THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA, III
In your children ye shall make amends for being your fathers' children. Thus ye shall redeem all that is past ! This new table I put over you !
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' Wherefore live ? All is vanity. To live that meaneth to thrash straw. To live i.e., to burn one's self and yet not become warm.'
Such ancient talk is still regarded as 'wisdom.' Even because it is ancient and smelleth damp, it is honoured the more. Even mould maketh noble.
Children were allowed to speak thus. They fear the fire because it burned them ! There is much childishness in the old books of wisdom.
And he who always thrasheth straw how could he be allowed to backbite thrashing ! With such a fool one would have to muzzle his mouth !
Such folk sit down unto dinner and bring nothing with them, not even a good hunger. And now they backbite : ' All is vanity ! '
But to eat well and drink well, O my brethren, is, verily, no vain art ! Break, break the tables of those who are never joyful !
��' Unto the pure all things are pure ' thus say the folk. But I tell you : ' unto the swine all things be- come swine ! '
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