GENIUS FORUMS

excerpt from Nietzsche's
"of Eminent Men"
"Thus Spake Zarathustra"

"An eminent man I saw today, a solemn one, an intellectual penitent: oh, how my soul laughed at his ugliness!

With chest, puffed out as one that draweth in his breath - thus stood he, the eminent man, and was silent:

Clothed was he in ugly truths, the spoils of his hunting, and rich in torn garments; many thorns also hung upon him - but I saw no rose.

Not yet had he learned laughter and beauty. Frowning, this hunter returned from the forests of knowledge.

From strife with wild beasts came he home; but a wild beast looketh yet out of his seriousness - a beast that he had not overcome!

He standeth there like a tiger, about to spring; but I love not these tense souls; these reserved ones are not to my taste.

If he would grow weary of his eminence, this eminent man - then only would his beauty begin - and then should I taste him and find him to my taste!

And not until he turneth from himself will he leap over his own shadow - lo! straight into his own sunshine!

Too long hath he sat in the shadows; the cheeks of of the intellectual penitent have grown pale; almost he starved to death in the midst of his expectations."

lol...glad you said it..it's starting to smell like old crochety men in here....men that haven't seen a womans crotch in a long time..lol

Is that what you think a man ought value? Is that the extent of your mind and vision? What a disappointment, and yet how typical - woman as a self declared ideal.

Fuck me.

I often think of Nietzsche's Last Man when reading here.

'What is love? What is creation? What is longing? What is a star?' thus asks the last man, and winks. The earth has become small, and on it hops the last man, who makes everything small. His race is as ineradicable as the flea; the last man lives longest. 'We have invented happiness,' say the last men, and they wink. They have left the regions where it was hard to live, for one needs warmth. One still loves one's neighbor and rubs against him, for one needs warmth...

- Thus spoke Zarathustra

Dan Rowden wrote:Is that what you think a man ought value? Is that the extent of your mind and vision? What a disappointment, and yet how typical - woman as a self declared ideal.

Fuck me.

you have no sense of humor !

no...i think you're funny sometimes....sorry if i'm pissin you off. my intensions are to interject some humor not disembowel anyone here (other than in DQWE). i'm not good at it anyways...

Carmel wrote:excerpt from Nietzsche's "of Eminent Men"
"Thus Spake Zarathustra"

Actually a better and more common translation would be: "the sublime ones". And it ends with the forecasting of the "super-hero" or Übermensch. It's only relevant for those who have become first hero, mensch or "lion". Compare it to the three stages Nietzsche elsewhere explained: the camel, the lion and the child.

Also keep in mind Nietzsche is describing mainly himself here because Zarathustra is his idealized announcer of the future, his future.

Kunga wrote:

Dan Rowden wrote:Is that what you think a man ought value? Is that the extent of your mind and vision? What a disappointment, and yet how typical - woman as a self declared ideal.

Fuck me.

you have no sense of humor !

At the moment, that is probably true.

no...i think you're funny sometimes....sorry if i'm pissin you off. my intensions are to interject some humor not disembowel anyone here (other than in DQWE). i'm not good at it anyways...

I knew you were attemtping to be funny, but humour usually betrays an underlying belief.

Kunga wrote:

Dan Rowden wrote:Is that what you think a man ought value? Is that the extent of your mind and vision? What a disappointment, and yet how typical - woman as a self declared ideal.

Fuck me.

you have no sense of humor !

no...i think you're funny sometimes....sorry if i'm pissin you off. my intensions are to interject some humor not disembowel anyone here (other than in DQWE). i'm not good at it anyways...

Kunga

I have been reading this forum for a fair while and "woman's" humour is not up to scratch with "man's" humour. Go figure :)

dejavu wrote:I am somewhat interested in seeing just how far you and I disagree with eachother.

More in a general sense it's for me very hard to tell since you don't post much of your thoughts apart from final conclusions and judgments. Sometimes I agree but a lot seems unfinished and slightly out of place, as if you're posting to yourself, talking to yourself like an old man.

It would have been better for you to have posted the whole of that passage from Zarathustra first discourse, beginning with: "Behold! I shall show you the Ultimate Man"

I might do that but since I usually work from the German source before squirting it out on a forum, you know, actually work for it, it's not something I do lightly. And then you are there with two line cleverish retorts which often don't show much sweat. Nevertheless I might still do it.

Diebert van Rhijn:
It's only relevant for those who have become first hero, mensch or "lion". Compare it to the three stages Nietzsche elsewhere explained: the camel, the lion and the child.

Carmel:
Yes, I've read it, on several occasions, throughout the years, so I'm familiar with the context, but some of the passages still retain value, even when isolated from the main story.

...but any translations or interpretations you have to offer of this passage or any other that strikes your interest would always be most welcomed.