A Translation of "Die Lehrlinge zu Sais" by Novalis The Novices at Sais 1.

The Novice

Mankind travels along anifold !ath"ays. #e "ho !ursues and co !ares the "ill !erceive the e ergence of certain strange figures$ figures that a!!ear to be inscribed in that assive to e co !osed in ci!her that one every"here and in everything beholds% on "ings& eggshells& in clouds& in the sno"& in crystalline and stone for ations& in freezing "aters& on the skins and in the bo"els of ountain'ranges& of !lants& beasts& !eo!le& in the stars of the heavens& in contiguous and e(!ansive !anes of !itch and glass& in the clustering of iron filings around the agnet& in the e(traordinary ebb and flo" of contingency. )n these one ay gli !se an inti ation of the key to this "ondrous te(t& its very gra ar'book$ and yet the inti ation refuses to acco odate itself to fi(ed for s and a!!ears to begrudge any translation into a higher key. The inds of en a!!ear to have been drenched by a kind of alcoholic cataract. *nly fleetingly do their inti ations e erge$ and shortly thereafter& everything s"i s once again indistinctly before their gaze. +ro afar ) heard the follo"ing% The inco !rehensible is erely the se,uel of inco !rehension$ the latter seeks "hat it already !ossesses& and thus fails to discover anything further. *ne cannot co !rehend language& for language on its o"n neither co !rehends itself nor "ishes to do so$ the original& authentic Sanskrit tongue s!oke for the sake of s!eaking& inas uch as s!eech "as its very essence and chief delight. Not long thereafter so eone said& "The holy scri!ture re,uires no e(egesis. #e "ho s!eaks truly is i bued "ith eternal life& and #is scri!ture a!!ears to us to be iraculously affiliated "ith authentic ysteries& for it is in accord "ith the sy !hony of the cos os." To be sure& this voice issued fro our teacher& for it is "ithin his ken to concentrate those currents that every"here and in everything are diffused. -hen before us lies nothing but a calligra!hic rune& his gaze is illu inated by a singular light$ and he !eers through our eyes so as to render the figure both discernible and intelligible& in virtue of the cause that this star has like"ise risen in us. *bserving that "e are sad that the night does not "ithdra"& he consoles us and !ro ises future ha!!iness to the faithful seer. #e has often recounted to us ho" as a child he "as !reyed u!on by the urge to study& to kee! hi self constantly occu!ied& to acco !lish so ething. #e "ould behold the stars and !lot their courses and !ositions in the sand. #e "ould gaze into the celestial sea& never tiring of conte !lating its ove ents& its clouds& its lights. #e "ould collect rocks& flo"ers& beetles of all s!ecies& and array the in anifold se,uences and co binations. #e "ould kee! a keen eye on both en and beasts and sit on the seashore searching for shellfish. #e "ould eavesdro! attentively on his o"n thoughts and e otions. #e kne" not "hither his yearnings i !elled hi . No sooner had he gro"n u!& than he began to roa about$ surveyed other countries& other seas& ne" at os!heres& foreign stars& unfa iliar !lants& beasts& !eo!le$ descended into caves$ discerned the e(ecution of an architectural !lan in the ud'banks and variegated strata of the earth& and in the olding of clay into curious rock'for ations. No" everything every"here see ed once again fa iliar to hi & and yet at the sa e ti e oddly co ingled and co bined$ and hence his inner ordering of things "as often corres!ondingly curious. .y and by& he began to kee! an eye out for connections& for concurrences and coincidences& in everything he encountered.

