ON THE TEACHERS OF VIRTUE

ON THE TEACHERS OF VIRTUE2

A WISE MAN WAS praised to Zarathustra, as one who could speak well about sleep and virtue: he was said to be honored and rewarded highly for it, and all the youths were said to be sitting at his feet. Zarathustra went to him, and sat among the youths at his feet. And thus spoke the wise man:

Respect sleep and be modest in its presence! That is the first thing! And avoid all who sleep badly and keep awake at night!

Even the thief is modest in the presence of sleep: he always steals softly through the night. Shameless, however, is the night watchman ; shamelessly he carries his horn.

It is no small art to sleep: for that purpose you must keep awake all day.

Ten times a day you must overcome yourself: that makes you good and tired and is opium for the soul.

Ten times you must reconcile again with yourself; for overcoming is bitterness, and the unreconciled sleep badly.

Ten truths you must find during the day; otherwise you will seek truth during the night, and your soul will remain hungry.

Ten times you must laugh during the day, and be cheerful; otherwise your stomach, the father of gloom, will disturb you in the night.

Few people know it, but one must have all the virtues in order to sleep well. Shall I bear false witness? Shall I commit adultery?

Shall I covet my neighbor’s maid? All that would go ill with good sleep.

And even if one has all the virtues, there is still one thing one must know: to send the virtues themselves to sleep at the right time.

That they may not quarrel with one another, the fair little women, about you, child of misfortune!

Peace with God and your neighbor: so good sleep demands. And peace also with your neighbor’s devil! Otherwise it will haunt you in the night.

Honor the magistrates and obey them, and also the crooked magistrates! Good sleep demands it. Is it my fault that power likes to walk on crooked legs?

He who leads his sheep to the greenest pasture, shall always be for me the best shepherd: that goes well with good sleep.

I do not want many honors, nor great treasures: they inflame the spleen. But one sleeps badly without a good name and a little treasure.

A little company is more welcome to me than evil company: but they must come and go at the right time. That goes well with good sleep.

Well, also, do the poor in spirit please me: they promote sleep. Blessed are they, especially if one always tells them they are right.

Thus the virtuous pass the day. And when night comes, then I take good care not to summon sleep. It dislikes to be summoned—sleep, the master of the virtues!

But I think of what I have done and thought during the day. Chewing the cud, I ask myself, patient as a cow: Well, what were your ten overcomings?

And what were the ten reconciliations, and the ten truths, and the ten laughters with which my heart edified itself?

Weighing such matters and rocked by forty thoughts, it overtakes me suddenly, sleep, the unsummoned, the lord of the virtues.

Sleep taps on my eyes: they turn heavy. Sleep touches my mouth: it stays open.

Truly, on soft soles he comes to me, the dearest of thieves, and steals from me my thoughts: I stand stupid like this chair here.

But not for long do I stand like this: I already lie—

When Zarathustra heard the wise man thus speak he laughed in his heart: for an insight had come to him. And he spoke thus to his heart:

This wise man with his forty thoughts is a fool: but I believe he knows well how to sleep.

Happy is he that even lives near this wise man! Such sleep is contagious—contagious even through a thick wall.

There is magic even in his teaching chair. And it is not in vain that the youths sit before this preacher of virtue.

His wisdom is: to keep awake in order to sleep well. And truly, if life had no sense and had I to choose nonsense, then I too would consider this the most sensible nonsense.

Now I understand clearly what was once sought above all else when teachers of virtue were sought. Good sleep was sought, and opiate virtues to promote it!

For all these much praised sages who were teachers of virtue, wisdom was the sleep without dreams: they knew no better meaning of life.

Even today, to be sure, there may still be a few like this preacher of virtue, and not all so honest: but their time is up. And not much longer do they stand: there they already lie.

Blessed are the sleepy ones: for they shall soon fall off.—

Thus spoke Zarathustra.