《查拉图斯特拉如是说·第四部》第9节
But what good did it do! Always didst thou prick us anew in heart and ear with thy sayings. Then did we say at last: What doth it matter how he look! We must HEAR him; him who teacheth: ‘Ye shall love peace as a means to new wars, and the short peace more than the long!’ No one ever spake such warlike words: ‘What is good? To be brave is good. It is the good war that halloweth every cause.’ O Zarathustra, our fathers’ blood stirred in our veins at such words: it was like the voice of spring to old wine-casks. When the swords ran among one another like red-spotted serpents, then did our fathers become fond of life; the sun of every peace seemed to them languid and lukewarm, the long peace, however, made them ashamed. How they sighed, our fathers, when they saw on the wall brightly furbished, dried-up swords! Like those they thirsted for war. For a sword thirsteth to drink blood, and sparkleth with desire.”— —When the kings thus discoursed and talked eagerly of the happiness of their fathers, there came upon Zarathustra no little desire to mock at their eagerness: for evidently they were very peaceable kings whom he saw before him, kings with old and refined features. But he restrained himself. “Well!” said he, “thither leadeth the way, there lieth the cave of Zarathustra; and this day is to have a long evening! At present, however, a cry of distress calleth me hastily away from you. It will honour my cave if kings want to sit and wait in it: but, to be sure, ye will have to wait long! Well! What of that! Where doth one at present learn better to wait than at courts? And the whole virtue of kings that hath remained unto them—is it not called to-day: ABILITY to wait?” Thus spake Zarathustra.
注释摘要
两位国王的这一大段剖白，本身就是一个极具戏剧张力的场景。他们的身份是国王，穿戴着紫袍与冠冕，却正在逃离自己的王国。引他们离开的，正是他们口中那些关于战争、勇气与和平的尖锐话语——那些属于查拉图斯特拉的教导。敌人用一幅魔鬼般的讽刺画来描绘查拉图斯特拉，让他们心生畏惧，但他们最终决定，不论他长相如何，都必须亲耳来听。他们复述的，是查拉图斯特拉早年最令人不安的一…