《查拉图斯特拉如是说·第三部》第14节
And if they should altogether praise me, how could I go to sleep on THEIR praise? A girdle of spines is their praise unto me: it scratcheth me even when I take it off. And this also did I learn among them: the praiser doeth as if he gave back; in truth, however, he wanteth more to be given him! Ask my foot if their lauding and luring strains please it! Verily, to such measure and ticktack, it liketh neither to dance nor to stand still. To small virtues would they fain lure and laud me; to the ticktack of small happiness would they fain persuade my foot. I pass through this people and keep mine eyes open; they have become SMALLER, and ever become smaller:—THE REASON THEREOF IS THEIR DOCTRINE OF HAPPINESS AND VIRTUE. For they are moderate also in virtue,—because they want comfort. With comfort, however, moderate virtue only is compatible. To be sure, they also learn in their way to stride on and stride forward: that, I call their HOBBLING.—Thereby they become a hindrance to all who are in haste. And many of them go forward, and look backwards thereby, with stiffened necks: those do I like to run up against. Foot and eye shall not lie, nor give the lie to each other. But there is much lying among small people. Some of them WILL, but most of them are WILLED. Some of them are genuine, but most of them are bad actors. There are actors without knowing it amongst them, and actors without intending it—, the genuine ones are always rare, especially the genuine actors. Of man there is little here: therefore do their women masculinise themselves. For only he who is man enough, will—SAVE THE WOMAN in woman. And this hypocrisy found I worst amongst them, that even those who command feign the virtues of those who serve. “I serve, thou servest, we serve”—so chanteth here even the hypocrisy of the rulers—and alas! if the first lord be ONLY the first servant! Ah, even upon their hypocrisy did mine eyes’ curiosity alight; and well did I divine all their fly-happiness, and their buzzing around sunny window-panes. So much kindness, so much weakness do I see. So much justice and pity, so much weakness. Round, fair, and considerate are they to one another, as grains of sand are round, fair, and considerate to grains of sand. Modestly to embrace a small happiness—that do they call “submission”! and at the same time they peer modestly after a new small happiness. In their hearts they want simply one thing most of all: that no one hurt them. Thus do they anticipate every one’s wishes and do well unto every one.
注释摘要
在这段话里，查拉图斯特拉不是在抽象的云端批判人性，而是置身于他刚刚返回的人群之中，边走边看，边看边说。他的语调有刺，但不是旁观者的轻蔑，更像一个渴望伟大却被平庸之海围困的人，在自言自语中同时嘲讽他们，也嘲讽自己。他谈到“赞美”——那些最后的人给出的赞美——是“荆棘的腰带”，即使解下来，皮肤上仍留有刺痛。这里的意象不是指赞美的恶意，而是指它本质上的浅薄与索取…