Fenrir's Fangs

4.

  Zarathustra, however, looked at the people and wondered. Then he
spake thus:
  Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Superman- a
rope over an abyss.
  A dangerous crossing, a dangerous wayfaring, a dangerous
looking-back, a dangerous trembling and halting.
  What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal: what
is lovable in man is that he is an over-going and a down-going.
  I love those that know not how to live except as down-goers, for
they are the over-goers.
  I love the great despisers, because they are the great adorers,
and arrows of longing for the other shore.
  I love those who do not first seek a reason beyond the stars for
going down and being sacrifices, but sacrifice themselves to the
earth, that the earth of the Superman may hereafter arrive.
  I love him who liveth in order to know, and seeketh to know in order
that the Superman may hereafter live. Thus seeketh he his own
down-going.
  I love him who laboureth and inventeth, that he may build the
house for the Superman, and prepare for him earth, animal, and
plant: for thus seeketh he his own down-going.
  I love him who loveth his virtue: for virtue is the will to
down-going, and an arrow of longing.
  I love him who reserveth no share of spirit for himself, but wanteth
to be wholly the spirit of his virtue: thus walketh he as spirit
over the bridge.
  I love him who maketh his virtue his inclination and destiny:
thus, for the sake of his virtue, he is willing to live on, or live no
more.
  I love him who desireth not too many virtues. One virtue is more
of a virtue than two, because it is more of a knot for one's destiny
to cling to.
  I love him whose soul is lavish, who wanteth no thanks and doth
not give back: for he always bestoweth, and desireth not to keep for
himself.
  I love him who is ashamed when the dice fall in his favour, and
who then asketh: "Am I a dishonest player?"- for he is willing to
succumb.
  I love him who scattereth golden words in advance of his deeds,
and always doeth more than he promiseth: for he seeketh his own
down-going.
  I love him who justifieth the future ones, and redeemeth the past
ones: for he is willing to succumb through the present ones.
  I love him who chasteneth his God, because he loveth his God: for he
must succumb through the wrath of his God.
  I love him whose soul is deep even in the wounding, and may
succumb through a small matter: thus goeth he willingly over the
bridge.
  I love him whose soul is so overfull that he forgetteth himself, and
all things are in him: thus all things become his down-going.
  I love him who is of a free spirit and a free heart: thus is his
head only the bowels of his heart; his heart, however, causeth his
down-going.
  I love all who are like heavy drops falling one by one out of the
dark cloud that lowereth over man: they herald the coming of the
lightning, and succumb as heralds.
  Lo, I am a herald of the lightning, and a heavy drop out of the
cloud: the lightning, however, is the Superman.-