Page:Thus Spake Zarathustra - Alexander Tille - 1896.djvu/349

 THE CONVALESCENT ONE 315

apples, sweet-smelling pot-herbs, and pine-cones. But at his feet two lambs were spread which the eagle had, with much trouble, carried off from their shepherd.

At last, after seven days, Zarathustra rose on his couch, took a rose apple in his hand, smelt it and found its odour sweet. Then his animals thought the time had come for speaking unto him.

" O Zarathustra," said they, " now thou hast lain like that for seven days, with heavy eyes. Wilt thou not now stand again on thy feet ?

Step out from thy cave ; the world waiteth for thee like a garden. The wind playeth with heavy odours longing for thee ; and all brooklets would fain run after thee.

All things long for thee, because thou remainedst seven days alone. Step out from thy cave ! All things wish to be thy physicians !

Hath a new perception come unto thee, a sour, hard one ? Like a dough mixed with leaven thou didst lie there. Thy soul rose and overflowed all its margins."

"O mine animals," answered Zarathustra, "talk on like that and let me listen ! It refresheth me to hear talking like that. Where there is talk, the world lieth like a garden unto me.

How lovely it is that words and tunes exist ! Are not words and tunes rainbows and seeming bridges between things eternally separated ?

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