An die Tugendsamen
Unseren Tugenden auch soll'n leicht die Füsse sich heben,
Gleich den Versen Homers müssen sie kommen
und gehn!
–Friedrich Nietzsche
The speaker in this poem seems to be questioning the rules of good writing. Stating that writings should just come and go, like that of the verse of Homer. It could be forgettable and unforgettable all at once. That words come and go to us. You will never have the perfect word choice and when you do then it is graved in. Some of these verses will have panache, some won't. I think the key factor that I am walking away from with this is to just continue writing, challenging and living because in the end it will all come and go.
To the Virtuous
Why should our virtues be grave? We like ours
nimble-footed:
Even like Homer's verse, they have to come and go!
–Friedrich Nietzsche translated by Walter Kaufmann
I would first like to explain why "and go" is italicized. I copied the text from how Kaufmann translated those words. The font had it italicized. Kaufmann also had a foot note to go along with the "and go!". Kaufmann used an example stating "our virtues should occasionally leave us in peace".
I feel that I understand more of the poets voice in this english translation. I feel that the speaker is stating that nothing can truly be so virtuous that it is graved into stone. That there should always be room to grown and change, like that of a nimbled-foot, it may change slightly but goes by unnoticed. The speaker used Homer as an example because the way language has evolved throughout the centuries of the teachings of Homer. We presently may think we have deciphered Homer to accuracy but there will be changes.
It is slightly what I am doing overall in this blog. I am trying to understand Nietzsche from the few years of studying the German language I have. Although I tend to understand him easier with the Kaufmann translation. I still lose a little bit of what Nietzsche is saying with the the translation. It has "come and go".
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