Page:Thus Spake Zarathustra - Alexander Tille - 1896.djvu/425

 THE VOLUNTARY BEGGAR 39!

filled to-day with loathing ? Thou also ! Thou also ! But behold these cows ! "

Thus spake the mount-preacher, and then turned his own look unto Zarathustra. For until then it had clung lovingly unto the cows. Then he suddenly changed. " Unto whom do I speak ? " he exclaimed terrified, and leaped up from the ground.

" This is the man without loathing, this is Zara- thustra himself, the overcomer of the great loathing. This is the eye, this is the mouth, this is the heart of .Zarathustra himself."

And speaking thus he kissed the hands of him unto whom he spake, with his eyes overflowing, and behaved like unto one for whom a valuable gift and treasure hath fallen from heaven unawares. But the cows gazed at all that and wondered.

" Speak not of me, thou strange one, sweet one ! " said Zarathustra restraining his affection. "Speak first of thyself! Art thou not the voluntary beggar who once threw away vast riches,

Who was ashamed of his riches and of the rich, and fled unto the poorest in order to give them his abundance and his heart? But they accepted him not."

"But they accept him not," said the voluntary beggar, " thou knowest it, I see. Thus at last I have come unto the animals and unto these cows."

"There thou learnedst," said Zarathustra interrupt-

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