixt For and Against?

But time is pressing them, so they press you. They want a yes or no from you too. Alas! Would you place your chair between For and Against?

On account of those absolute and impatient ones, be not jealous, thou lover of truth! Never yet did truth cling to the arm of an absolute one.

Lover of truth, do not be jealous of those absolute and impatient people! Truth has never clung to the arm of an absolute person.

On account of those abrupt ones, return into thy security: only in the market-place is one assailed by Yea? or Nay?

Because of those abrupt people, return to your safety. Only in the marketplace are you confronted with Yes? or No?

Slow is the experience of all deep fountains: long have they to wait until they know WHAT hath fallen into their depths.

All deep fountains are slow to experience things. They must wait a long time before they know WHAT has fallen into their depths.

Away from the market-place and from fame taketh place all that is great: away from the market-place and from fame have ever dwelt the devisers of new values.

All that is great takes place away from the marketplace and from fame. Those who create new values have always lived away from the marketplace and from fame.

Flee, my friend, into thy solitude: I see thee stung all over by the poisonous flies. Flee thither, where a rough, strong breeze bloweth!

Flee into solitude, my friend. I see that the poisonous flies have stung you all over. Flee to where a rough, strong breeze blows!

Flee into thy solitude! Thou hast lived too closely to the small and the pitiable. Flee from their invisible vengeance! Towards thee they have nothing but vengeance.

Flee into solitude! You have lived too close to those who are petty and pitiable. Flee from their hidden vengeance! They feel nothing but a desire for revenge against you.

Raise no longer an arm against them! Innumerable are they, and it is not thy lot to be a fly-flap.

Stop raising your arm against them! They are countless, and you are not meant to be a flyswatter.

Innumerable are the small and pitiable ones; and of many a proud structure, rain-drops and weeds have been the ruin.

The small and pitiful ones are countless. And raindrops and weeds have ruined many a proud structure.

Thou art not stone; but already hast thou become hollow by the numerous drops. Thou wilt yet break and burst by the numerous drops.

You are not stone, but the many drops have already hollowed you out. The many drops will yet break and burst you.

Exhausted I see thee, by poisonous flies; bleeding I see thee, and torn at a hundred spots; and thy pride will not even upbraid.

I see you exhausted by poisonous flies. I see you bleeding and torn in a hundred places, but your pride will not even let you complain.

Blood they would have from thee in all innocence; blood their bloodless souls crave for—and they sting, therefore, in all innocence.

They want your blood in all innocence. Their bloodless souls crave blood, so they sting in all innocence.

But thou, profound one, thou sufferest too profoundly even from small wounds; and ere thou hadst recovered, the same poison-worm crawled over thy hand.

But you, profound one, suffer too deeply even from small wounds. And before you had recovered, the same poison-worm crawled over your hand.

Too proud art thou to kill these sweet-tooths. But take care lest it be thy fate to suffer all their poisonous injustice!

You are too proud to kill these sweet-tooths. But beware, or you may be doomed to suffer all their poisonous injustice!

They buzz around thee also with their praise: obtrusiveness, is their praise. They want to be close to thy skin and thy blood.

They also buzz around you with their praise. Their praise is intrusive. They want to get close to your skin and your blood.

They flatter thee, as one flattereth a God or devil; they whimper before thee, as before a God or devil. What doth it come to! Flatterers are they, and whimperers, and nothing more.

They flatter you as they would a god or a devil. They whimper before you as they would before a god or a devil. What does it all come to? They are flatterers and whimperers, nothing more.

Often, also, do they show themselves to thee as amiable ones. But that hath ever been the prudence of the cowardly. Yea! the cowardly are wise!

They also often appear friendly to you. But appearing friendly has always been the prudent choice of cowards. Yes! Cowards are wise!

They think much about thee with their circumscribed souls—thou art always suspected by them! Whatever is much thought about is at last thought suspicious.

They think about you a great deal with their narrow souls. They always suspect you! Whatever people think about a great deal eventually becomes suspect.

They punish thee for all thy virtues. They pardon thee in their inmost hearts only—for thine errors.

They punish you for all your virtues. Deep down, they forgive you only for your mistakes.

Because thou art gentle and of upright character, thou sayest: “Blameless are they for their small existence.” But their circumscribed souls think: “Blamable is all great existence.”

Because you are gentle and upright, you say: “They are not to blame for their small lives.” But their narrow souls think: “All great lives are blameworthy.”

Even when thou art gentle towards them, they still feel themselves despised by thee; and they repay thy beneficence with secret maleficence.

Even when you are gentle with them, they still feel that you despise them. And they repay your kindness by secretly doing you harm.

Thy silent pride is always counter to their taste; they rejoice if once thou be humble enough to be frivolous.

Your quiet pride is always against their taste. They are delighted if you are ever humble enough to be frivolous.

What we recognise in a man, we also irritate in him. Therefore be on your guard against the small ones!

Whatever we recognize in a person, we also stir up in them. So beware of small people!

In thy presence they feel themselves small, and their baseness gleameth and gloweth against thee in invisible vengeance.

In your presence, they feel small. Their ugliness shines and glows against you in invisible revenge.

Sawest thou not how often they became dumb when thou approachedst them, and how their energy left them like the smoke of an extinguishing fire?

Didn't you see how often they fell silent when you approached them? Their energy left them like smoke from a dying fire.

Yea, my friend, the bad conscience art thou of thy neighbours; for they are unworthy of thee. Therefore they hate thee, and would fain suck thy blood.

Yes, my friend, you are your neighbors’ guilty conscience, because they are not worthy of you. That is why they hate you and want to suck your blood.

Thy neighbours will always be poisonous flies; what is great in thee—that itself must make them more poisonous, and always more fly-like.

Your neighbors will always be poisonous flies. What is great in you is exactly what makes them even more poisonous and more like flies.

Flee, my friend, into thy solitude—and thither, where a rough strong breeze bloweth. It is not thy lot to be a fly-flap.—

Flee into solitude, my friend, to a place where a strong, rough wind blows. You are not meant to be a flyswatter.

Thus spake Zarathustra.

This is what Zarathustra said.