.y and by& nothing a!!eared to hi as a singularity. The !erce!tions of his senses cro"ded together in assive& variegated i ages% he heard& sa"& touched& and thought si ultaneously. #e delighted in /oining together utually foreign entities. .y and by& the stones beca e !eo!le to hi & the !eo!le stones& the stones beasts& the clouds !lants$ he toyed "ith forces and anifestations$ he kne" ho" and "here to find the for er and latter& and to let the anifest the selves& and thus unaided !lucked notes fro the strings and the courses surrounding hi . *f "hat subse,uently beca e of hi he says nothing. #e tells us that "e& of our o"n accord& under his guidance and that of our o"n fancy& ight discover "hat befell hi in the !ast. Several of us have deserted hi . They returned to their !arents and learned to !ly a !ro!er trade. Several had been dis!atched else"here by hi & "hither "e kne" not$ they "ere the chosen ones. So e stayed a"ay for only a short !eriod of ti e& others longer. *ne in !articular "as yet but a child$ no sooner had he arrived than he "illingly yielded hi self u! to our aster0s tuition. #e had great& dark eyes "ith azure de!ths$ his co !le(ion shone like the lily& and his curly locks like lu inous "is!s of cloud at dusk. #is voice !ierced us straight through the heart$ "e "ere fain to offer hi our flo"ers& stones& feathers& everything. A serious s ile incessantly !layed around his li!s& and he tended to !ut us into an altogether strange ood. "*ne day he shall return&" said our teacher& "and d"ell a ong us$ then "ill your novitiates be at an end." #e sent hi forth in the co !any of another& on "ho "e had often taken !ity. #e had a !er!etually lugubrious ien$ he had been here for any years$ nothing turned out "ell "ith hi $ he encountered difficulties "henever "e "ent looking for crystals and flo"ers. #e "as nearsighted$ !ro!er se,uential arrange ent in contrasting colors "as beyond his ability. S ashing everything to !ieces& on the other hand& ca e easily enough to hi . And yet he had an urge and desire to see and hear like no one else0s. A year ago''ere the afore entioned child entered our circle''he suddenly beca e cheerful and ade!t. *ne day he "ent out in a doleful ood$ he did not return& and night fell. -e "ere ost distraught on his account$ suddenly& at daybreak& "e heard his voice fro a nearby grove. #e "as singing a song of nobility and /oy$ "e "ere all taken aback$ looking ahead to"ards orning& our teacher foresa" that ) "ould never see hi again. #e strode into our idst& bearing& "ith an e(!ression of ineffable bliss on his countenance& an un!re!ossessing little stone of curious sha!e. *ur teacher took it in his hand and kissed it lingeringly$ then& looking at us "ith tears in his eyes& !laced the stone in an unoccu!ied s!ot situated in the iddle of the other stones& directly at the !oint "here the various ro"s converged like sunbea s. ) shall never forget that o ent. )t "as as though our souls had in !assing been vouchsafed a !ellucid inti ation of this "ondrous "orld. ) a & oreover& less skillful than the others& and the treasures of nature see ore reluctant to yield the selves u! to y discovery. And yet our teacher is fond of e& and allo"s e to sit i ersed in y o"n thoughts "hen the others are off on their researches. +or these researches& in res!ect of our teacher& have never attered to e. 1verything ulti ately leads e back to yself. ) have fully understood "hat the t"o voices uttered once u!on a ti e. )& and ) alone& a cheered by those hea!s of ob/ects asse bled in our cha bers& as though they "ere all of the ere i ages& surfaces& and orna ental flourishes collectively co !rising a single !ainting of "ondrous divinity& a !ainting that al"ays re ains u!!er ost in y thoughts. ) do not seek the out& but into the ) often go seeking. )t is as though they are intended to sho" e the "ay to the !lace "here the aiden "ho y soul longs for lies in dee!est slee!. *ur teacher has never said a "ord on this sub/ect to e& nor have ) confided anything of the kind to hi $ ) regard it as an inviolable ystery. ) "as fain to ask the child about it$ ) felt a kinshi! "ith his essential ,ualities$ oreover& in !ro(i ity to hi all of y

