OF THE THREE EVIL ONES 271
world, not curious, not greedy for old things, not afraid, not praying.
As if a round apple was offered unto my hand, a ripe, golden apple, with a cool, smooth, velvet skin thus the world offered itself unto me.
As if a tree made a sign unto me, with broad boughs and a strong will, bent for the weary wan- derer to lean against and use as a footstool thus stood the world on my promontory.
As if neat hands carried towards me a chest, a chest open for the rapture of bashful revering eyes 'thus the world this day offered itself unto me.
Not riddle enough to frighten away human love ; not solution enough to put to sleep human wisdom ; a humanly good thing for me, this day, was the world of which such bad things are said !
How thankful am I unto my morning dream be- cause I thus weighed the world early this morning ! As a humanly good thing it came unto me, this dream and comforter of the heart !
And in order to do during the day what it did, and to learn from it its best, now I will put the three evilest things on the balance and weigh them in a humanly good spirit !
He who taught to bless, taught also to curse. Which are the three best-cursed things in the world ! These I will put on the balance.
Voluptuousness, thirst of power, selfishness these
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