THE AWAKENING12

1

After the song of the wanderer and shadow, the cave suddenly became full of noise and laughter: and since the assembled guests all spoke simultaneously and even the ass, thus encouraged, would no longer remain silent, Zarathustra was overcome by a little aversion and scorn for his visitors: although he rejoiced at their gladness. For it seemed to him a sign of convalescence. So he slipped out into the open air and spoke to his animals.

“Where is their distress now?” he said, and already he felt relieved of his petty disgust—“with me, it seems that they have unlearned their cries of distress!

—“though unfortunately not yet their crying.” And Zarathustra stopped his ears, for just then the Yeah-Yuh of the ass mixed strangely with the noisy jubilation of those higher men.

“They are merry,” he began again, “and who knows? perhaps at their host’s expense; and if they have learned to laugh from me, still it is not my laughter they have learned.

“But what does that matter! They are old people: they recover in their own way, they laugh in their own way; my ears have already endured worse and have not become peevish.

“This day is a victory: he already yields, he flees, the spirit of gravity, my old arch-enemy! How well this day is about to end, which began so badly and gloomily!

“And it is about to end. Already the evening comes: it rides here over the sea, the good rider! How it bobs, the blessed one, the homecoming one, in its purple saddles!

“The sky gazes brightly on that, the world lies deep. Oh, all you strange ones who have come to me, it is already worthwhile to have lived with me!”

Thus spoke Zarathustra. And again came the cries and laughter of the higher men out of the cave: then he began again:

“They bite at it, they take my bait, their enemy, the spirit of gravity, departs from them too. Now they learn to laugh at themselves: is that what I hear?

“My strong food takes effect, my strong and savory sayings: and truly, I did not nourish them with gassy vegetables! But with warrior-food, with conqueror-food: I awakened new desires.

“New hopes are in their arms and legs, their hearts expand. They find new words, soon their spirits will breathe playfulness.

“Such food may not be proper for children, or for fond little women, old and young. Their stomachs are persuaded otherwise; I am not their physician and teacher.

“Disgust departs from these higher men; well! that is my victory. In my domain they become assured; all stupid shame flees away; they empty themselves.

“They empty their hearts, good times return to them, they relax and ruminate,—they become thankful.

“I take that as the best sign: they become thankful. It will not be long before they invent festivals and put up memorials to their old joys.

“They are convalescents!” Thus spoke Zarathustra joyfully to his heart and gazed out; but his animals pressed up to him, and honored his happiness and his silence.

2

But suddenly Zarathustra’s ear was frightened: for the cave, which had so far been full of noise and laughter, became suddenly still as death; his nose, however, smelled a sweet scented vapor and odor of incense, as if from burning pinecones.

“What is happening? What are they up to?” he asked himself, and stole up to the entrance, so that he might see his guests unobserved. But wonder upon wonder! what was he then obliged to behold with his own eyes!

“They have all of them become pious again, they pray, they are insane!” —he said, and was astonished beyond measure. And indeed! all these higher men, the two kings, the pope retired from service, the evil magician, the voluntary beggar, the wanderer and shadow, the old soothsayer, the conscientious in spirit, and the ugliest man—they all lay on their knees like children and credulous old women, and worshipped the ass. And just then the ugliest man began to gurgle and snort, as if something unutterable in him tried to find expression; but when he actually found words, behold! it was a pious, strange litany in praise of the adored and incensed ass. And the litany sounded thus:

“Amen! And glory and honor and wisdom and thanks and praise and strength be to our god, from everlasting to everlasting!”

—But the ass brayed Yeah-Yuh.

“He carries our burdens, he has taken upon him the form of a servant, he is patient of heart and never says No; and he who loves his god chastises him.”

—But the ass brayed Yeah-Yuh.

“He does not speak: except that he always says Yes to the world which he created: thus he extols his world. It is his subtlety that does not speak: thus is he rarely found wrong.”

—But the ass brayed Yeah-Yuh.

“He goes modestly through the world. Grey is the body color in which he wraps his virtue. If he has spirit he conceals it; but every one believes in his long ears.”

—But the ass brayed Yeah-Yuh.

“What hidden wisdom it is to wear long ears, and only to say Yes and never No! Has he not created the world in his own image, namely, as stupid as possible?”

—But the ass brayed Yeah-Yuh.

“You go straight and crooked ways; it concerns you little what seems straight or crooked to us men. Your domain is beyond good and evil. It is your innocence not to know what innocence is.”

—But the ass brayed Yeah-Yuh.

“Behold, how you spurn no one, neither beggars nor kings. You suffer little children to come to you, and when bad boys tease you, then say you simply, Yeah-Yuh.”

—But the ass brayed Yeah-Yuh.

“You love she-asses and fresh figs, you eat anything. A thistle tickles your heart when you happen to be hungry. There is the wisdom of a god in that.”

—But the ass brayed Yeah-Yuh.