Page:Thus Spake Zarathustra - Alexander Tille - 1896.djvu/376

 342 THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA, IV

thou growest ever yellower and darker, though thy hair will soon look white and flaxy? Behold, thou sittest in thy pitch ! " " What say ye now, mine ani- mals?" said Zarathustra laughing. "Verily, I reviled when speaking of pitch. What I experience is experi- enced by all fruits which grow ripe. The honey in my veins thickeneth my blood and stilleth my soul also." " Thus it will be, O Zarathustra ! " answered the ani- mals and thronged round him. "But art thou not going up a high mountain to-day ? The air is pure, and this day one seeth more of the world than ever before." "Yea, mine animals," he answered, "ye guess well and according to my wishes. This day I am going up a high mountain. But take care that there be honey at my disposal, yellow, white, good, golden comb-honey as cool as ice. For learn, at the top I am going to make the honey-offering."

But when Zarathustra had reached the summit, he sent home his animals which had led him, and found that now he was alone. Then he laughed from the bottom of his heart, looked round and spake thus :

" That I spake of offering and of honey-offerings, was merely my stratagem of speech, and, verily, a useful stupidity ! On this summit one is allowed to speak a little freer than before hermit-caves and an hermit's domestic animals.

Why sacrifice ! I waste what I am given. A waster

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