Page:Thus Spake Zarathustra - Alexander Tille - 1896.djvu/185
THE DANCE-SONG 151
And when I talked with my wild wisdom privately, she told me angrily : ' Thou wiliest, thou desirest, thou lovest ; therefore only thou praisest life ! '
Then I almost answered in anger and told the truth unto the angry one ; and one cannot answer more angrily than when ' telling the truth ' unto one's wis- dom.
For thus things stand among us three. I love life alone from the bottom and, verily, the most, when I hate her !
But that I am fond of wisdom and often too fond, that is because she remindeth me of life very much !
Wisdom hath life's eye, life's laughter, and even life's little golden fishing-rod. Is it my fault that the two are so like unto each other ?
And when once life asked me : ' Wisdom, who is she ? ' I eagerly said : ' Oh yes ! wisdom !
One is thirsty for her and is not satisfied; one looketh through veils; one catcheth with nets.
Is she beautiful ? I do not know. But even the oldest carps are lured by her.
Changeable she is and defiant; often I saw her bite her own lip and pass the comb the wrong way through her hair.
Perhaps she is wicked and deceitful, and in all re- spects a woman ; but just when speaking badly of herself she seduceth most.'
When I told that unto life, she laughed wickedly
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