Page:Thus Spake Zarathustra - Alexander Tille - 1896.djvu/287

 OF PASSING

Thus slowly passing through much folk and towns of many kinds by round-about ways, Zarathustra re- turned unto his mountains and his cave. And, behold, in doing so he came unawares unto the town-gate of the great city. But there a raging fool jumped at Him with his hands spread out and stood in his way. And this was the same fool whom the folk called "the ape of Zarathustra." For he had learnt from him some things regarding the coining and melody of speech, and borrowed probably not unwillingly from the treasure of his wisdom. The fool thus spake unto Zarathustra :

" O Zarathustra, here is the great city ! Here thou hast nothing to seek and everything to lose.

Why shouldst thou wish to wade through this mud? Have pity on thy foot ! Rather spit at the city-gate, and turn round!

Here is the hell of hermit's-thoughts. Here great thoughts are boiled alive and cooked into morsels.

Here all great feelings moulder. Here only such little feelings are allowed to rattle as rattle from leanness.

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