Zarathustra's Roundelay is a philosophical poem that features as a central motif in the book Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None is a philosophical novel by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885...

by Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...

. The roundelay first appears in "Chapter 59: The Second Dance-Song", as a mysterious revelation that precedes "Chapter 60: The Seven Seals", a conclusion and affirmation of Zarathustra's middle-aged philosophical escapades. Then, in the second last chapter, "The Drunken Song", Zarathustra elaborates upon and explains his roundelay, revealing its connection to the Eternal Recurrence

Eternal return

Eternal return is a concept which posits that the universe has been recurring, and will continue to recur, in a self-similar form an infinite number of times across infinite time or space. The concept initially inherent in Indian philosophy was later found in ancient Egypt, and was subsequently...

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The German original is as follows:

Zarathustra's Rundgesang

Oh Mensch! Gieb Acht!

Was spricht die tiefe Mitternacht?

"Ich schlief, ich schlief—,

Aus tiefem Traum bin ich erwacht:—

Die Welt ist tief,

Und tiefer als der Tag gedacht.

Tief ist ihr Weh—,

Lust - tiefer noch als Herzeleid:

Weh spricht: Vergeh!

Doch alle Lust will Ewigkeit

will tiefe, tiefe Ewigkeit!"

There are a number of different English translations:

Thomas Common

Thomas Common

Thomas Common was a translator and critic, who translated several books by Nietzsche into English. There is little information about him biographically, though indications are that he was a very well-educated and literate scholar, who lived in the area of Corstorphine, Scotland.In the mid-1890s,...

O man! Take heed!

What saith deep midnight's voice indeed?

"I slept my sleep—

"From deepest dream I've woke and plead:—

"The world is deep,

"And deeper than the day could read.

"Deep is its woe—

"Joy—deeper still than grief can be:

"Woe saith: Hence! Go!

"But joys all want eternity—

"Want deep profound eternity!"

Alexander Tille

Alexander Tille

Alexander Tille was a German philosopher. He published the first English translation of Friedrich Nietzsche's Also sprach Zarathustra in 1896....

, revised

O man! Take heed!

What saith deep midnight, indeed?

"I lay asleep, asleep—

I waked from my deep dream.

The world is deep,

And deeper than even day may dream.

Deep is its woe—

Joy— deeper yet than woe is she:

Saith woe: 'Hence! Go!'

Yet joy would have eternity,

—Profound, profound eternity!"

Walter Kaufmann

O man, take care!

What does the deep midnight declare?

"I was asleep—

From a deep dream I woke and swear:

The world is deep,

Deeper than day had been aware.

Deep is its woe;

Joy—deeper yet than agony:

Woe implores: Go!

But all joy wants eternity—

Wants deep, wants deep eternity."

R. J. Hollingdale

R. J. Hollingdale

Reginald John Hollingdale was best known as a biographer and a translator of German philosophy and literature, especially the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Goethe, E.T.A. Hoffmann, G. C. Lichtenberg, and Schopenhauer. Hollingdale was also elected president of The Friedrich Nietzsche Society in 1989...

O man! Attend!

What does deep midnight's voice contend?

'I slept my sleep,

'And now awake at dreaming's end:

'The world is deep,

'And deeper than day can comprehend.

'Deep is its woe,

'Joy—deeper than heart's agony:

'Woe says: Fade! Go!

'But all joy wants eternity,

'Wants deep, deep, deep eternity!'

Adrian Del Caro

Oh mankind, pray!

What does deep midnight have to say?

"From sleep, from sleep--

From deepest dream I made my way:--

The world is deep,

And deeper than the grasp of day.

Deep is its pain--,

Joy--deeper still than misery:

Pain says: Refrain!

Yet all joy wants eternity--

--Wants deep, wants deep eternity."

Cultural impact

The roundelay was used as the text for the 4th movement (originally titled "What Man Tells Me") of the 3rd Symphony

Symphony No. 3 (Mahler)

The Symphony No. 3 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1893 and 1896. It is his longest piece and is the longest symphony in the standard repertoire, with a typical performance lasting around ninety to one hundred minutes.- Structure :...

, composed in 1895, by the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...

.