inner !erce!tions see ed to gro" clearer. *ne ust also consider the fact that ) rather tended to "ear y heart on y sleeve& and to give free rein to y tongue. -ould that ) had done either in his !resence. .ut that did not co e to !ass. #o" long ) have tarried here ) kno" not. )t see s as though ) have al"ays been here. ) hardly dare ad it it to yself$ the conviction foists itself of its o"n volition u!on y inner ost thoughts% the conviction that here ) shall one day discover y actuating !rinci!le$ that here ) a already in its !resence. -henever ) go for a "alk& everything a asses itself into a glorious i age ordered according to an entirely ne" syste & the "hole of "hich co !rises a "orld unto its o"n. 1verything then beco es so fa iliar and dear to e$ and "hat has heretofore see ed still strange and foreign is no" y !ersonal furniture. To be sure& though& this foreignness re ains entirely foreign to e$ and for that reason ) a e,ually re!elled and attracted by this collection. ) cannot fatho our teacher& and ) do not "ish to do so. #e is thus unfatho ably dear to e. ) kno" hi $ he understands e$ he has never uttered a "ord in contradiction of y instincts and desires. *n the contrary& he desires us to follo" our o"n !ath& inas uch as every ne" !ath traverses ne" regions& and ulti ately "ends its "ay back to these d"ellings& to this sacrosanct ho eland of ours. Moreover& ) "ant to describe y figure& and& if no ere ortal& to lift the veil obscuring every inscri!tion that lies yonder$ thus ust "e all strive to"ards i ortality$ he "ho seeks not to lift the veil is no true Saisian novice. 2. Nature Long indeed ay have been the s!an of years that ela!sed ere an bethought hi self of affi(ing co on na es to the anifold ob/ects of his conte !lation& and of distinguishing hi self fro these ob/ects. -ith !ractice co es !rogress& and every !rogression is attended by a conse,uent bifurcation or dissection that ay be likened to the refraction of a bea of light. So& too& have our inner selves only gradually s!lintered into their !resent anifold faculties& and "ith uninterru!ted !ractice this s!lintering shall like"ise continue a!ace. 3erha!s it is only a !athological condition of odern an that he has lost the ca!acity to reunite the diffused colors of his soul and to reestablish his erst"hile fir foothold in the natural "orld& or to bring about ne"& ultifarious co binations. The ore united they are& the ore unitedly& the ore fully and cor!oreally& every natural body& every anifestation& flo"s into the % for the nature of the ind corres!onds to the nature of its i !ressions$ hence& to ancient an everything ust have see ed fa iliar and co !anionable$ in his eyes& the ost !eculiar novelties ust instantly have beco e self'evident truths$ each of his observations "as a genuine constituent of nature& and his ideas ust have har onized "ith the surrounding "orld& and !resented hi "ith a faithful e(!ression thereof. #ence "e are able to regard the thoughts of our !rogenitor of the things of this earth as his inevitable !rogeny& and as a self' !ortrait of the terrestrial state of nature at that ti e$ and& ore !articularly and assuredly& to relegate these thoughts& along "ith the higher and utual relations of the ancient "orld0s inhabitants thereunto& to the rank of ere serviceable instru ents of cos ic la". -e discover that it "as !recisely the ost e(alted ,uestions that first engaged their attention& and that they sought the key to this ost "onderful edifice no" in a assive cluster of aterial ob/ects& no" in the chi eric fabrications of a benighted sensoriu . #ere is a!!arent the collective inti ation of the sa e in various li,uid& va!rous& and a or!hous !heno ena. )t ay "ell account for our by no eans inconse,uential belief in the indolence and intransigence of aterial bodies. Soon enough& ho"ever& this editative head bu !ed s ack against the !roble of ho" to go about elucidating for s out of that a or!hous chaos of forces and

oceans. )t sought to untie the knot by eans of a kind of synthesis& "hile it fashioned the first beginnings into definite sha!es& of "hich& ho"ever& it had not the slightest inkling$ and then& out of this sea of sand''although& to be sure& not "ithout the hel! of certain concurrent& essential ideas$ certain forces of attraction and of re!ulsion''it fancied itself ca!able of construing the "hole colossal edifice. Still earlier on& one discovers in lieu of scientific e(!lanations certain fairy tales and !oe s bri ful of curious natural ele ents& gods& en& and beasts collectively su!erintending the "hole$ and hearkens to the ost natural kind of descri!tion of the "orld0s origins. *ne co es to be !ersuaded& at any rate& and beyond any !ossibility of doubt& of the fortuitous nature of the cause thereof$ and for the congenital scorner of the ano alous !rogeny of the i agination& this is significant enough. The treat ent of the history of the "orld as a uni,uely hu an history''the ubi,uitous ferreting out of erely hu an events and relations therefro ''is an idea that