—When thou hearest this clock strike the hours at midnight, then thinkest thou between one and twelve thereon— —Thou thinkest thereon, O Zarathustra, I know it—of soon leaving me!”— “Yea,” answered I, hesitatingly, “but thou knowest it also”—And I said something into her ear, in amongst her confused, yellow, foolish tresses. “Thou KNOWEST that, O Zarathustra? That knoweth no one—” And we gazed at each other, and looked at the green meadow o’er which the cool evening was just passing, and we wept together.—Then, however, was Life dearer unto me than all my Wisdom had ever been.— Thus spake Zarathustra. 3. _One!_ O man! Take heed! _Two!_ What saith deep midnight’s voice indeed? _Three!_ “I slept my sleep— _Four!_ “From deepest dream I’ve woke and plead:— _Five!_ “The world is deep, _Six!_ “And deeper than the day could read. _Seven!_ “Deep is its woe— _Eight!_ “Joy—deeper still than grief can be: _Nine!_ “Woe saith: Hence! Go! _Ten!_ “But joys all want eternity— _Eleven!_ “Want deep profound eternity!” _Twelve!_ LX. THE SEVEN SEALS. (OR THE YE-A AND AMEN LAY.) 1. If I be a diviner and full of the divining spirit which wandereth on high mountain-ridges, ‘twixt two seas,— Wandereth ‘twixt the past and the future as a heavy cloud—hostile to sultry plains, and to all that is weary and can neither die nor live: Ready for lightning in its dark bosom, and for the redeeming flash of light, charged with lightnings which say Yea! which laugh Yea! ready for divining flashes of lightning:— —Blessed, however, is he who is thus charged! And verily, long must he hang like a heavy tempest on the mountain, who shall one day kindle the light of the future!— Oh, how could I not be ardent for Eternity and for the marriage-ring of rings—the ring of the return? Never yet have I found the woman by whom I should like to have children, unless it be this woman whom I love: for I love thee, O Eternity! FOR I LOVE THEE, O ETERNITY! 2. If ever my wrath hath burst graves, shifted landmarks, or rolled old shattered tables into precipitous depths: If ever my scorn hath scattered mouldered words to the winds, and if I have come like a besom to cross-spiders, and as a cleansing wind to old charnel-houses: If ever I have sat rejoicing where old Gods lie buried, world-blessing, world-loving, beside the monuments of old world-maligners:— —For even churches and Gods’-graves do I love, if only heaven looketh through their ruined roofs with pure eyes; gladly do I sit like grass and red poppies on ruined churches— Oh, how could I not be ardent for Eternity, and for the marriage-ring of rings—the ring of the return? Never yet have I found the woman by whom I should like to have children, unless it be this woman whom I love: for I love thee, O Eternity! FOR I LOVE THEE, O ETERNITY! 3. If ever a breath hath come to me of the creative breath, and of the heavenly necessity which compelleth even chances to dance star-dances: