Chapter 12 The first moral lecture

moral lecture Zarathustra was boasted of a wise man who spoke of sleep and morality: thus he was venerated and praised, and many youths came to his lectures to be taught.Zarathustra also came to the wise man and sat with the boy before his lecture, and thus the wise man said: "Honor sleep and be ashamed of it! This is the first thing! Avoid those who cannot sleep well and are awake at night! Even the thief is shy before sleep: his steps steal silently in the night.The Night's Watch is impudent; and holds his horn impudently. Sleep is by no means an easy art: one must be awake all day to be soundly asleep at night.

Ten times a day you must restrain yourself: this causes a healthy weariness, which is a narcotic to the soul. You must refresh yourself ten times a day; for self-denial is painful, and he who does not relax himself cannot sleep. Every day you must discover ten truths; otherwise you will seek the truth at night, and your soul will be hungry. You must laugh ten times a day; otherwise the stomach, the father of trouble, will disturb you at night. Few people know this: but a man must have all virtues in order to sleep soundly.Am I guilty of perjury?Am I going to commit adultery? Shall I covet my neighbor's handmaid?None of this is in harmony with restful sleep.

Even if you have all the virtues, you still need to know one thing: to send morality to sleep at the right time. You must keep them from quarrelling, little pets!Not for your sake, you wretched man! Obedience to God, love to neighbor: such are the conditions of sleep.And at the same time make peace with the neighbor's devil!Otherwise it will come after you at night. Respect the rulers and convince them, even the lame rulers must do the same!Such is the condition of sleep.Power gladly walks with a limp, what can I think? He who leads his flock to the greenest pastures I always think is the best shepherd: thus is reconciled with rest.

I don't want many honors or great riches, it's asking for trouble.But no man can sleep without a reputation and a little fortune. I would rather choose a narrow group of friends than a bad one; but they must come and go on time.Only in this way can it be reconciled with peaceful sleep. I'm also very interested in morons: they promote sleep.People are happy when they admit they have reasons. Thus the day of the virtuous is over.When night comes, I will not call sleep.Sleep, master of all virtues, does not want to be called! But I reflected on what I did and thought during the day.I ruminated, and I patiently asked myself what are your ten self-denials?What are ten looses, ten truths and ten laughs that make me happy?

I reflected, swaying in the cradle of these forty people's thoughts.Suddenly sleep, the moral master, the uncalled, seized me. Sleep taps lightly on my eyes and they become heavy.Sleep touched my mouth, and my mouth opened wide. Really, it sneaked up on me with light steps, this dearest thief, it stole my thoughts: I stood stupidly like this desk. But I didn't stand for long before I fell down. "— Zarathustra laughed to himself when he heard these words of the wise man: a ray of light dawned in him.Thus he spoke to his own heart: "The forty thoughts of this wise man are rather silly: but I believe he is good at sleeping.

Happy is he who lives beside this wise man!This sleep is contagious, even through a thick wall. His lectures radiate a kind of magic.It was not in vain that these boys came to listen to this moral preacher. His wisdom tells us that in order to sleep soundly at night, there must be wakefulness by day.Indeed, if life is meaningless, and I had to choose a fallacy, then I think this is the most worthy choice of fallacy. Now I know what people were looking for when they were looking for a teacher of morality.What people pursue is peaceful sleep and narcotic morality. All the lauded lectures of the wisdom of wise men are but dreamless sleep: they know no other and better meaning of life.

There are still a few such moral preachers; but they are not as honest as this one: but their time is over.They didn't stand for long before they fell down. Blessed are these drowsy ones; for at once they fell into deep sleep. "— Thus spake Zarathustra.