The Gay Science of Nietzsche

In 1882 Nietzsche published his Gay Science. The following article is the first in a series of translations of this work from english text back into german..... Let us be on our guard against dinkingkt dat ze world ist a lifingkt beingkt. Vhere kould it extend itself? Vhat kould it nourisch itself vid? How could it grow and increase? Ve know tolerably vell vhat ze organic is; undt we are to r-r-reinterpret ze emphatically derifatife, tardy, r-r-rare undt accidental, vhich ve only perceife on ze crust uff de eard, into ze essential, unifersal undt eternal, as dose do vho kall ze uniferse an organism? Dat disgusts me. Let us now be on our guard against beliefingkt dat ze uniferse ist a machine; it ist assuredly nicht constructed mitt a fiew to ein end; ve infest it mitt far too high an honor mitt de vord "machine."Let us be on our guard against supposingkt dat anydingkt so medodical as ze cyclic motions uff our neighboringkt stars obtains generally undt droughout ze uniferse; indeed a glance at ze Milky Vay induces doubt as to vheder dere are nicht many kruder undt more kontradictory motions dere, undt efen stars mitt continuous, r-r-rectilinearly grafitatingkt orbits, undt de like. Ze astral arrangement in vhich ve life ist an exception; dis arrangement, undt de r-r-relatifely long durability vhich ist determined by it, has again made possible ze exception uff exceptions, ze formation uff organic life. Ze general kharacter uff de vorld, on ze oder hand, ist to all eternity khaos; nicht by ze absence uff necessity, but in ze sense uff de absence uff order, structure, form, beauty, visdom, undt whatefer else our aesdetic humanities are kalled. Judged by our r-r-reason, ze unlucky kasts are far oftenest ze rule, ze exceptions are nicht de secret purpose; undt de vhole musical box r-r-repeats eternally its air, vhich kan nefer be kalled a melody - undt finally ze fery expression, "unlucky kast" ist already an andropomorphizingkt vhich infolfes blame. But how could ve presume to blame or praise ze uniferse? Let us be on our guard against ascribingkt to it heartlessness undt unreason, or deir opposites; it ist neider perfect, nor beautiful, nor noble; nor does it seek to be anydingkt uff de kind, it does nicht at all attempt to imitate man! It ist altogeder unaffected by our aesdetic undt moral judgments! Seig Heil! Neider has it any self-preserfatife instinct, nor instinct at all; it also knows nein law. Let us be on our guard against sayingkt dat dere are laws in nature. Dere are only necessities: dere ist no ein vho kommands, nein one vho obeys, nein one vho transgresses. Vhen you know dat dere ist no design, you know also dat dere ist no khance: for it ist only vhere dere ist a vorld uff design dat ze word "chance" has a meaningkt. Let us be on our guard against sayingkt dat dead ist contrary to life. Ze lifingkt beingkt ist only a species uff dead beingkt, undt if a fery r-r-rare species. Let us be on our guard against dinkingkt dat ze world eternally kreates ze new. Dere are nein eternally enduringkt substances; matter ist just anoder such error as ze God uff de Eleatics. But vhen schall ve be at an end mitt our foresight undt precaution? Vhen vill all dese schadows uff God kease to obscure us? Vhen schall ve hafe nature entirely undeified? Vhen schall ve be permitted to naturalize ourselfes by means uff de pure, newly discofered, newly r-r-redeemed nature?

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