13

‘Why should one live? All is vain! To live—that is to thrash straw; to live—that is to burn oneself and yet not get warm.’

Such ancient babbling still passeth for ‘wisdom’; because it is old, however, and smelleth mustily, therefore is it the more honoured. Even mould ennobleth—

Children might thus speak; they shun the fire because it hath burnt them! There is much childishness in the old books of wisdom.

And he who ever ‘thrasheth straw’, why should he be allowed to rail at thrashing! Such a fool one would have to muzzle!

Such persons sit down to the table and bring nothing with them, not even good hunger—and then do they rail: ‘All is vain!’

But to eat and drink well, my brethren, is verily no vain art! Break up, break up for me the tables of the never-joyous ones!

14

‘To the clean are all things clean’—thus say the people. I, however, say unto you: ‘To the swine all things become swinish!’

Therefore preach the visionaries and bowed-heads (whose hearts are also bowed down): ‘The world itself is a filthy monster.’

For these are all unclean spirits; especially those, however, who have no peace or rest unless they see the world from the backside— the backworldsmen!

To those do I say it to the face, although it sound unpleasantly: the world resembleth man, in that it hath a backside—so much is true!

There is in the world much filth: so much is true! But the world itself is not therefore a filthy monster!

There is wisdom in the fact that much in the world smelleth badly; loathing itself createth wings, and fountain-divining powers!

In the best there is still something to loathe; and the best is still something that must be surpassed—

O my brethren, there is much wisdom in the fact that much filth is in the world!

15

Such sayings did I hear pious backworldsmen speak to their consciences, and verily without wickedness or guile—although there is nothing more guileful in the world, or more wicked.

‘Let the world be as it is! Raise not a finger against it!’

‘Let whoever will choke and stab and skin and scrape the people; raise not a finger against it! Thereby will they learn to renounce the world.’

‘And thine own reason—this shalt thou thyself stifle and choke, for it is a reason of this world; thereby wilt thou learn thyself to renounce the world.’

Shatter, shatter, O my brethren, those old tables of the pious! Tatter the maxims of the world-maligners!