Welt-Klugheit/Worldly Wisdom

Welt-Klugheit

Bleib nicht auf ebnem Feld!

Steig nicht zu hoch hinaus!

Am schönsten sieht die Welt

Von halber Höhe aus.

-Friedrich Nietzsche

The speaker is stating a lesson, about viewpoint of seeing the world. It is one of those typical ideas of seeing the world at different angles/viewpoints/lenses, whatever pleonasm one decides to use when giving such advice. It is all the same. Our species knows what to do, but we never seem to follow through as a whole. Some try, some succeed, some suffer, some die. For what? This poem speaks so much to me. Even with the pleonastic sayings. It is telling me to live. Do my own thing, do what makes me happy. Do not be a slave to time or society. See the present for yourself, do not get wrapped up in the future or future endeavors. Be wrapped up in what you see now. Nothing more, nothing less. LIVE!

Worldly Wisdom

Do not stay in the field!

Nor climb out of sight

The best view of the world

Is from medium height.

-Friedrich Nietzsche translated by Walter Kaufmann

I fear that staying in the field is like that of the "Field of Dreams" or the "Elysian Fields" in Greek mythology. It is the spot were everything is always good and grand and no harm can come of it. The field is suppose to be perfect. Happiness but one can still get cut but a piece of grass or bitten by a snake. When that tends to happen people look for a tree to climb up or a mountain to escape the wrong doing. None of this should be an option. The medium height is from your own eyes. View it. Live it. Love it.

An die Tugendsamen/To the Virtuous

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". 

Zwiegespräch/Dialogue

Zwiegespräch

A. War ich krank? Bin ich genesen?

Und wer ist mein Arzt gewesen?

Wie vergass ich alles das!

B. Jetzt erst glaub' ich dich genesen:

Denn gesund ist, wer vergass.

–Friedrich Nietzsche 

I am going to discuss this prose in a completely different manner than what I have with the other poems that thus far. I am aplomb that poetry is not only historic and not only from the speakers mindset.  understand this German to the fullest. Zwiegespräch translate into conversation. There is person A and person B in this poem. Normally I would reflect upon the time this poem was written but at this moment I am not going to do that. This poem to me is full of emotion.

I want to the paint the picture without translating word for word and then I will post Kaufmann's translation with no further analysis. This post none will be needed. 

I invision two people sitting in an empty living room or kitchen nook. They have both of a cup of coffee in a generic white coffee cup. My vision is a black and white image. One person is elderly and looks like they have lived a lot of life. The other is youthful, still full of life. The elder is the parent to this child. The resemblance is significant. Both the child and the parent seem wearisome. Then sitting on the table is the generic manilla folder, it is a file folder that has doctor visit bills and prescriptions and diagnostics. 

The elderly parent is looking through the folder. They don't seem to understand what is going on. This person as alzheimer disease. Today is a good day in this battle. In this dialogue the parent is asking questions. Then they start to forget again and they slip back into the state of forgetfulness.

This forgetfulness shows that they will never have to face the eternal recurrence because they will never be punished to remember.

Dialogue

A. Was I ill? Have I got well?

Who was my doctor? Can you tell?

Oh, my memory is rotten!

B. Only now you're truly well.

Those are well who have forgotten.

-Friedrich Nietzsche translated by Walter Kaufmann

Unverzagt/Undaunted

Unverzagt

Wo du stehst grab tief hinein!

Drunten ist die Quelle!

Lass die dunklen Männer schrein:

"Stets ist drunten – Hölle!"

–Friedrich Nietzsche

This dark piece of work that Nietzsche has written definitely a parergon to his overall work. The first line sets the mood for this dark prose. The speaker asks where one stays deep in the grave. Then the second line says that below is the source. My guess is that when the speaker states "below" he is referring to hell. Hinting the last word in the poem being hell. He then goes on to say let the dark men cry in the third line. I believe that the speaker is referring to those who have a dark soul or no soul at all. The final line says we always have, in hell. 

What this poem is saying to me overall is that the speaker is asking where the soulless men go, such as atheists. They are stating that these men will end up in hell. This is coming from a religious specter. I feel the Nietzsche was poking fun at this thought, mainly because it is dark but it is dark humor. Later on in "The Gay Science" I feel that this poem will speak true of the true humor Nietzsche has behind it.

Continuing onto the English translation...

Undaunted

Where you stand, dig deep and pry!

Down there is the well.

Let the obscurantists cry:

"Down there's only – hell!"

–Friedrich Nietzsche translated by Walter Kaufmann

Yet again I feel that this poem speaks entirely different to me in English than what I understood in German. I feel now that the speaker is actually not a follower of God because of the word choice "obscurantists". I look at the well being a thirst for knowledge and learning the truth about religion. Challenging religious thought and digging deep into the well of knowledge. The obscurantists say this thought will only lead you onto a path to hell. Reflecting upon the obscurantists mind the speaker is the opposite way of their style of thinking and thought therefore it must be the work of Lucifer.

Mein Glück/My Happiness

Mein Glück

Seit ich des Suchens müde ward,

Erlernte ich das Finden.

Seit mir ein Wind hielt Widerpart,

Segl' ich mit allen Winden.

–Friedrich Nietzsche

The first line of this poem I believe that the poet is searching for something. He is searching until he is searching tirelessly, probably to the point of exhaustion. The second line talks about how the poet learned to find. The third line discusses how the wind held the poet as an opponent. I am not sure what "Segl'" means but the last part means I am with all the wind. Mein Glück translates into "My Happiness".

I believe from my horrible understanding of German that the poet is searching for happiness. His search has been tiresome. I believe what he is saying is that you can't search for happiness you have to find. When you are searching you are seeking it, when you find something it comes by surprise. It is a way of looking at life and by looking at your own life from a different lens you would be surprised to find happiness in it. For example, I look at my own life. I am living a simple life now. I sought out to find happiness in trying to make money and defining success with a salary. With the economy I have now looked at my life and see that I am struggling financially being in the service industry but I do not have the stress from work that comes from a high paying job following me home. I am happier than ever I found happiness because I stopped searching for happiness.

The speaker then talks about how the wind is his opponent and how he is being held to being enemies. It almost like the wind is holding the speaker captive. I am not sure what the speaker means by he is with all the wind. Mainly because I do not know the German word before he says that. Maybe it is "As I am with all the wind." That is my interpretation. Going back to my example I see the wind as society. That society is holding the speaker captive saying that his idea of happiness is wrong, that you must conform. When he says with all the wind, I look at it as with all societies. That every society may take issue with this thought of happiness.

Let's take a look at the English translation now.

My Happiness

Since I grew tired of the chase

And search, I learned to find;

And since the wind blows in my face,

I sail with every wind.

–Friedrich Nietzsche translated by Walter Kaufmann

The English translation I feel still represents part of my central idea of learning to find happiness not to search for it. However the idea of the wind has completely changed it the wind is no longer representing society. It represents much more than that. The wind represents the struggle of finding happiness. It is like a proclitic word in a sentence. It doesn't seem much when it is a slight breeze but it is more powerful than one thinks (I know this is a horrible metaphor but hey I had to use the word of the day somehow). When the speaker says he can sail with every wind, it means that he can become happy in any form of struggle because he knows how to find happiness in any situation by dealing with what he was fallen into. 

Einladung/Invitation

Einladung

Wagt's mit meiner Kost, ihr Esser!

Morgen schmeckt sie euch schon besser

Und schon übermorgen gut!

Wollt ihr dann noch mehr,–so machen

Mir zu sieben neuen Mut

–Friedrich Nietzsche

The first sentence is about "my food" and multiple others are the eaters of my food. The second sentence then talks about how the food will taste better for those who ate "my food" tomorrow. The third sentence says and the next day as well. I believe the fourth sentence is stating if they will ever make more, I am presuming more meals with "my food". The last sentence is discussing how I will have seven times the amount of courage.

My mind can't help but picture "The Last Supper". The reason my mind is going to this image is because the title of the overall section of this book is called "Scherz, List und Rache" meaning "Joke, Cunning and Revenge". This poem is entitled "Einladung" meaning invitation. From my previous knowledge of Nietzsche I know that in The Gay Science he proclaims that "God is dead". With that I can't help but think he would open up his prose with an ode to "The Last Supper". He uses this image in a footle manner. Perhaps getting to the point that the reason why the meals will taste better the following days because Jesus would have been crucified and have died for the sins of Christians. I believe that the seven times amount of courage comes from the heart of the disciples because they will need courage in order to continue their missions without Jesus being present in his current state. 

I also see Nietzsche choosing the word "Einladung" to invite his readers into his thought and starting out with a Christian ideal will start his argument about his ideas of eternal recurrence and his viewpoints on religion. It states that "The Gay Science" will in fact be controversial. 

Now that we have taken a look at what I am getting from my German translation let's look at this poem in the English translation by Walter Kaufmann.

 Invitation

Take a chance and try my fare:

It will grow on you, I swear;

Soon it will taste good to you.

If by then you should want more,

All the things I've done before

Will inspire things quite new

–Friedrich Nietzsche translated by Walter Kaufmann

This translation speaks entirely differently to me than the religious undertone of my horrible German translation. Kaufmann wrote a footnote about this poem as well. He stated "The modesty of the first three lines is striking. Literally, the fare will taste better tomorrow, and good only the day after tomorrow" (Kaufmann 41). 

What I am gathering from this prose is that Nietzsche is in fact inviting you into his thought. He is saying that at first you will not like his fare but after time you will acquire a taste for it. He uses the term "fare" as a metaphor for his thought and conscious. He knows that people will find what he has to say absurd but in time his philosophy will grow on you. This could be his discussion of the reevaluation of morality. 

It also speaks to me in a different light as well. It goes back to the idea of not to judge a book by its cover. You may not like what you see immediately but if you give it a shot it could become your favorite. It truly is an invitation into another's thought. Nietzsche has opened the door and has said that you won't like what I have to say at first but eventually you will build the palette you need to enjoy it. 

I am asking all of you to join me on this educational journey as well. I know some of the things I will say and analyze will be wrong. Some of it could offend you as well but we can all have a dialogue and start to see the world in a different manner using Nietzsche as our guide. Please use comment section and tell me what you think of Nietzsche's invitation.   

My Nietzsche

I am sitting here at Starbucks, the one that I now work at, taking my lunch break. I am gazing at the beverage I am drinking. The glace has made my beverage start to sweat. It could be the humidity in the air causing the sweat or just the fact that it is a hot summer day in Austin. This city has taught me so much while living here. I feel a stimulus in intellectual strength among the people I speak to in this city. I know I had it in Reno as well but this just hits differently.

After graduating from undergrad last December I have been trying to keep my mind active and always wanting to learn more. I needed to be challenged. While in undergrad I was introduced to Friedrich Nietzsche in a few classes. One was in a humanities course and the other in a philosophy course. I felt I barely scratched the surface. I need to learn more about Nietzsche. I want to discover Nietzsche in my own eyes. I want to understand him as if we were having an intellectual conversation at a bar. I am going on a grand intellectual journey using Nietzsche.

This journey isn't just about Nietzsche though. It is a lot more than that. I am currently studying for the GRE, which means expanding my vocabulary even more. I also want to practice more writing. I also plan to keep-up with my horrible German skills. Nietzsche is allowing me to do all of this, with a few catches of course. 

I am currently reading Die Fröhliche Wissenschaft translated by Walter Kaufmann into The Gay Science. Kaufmann described this as Nietzsche's most personal book. The book opens with a prelude of prose. 

The poems are in German on the left page and translated to English on the right page. To keep up my horrible German skills I am reading the poem in German and then will analyze what I read in German. I will then re-read the poem in the English translation to see if my German understanding was correct. I will then analyze the poem in English and talk about what the poem means to me.

To throw a curve ball into the mix of this exercise I also challenged myself to use dictionary.com's "word of the day" each day I blog. I will italicize the word and hyper-link the definition. As you can see with the word glace above. When it comes to the 63 poems opening The Gay Science I will include them at the beginning of each blog. I believe that rules can change as well. Join me on this journey as I discover my Nietzsche starting with The Gay Science. Please join my conversation in the comments section. Critique my thought and analysis. Together we will understand Nietzsche.