Let us now place alongside thereof the abstract man proceeding17 independently of myth, the abstract education, the abstract usage, the abstract right, the abstract state: let us picture to ourselves the lawless roving of the artistic18 imagination,[Pg 175] not bridled19 by any native myth: let us imagine a culture which has no fixed20 and sacred primitive21 seat, but is doomed22 to exhaust all its possibilities, and has to nourish itself wretchedly from the other cultures—such is the Present, as the result of Socratism, which is bent23 on the destruction of myth. And now the myth-less man remains24 eternally hungering among all the bygones, and digs and grubs for roots, though he have to dig for them even among the remotest antiquities25. The stupendous historical exigency26 of the unsatisfied modern culture, the gathering27 around one of countless28 other cultures, the consuming desire for knowledge—what does all this point to, if not to the loss of myth, the loss of the mythical home, the mythical source? Let us ask ourselves whether the feverish29 and so uncanny stirring of this culture is aught but the eager seizing and snatching at food of the hungerer—and who would care to contribute anything more to a culture which cannot be appeased30 by all it devours31, and in contact with which the most vigorous and wholesome32 nourishment33 is wont34 to change into "history and criticism"?
We should also have to regard our German character with despair and sorrow, if it had already become inextricably entangled35 in, or even identical with this culture, in a similar manner as we can observe it to our horror to be the case in civilised France; and that which for a long time was the great advantage of France and the cause of her vast preponderance, to wit, this very identity of people and culture, might compel us at the sight thereof[Pg 176] to congratulate ourselves that this culture of ours, which is so questionable36, has hitherto had nothing in common with the noble kernel37 of the character of our people. All our hopes, on the contrary, stretch out longingly38 towards the perception that beneath this restlessly palpitating civilised life and educational convulsion there is concealed39 a glorious, intrinsically healthy, primeval power, which, to be sure, stirs vigorously only at intervals40 in stupendous moments, and then dreams on again in view of a future awakening41. It is from this abyss that the German Reformation came forth42: in the choral-hymn of which the future melody of German music first resounded43. So deep, courageous44, and soul-breathing, so exuberantly46 good and tender did this chorale of Luther sound,—as the first Dionysian-luring47 call which breaks forth from dense48 thickets49 at the approach of spring. To it responded with emulative50 echo the solemnly wanton procession of Dionysian revellers, to whom we are indebted for German music—and to whom we shall be indebted for the re-birth of German myth.
I know that I must now lead the sympathising and attentive51 friend to an elevated position of lonesome contemplation, where he will have but few companions, and I call out encouragingly to him that we must hold fast to our shining guides, the Greeks. For the rectification52 of our ?sthetic knowledge we previously53 borrowed from them the two divine figures, each of which sways a separate realm of art, and concerning whose mutual54 contact and exaltation we have acquired[Pg 177] a notion through Greek tragedy. Through a remarkable55 disruption of both these primitive artistic impulses, the ruin of Greek tragedy seemed to be necessarily brought about: with which process a degeneration and a transmutation of the Greek national character was strictly56 in keeping, summoning us to earnest reflection as to how closely and necessarily art and the people, myth and custom, tragedy and the state, have coalesced57 in their bases. The ruin of tragedy was at the same time the ruin of myth. Until then the Greeks had been involuntarily compelled immediately to associate all experiences with their myths, indeed they had to comprehend them only through this association: whereby even the most immediate58 present necessarily appeared to them sub specie ?terni and in a certain sense as timeless. Into this current of the timeless, however, the state as well as art plunged59 in order to find repose60 from the burden and eagerness of the moment. And a people—for the rest, also a man—is worth just as much only as its ability to impress on its experiences the seal of eternity61: for it is thus, as it were, desecularised, and reveals its unconscious inner conviction of the relativity of time and of the true, that is, the metaphysical significance of life. The contrary happens when a people begins to comprehend itself historically and to demolish62 the mythical bulwarks63 around it: with which there is usually connected a marked secularisation, a breach64 with the unconscious metaphysics of its earlier existence, in all ethical65 consequences. Greek art and especially Greek tragedy delayed[Pg 178] above all the annihilation of myth: it was necessary to annihilate66 these also to be able to live detached from the native soil, unbridled in the wilderness67 of thought, custom, and action. Even in such circumstances this metaphysical impulse still endeavours to create for itself a form of apotheosis68 (weakened, no doubt) in the Socratism of science urging to life: but on its lower stage this same impulse led only to a feverish search, which gradually merged69 into a pandemonium70 of myths and superstitions71 accumulated from all quarters: in the midst of which, nevertheless, the Hellene sat with a yearning73 heart till he contrived74, as Gr?culus, to mask his fever with Greek cheerfulness and Greek levity75, or to narcotise himself completely with some gloomy Oriental superstition72.
