Fenrir's Fangs

28. The Rabble

  LIFE is a well of delight; but where the rabble also drink, there
all fountains are poisoned.
  To everything cleanly am I well disposed; but I hate to see the
grinning mouths and the thirst of the unclean.
  They cast their eye down into the fountain: and now glanceth up to
me their odious smile out of the fountain.
  The holy water have they poisoned with their lustfulness; and when
they called their filthy dreams delight, then poisoned they also the
words.
  Indignant becometh the flame when they put their damp hearts to
the fire; the spirit itself bubbleth and smoketh when the rabble
approach the fire.
  Mawkish and over-mellow becometh the fruit in their hands: unsteady,
and withered at the top, doth their look make the fruit-tree.
  And many a one who hath turned away from life, hath only turned away
from the rabble: he hated to share with them fountain, flame, and
fruit.
  And many a one who hath gone into the wilderness and suffered thirst
with beasts of prey, disliked only to sit at the cistern with filthy
camel-drivers.
  And many a one who hath come along as a destroyer, and as a
hailstorm to all cornfields, wanted merely to put his foot into the
jaws of the rabble, and thus stop their throat.
  And it is not the mouthful which hath most choked me, to know that
life itself requireth enmity and death and torture-crosses:-
  But I asked once, and suffocated almost with my question: What? Is
the rabble also necessary for life?
  Are poisoned fountains necessary, and stinking fires, and filthy
dreams, and maggots in the bread of life?
  Not my hatred, but my loathing, gnawed hungrily at my life! Ah,
ofttimes became I weary of spirit, when I found even the rabble
spiritual!
  And on the rulers turned I my back, when I saw what they now call
ruling: to traffic and bargain for power- with the rabble!
  Amongst peoples of a strange language did I dwell, with stopped
ears: so that the language of their trafficking might remain strange
unto me, and their bargaining for power.
  And holding my nose, I went morosely through all yesterdays and
todays: verily, badly smell all yesterdays and todays of the
scribbling rabble!
  Like a cripple become deaf, and blind, and dumb- thus have I lived
long; that I might not live with the power-rabble, the
scribe-rabble, and the pleasure-rabble.
  Toilsomely did my spirit mount stairs, and cautiously; alms of
delight were its refreshment; on the staff did life creep along with
the blind one.
  What hath happened unto me? How have I freed myself from loathing?
Who hath rejuvenated mine eye? How have I flown to the height where no
rabble any longer sit at the wells?
  Did my loathing itself create for me wings and fountain-divining
powers? Verily, to the loftiest height had I to fly, to find again the
well of delight!
  Oh, I have found it, my brethren! Here on the loftiest height
bubbleth up for me the well of delight! And there is a life at whose
waters none of the rabble drink with me!
  Almost too violently dost thou flow for me, thou fountain of
delight! And often emptiest thou the goblet again, in wanting to
fill it!
  And yet must I learn to approach thee more modestly: far too
violently doth my heart still flow towards thee:-
  My heart on which my summer burneth, my short, hot, melancholy,
over-happy summer: how my summer heart longeth for thy coolness!
  Past, the lingering distress of my spring! Past, the wickedness of
my snowflakes in June! Summer have I become entirely, and
summer-noontide!
  A summer on the loftiest height, with cold fountains and blissful
stillness: oh, come, my friends, that the stillness may become more
blissful!
  For this is our height and our home: too high and steep do we here
dwell for all uncleanly ones and their thirst.
  Cast but your pure eyes into the well of my delight, my friends! How
could it become turbid thereby! It shall laugh back to you with its
purity.
  On the tree of the future build we our nest; eagles shall bring us
lone ones food in their beaks!
  Verily, no food of which the impure could be fellow-partakers! Fire,
would they think they devoured, and burn their mouths!
  Verily, no abodes do we here keep ready for the impure! An
ice-cave to their bodies would our happiness be, and to their spirits!
  And as strong winds will we live above them, neighbours to the
eagles, neighbours to the snow, neighbours to the sun: thus live the
strong winds.
  And like a wind will I one day blow amongst them, and with my
spirit, take the breath from their spirit: thus willeth my future.
  Verily, a strong wind is Zarathustra to all low places; and this
counsel counselleth he to his enemies, and to whatever spitteth and
speweth: "Take care not to spit against the wind!"-

  Thus spake Zarathustra.