Chapter 39 The Birth of Tragedy Chapter Twenty-Five

birth of tragedy Chapter Twenty-Five Music and tragic myth are both expressions of the intoxicating power of a people and are inseparable from each other.Both trace their origins to a realm of art beyond the realm of dreams; both beautify a realm where, in happy harmony, all discordant elements and terrified world-shapes are evocatively lost; both trust Own extremely powerful magic power.Playing with the thorns of sorrow; both use this game to prove that there is even a "worst world".In this case, Dionysus, compared with Oneiromi, is obviously the eternal and original artistic force; in other words, he evokes the whole phenomenal world, in which a new beautified illusion is necessary to make the individualized. The world is always alive.If we could conceive Discord incarnated as man - otherwise what is man? —Then, in order to survive, this incarnation of discord needs an illusion of grandeur, which veils its countenance with a veil of beauty.This is the true purpose of dream art; collectively we call dream art the innumerable manifestations of this beautiful vision which at every moment makes life in general worth living and drives us to experience the immediate future.At the same time, whatever man is conscious of from the source of all things, from the intoxicating depths of the world, can be overcome again by the beautifying power of the Oneiroi; and therefore these two artistic impulses have to follow the laws of eternal justice, according to Strictly proportional to each other, each unfolds its power.When the power of Dionysus rises as we have witnessed, the Oneiroi must also descend to the world in clouds, and future generations will see his richest and most beautiful effects.

However, anyone must also intuitively know the necessity of this effect, if he once, even in a dream, feels himself back in the life of ancient Greece.Wandering under the long colonnade of Ionia, looking up at the clear-cut sky, the splendid sculptures beside you reflect your beautifying style, and the people around you are parading solemnly, or walking gently, singing harmonious Qing songs , with rhythmic dance steps;—in the continual flow of beauty, how could he not raise his hands to Apollo, the dreamer, and shout: "O happy Greeks! Among you Dionysus, the god of wine, must be How great would it be, if Apollo, the god of Delos, thought it necessary to cure your Dionysian madness with such magic!" However, to such a heart, the old man of Athens might use the sublime words of Aeschylus. Looking at him, he said: "Curious visitor! You should also say: How much suffering has this nation suffered to be so beautiful! But, come with me to see the tragedy, and join me in the altar of this god. Sacrifice!"

(Translated from Volume 1 of "The Complete Works of Nietzsche" edited by Alf red Baeumler) (Translated by Miao Langshan)