We have approached this condition in the most striking manner since the reawakening of the Alexandro—Roman antiquity76 in the fifteenth century, after a long, not easily describable, interlude. On the heights there is the same exuberant45 love of knowledge, the same insatiate happiness of the discoverer, the same stupendous secularisation, and, together with these, a homeless roving about, an eager intrusion at foreign tables, a frivolous77 deification of the present or a dull senseless estrangement78, all sub speci s?culi, of the present time: which same symptoms lead one to infer the same defect at the heart of this culture, the annihilation of myth. It seems hardly possible to transplant a foreign myth with permanent success, without dreadfully injuring the tree through this transplantation: which is perhaps[Pg 179] occasionally strong enough and sound enough to eliminate the foreign element after a terrible struggle; but must ordinarily consume itself in a languishing79 and stunted80 condition or in sickly luxuriance. Our opinion of the pure and vigorous kernel of the German being is such that we venture to expect of it, and only of it, this elimination81 of forcibly ingrafted foreign elements, and we deem it possible that the German spirit will reflect anew on itself. Perhaps many a one will be of opinion that this spirit must begin its struggle with the elimination of the Romanic element: for which it might recognise an external preparation and encouragement in the victorious82 bravery and bloody83 glory of the late war, but must seek the inner constraint84 in the emulative zeal85 to be for ever worthy86 of the sublime87 protagonists88 on this path, of Luther as well as our great artists and poets. But let him never think he can fight such battles without his household gods, without his mythical home, without a "restoration" of all German things I And if the German should look timidly around for a guide to lead him back to his long-lost home, the ways and paths of which he knows no longer—let him but listen to the delightfully89 luring call of the Dionysian bird, which hovers90 above him, and would fain point out to him the way thither91.
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1 unity | |
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调 | |
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2 enquire | |
v.打听,询问;调查,查问 | |
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3 benevolent | |
adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的 | |
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4 concession | |
n.让步,妥协;特许(权) | |
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5 intelligible | |
adj.可理解的,明白易懂的,清楚的 | |
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6 relinquished | |
交出,让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 ); 放弃 | |
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7 thereby | |
adv.因此,从而 | |
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8 phenomena | |
n.现象 | |
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9 dispense | |
vt.分配,分发;配(药),发(药);实施 | |
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10 disintegrated | |
v.(使)破裂[分裂,粉碎],(使)崩溃( disintegrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11 credible | |
adj.可信任的,可靠的 | |
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12 encompassed | |
v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 );包围;包含;包括 | |
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13 random | |
adj.随机的;任意的;n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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14 mythical | |
adj.神话的;虚构的;想像的 | |
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15 maturity | |
n.成熟;完成;(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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16 vouches | |
v.保证( vouch的第三人称单数 );担保;确定;确定地说 | |
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17 proceeding | |
n.行动,进行,(pl.)会议录,学报 | |
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18 artistic | |
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
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19 bridled | |
给…套龙头( bridle的过去式和过去分词 ); 控制; 昂首表示轻蔑(或怨忿等); 动怒,生气 | |
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20 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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21 primitive | |
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物 | |
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22 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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23 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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24 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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25 antiquities | |
n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 );古迹;古人们;古代的风俗习惯 | |
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26 exigency | |
n.紧急;迫切需要 | |
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27 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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28 countless | |
adj.无数的,多得不计其数的 | |
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29 feverish | |
adj.发烧的,狂热的,兴奋的 | |
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30 appeased | |
安抚,抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 ); 绥靖(满足另一国的要求以避免战争) | |
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31 devours | |
吞没( devour的第三人称单数 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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32 wholesome | |
adj.适合;卫生的;有益健康的;显示身心健康的 | |
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33 nourishment | |
n.食物,营养品;营养情况 | |
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34 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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35 entangled | |
adj.卷入的;陷入的;被缠住的;缠在一起的v.使某人(某物/自己)缠绕,纠缠于(某物中),使某人(自己)陷入(困难或复杂的环境中)( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36 questionable | |
adj.可疑的,有问题的 | |
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37 kernel | |
n.(果实的)核,仁;(问题)的中心,核心 | |
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38 longingly | |
adv. 渴望地 热望地 | |
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39 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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40 intervals | |
n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息 | |
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41 awakening | |
n.觉醒,醒悟 adj.觉醒中的;唤醒的 | |
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42 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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43 resounded | |
v.(指声音等)回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 );产生回响;(指某处)回荡着声音 | |
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44 courageous | |
adj.勇敢的,有胆量的 | |
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45 exuberant | |
adj.充满活力的;(植物)繁茂的 | |
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46 exuberantly | |
adv.兴高采烈地,活跃地,愉快地 | |
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47 luring | |
吸引,引诱(lure的现在分词形式) | |
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48 dense | |
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的 | |
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49 thickets | |
n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 );丛状物 | |
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50 emulative | |
adj.好胜 | |
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51 attentive | |
adj.注意的,专心的;关心(别人)的,殷勤的 | |
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52 rectification | |
n. 改正, 改订, 矫正 | |
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53 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
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54 mutual | |
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 | |
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55 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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56 strictly | |
adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
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57 coalesced | |
v.联合,合并( coalesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58 immediate | |
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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59 plunged | |
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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60 repose | |
v.(使)休息;n.安息 | |
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61 eternity | |
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 | |
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62 demolish | |
v.拆毁(建筑物等),推翻(计划、制度等) | |
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63 bulwarks | |
n.堡垒( bulwark的名词复数 );保障;支柱;舷墙 | |
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64 breach | |
n.违反,不履行;破裂;vt.冲破,攻破 | |
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65 ethical | |
adj.伦理的,道德的,合乎道德的 | |
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66 annihilate | |
v.使无效;毁灭;取消 | |
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67 wilderness | |
n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等,荒漠 | |
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68 apotheosis | |
n.神圣之理想;美化;颂扬 | |
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69 merged | |
(使)混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 ); 相融; 融入; 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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70 pandemonium | |
n.喧嚣,大混乱 | |
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71 superstitions | |
迷信,迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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72 superstition | |
n.迷信,迷信行为 | |
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73 yearning | |
a.渴望的;向往的;怀念的 | |
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74 contrived | |
adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的 | |
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75 levity | |
n.轻率,轻浮,不稳定,多变 | |
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76 antiquity | |
n.古老;高龄;古物,古迹 | |
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77 frivolous | |
adj.轻薄的;轻率的 | |
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78 estrangement | |
n.疏远,失和,不和 | |
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79 languishing | |
a. 衰弱下去的 | |
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80 stunted | |
adj.矮小的;发育迟缓的 | |
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81 elimination | |
n.排除,消除,消灭 | |
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82 victorious | |
adj.胜利的,得胜的 | |
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83 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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84 constraint | |
n.(on)约束,限制;限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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85 zeal | |
n.热心,热情,热忱 | |
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86 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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87 sublime | |
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
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88 protagonists | |
n.(戏剧的)主角( protagonist的名词复数 );(故事的)主人公;现实事件(尤指冲突和争端的)主要参与者;领导者 | |
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89 delightfully | |
大喜,欣然 | |
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90 hovers | |
鸟( hover的第三人称单数 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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91 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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