has aintained its ascendency throughout the diversity of ages& and under various guises& "ith re arkable ease and a!lo b. Moreover& the contingent as!ect of nature see s s!ontaneously to attach itself to the idea of hu an !ersonality& "hich in turn is all too eager to be co !rehended as the very essence of hu anity. Doubtless for this sa e reason has !oetry been the instru ent of choice for all true friends of nature& and at its ost lu inous has anifested itself in !oe s of the natural s!irit. #ence& on reading or hearing an authentic !oe & one feels the stirrings of an inti ate understanding of nature& and soars& like that selfsa e heavenly body& above her and "ithin her at the sa e ti e. *n account of their sharing a co on language& natural !hiloso!hers and !oets have ever sho"n the selves to be virtual co !atriots. The for er have& by and large& assi ilated their syste atic arrange ent of things in bulk to the task of feeding and clothing their fello" en$ and in the eanti e shattered the erst"hile single& i easurable Nature into a anifold !roliferation of co !liant ini'natures. -hensoever their cavalier intellectual bent has dis!osed the to range in !ursuit of fugitive and fluid !heno ena& they have not stinted to !robe the inner structure and anato y thereof "ith their neatly dissective scal!els. 4nder their hands& the co !anionable Nature of old has e(!ired& leaving behind only her lifeless& t"itching re ains$ "hereas the the !oet& as if by the agency of so e ingenious "ine& endo"ed her "ith ne" life$ he has given ear to her divinely ani ate fancies and e(alted her above the level of ,uotidian e(istence& he has ascended to heaven& danced and !ro!hesied& "elco ed every guest& and s,uandered the treasures of her /oyous s!irit. #ence& she has "hiled a"ay her heavenly hours in the co !any of the !oet& and invited the natural !hiloso!her to her side only during attacks of illness or conscience. *n these occasions& she has deferred to this figure of such striking seriousness and austerity& and frankly given ans"er to each of his ,uestions. #ence& he "ho "ishes !ro!erly to understand her te !era ent ust seek her in the co !any of the !oet& for "hen she is "ith hi & she unabashedly dis!enses the "ondrous effusions of her heart. #e "ho does not love her fro the botto of his heart& and ad ires her only in this or that res!ect& and yet strives to understand her& ust !ay assiduous visits to her sick'roo & and to her charnel'house. Nature& no less than an& finds her o"n level in an incredible variety of relations$ and& /ust as she a!!ears childish to the child& and ga ely acco odates herself to his innocent heart$ so& accordingly& to 5od& she a!!ears divine& and tunes her !itch to that of his e(alted s!irit. *ne cannot s!eak of "nature" in the singular "ithout a certain degree of verbal license& and all such as!irations to truth as are to be found in dis,uisitions and conversations centering on this "nature" serve only to lead one ever further astray fro genuine naturalness. )t is a hard'"on victory unto itself "hen one0s strivings are !urified into a fragile& un!retentious longing& a longing that "illingly sub its to the cold& alien essence of its ob/ect$ a longing that can count on an eventual inti ate ac,uaintance "ith that ob/ect. This longing constitutes a ysterious i !ulse radiating out"ards in all directions fro a focal !oint situated "ithin the infinite de!ths of our inner ost selves. -e no" find ourselves surrounded on all sides by nature in both her

!erce!tible and i !erce!tible as!ects& and this "e take for that ineluctable gri! of nature& for an e(ternalization of our sy !athy "ith her% and "hile a certain hu an ty!e seeks beyond this cerulean veil of re ote for s nothing ore than a return to his ho eland''to his kith and kind& to the good old days''another is of the o!inion that in the hereafter lie in store for hi innu erable untold glories& and tenders his i !ortunate hands to"ard an altogether ne" "orld. +e" indeed are those "ho can long abide in these a/estic environs$ "ho can& unassisted& a!!rehend the sheer abundance and interrelatedness inhering therein$ "ho do not lose sight& in virtue of its solitariness& of that elusive fila ent that& li b by li b& unites and gives final for to the holy luster$ and "ho can blissfully content the selves "ith the e(a ination of that living orna ent that soars over the nocturnal de!ths. #ence the source of anifold editations on nature$ and "hen at one e(tre e our sense of nature takes the for of a lucky hunch or a eal& "e "itness her transfor ation into the !ious obse,uies of religion& "hich& fro cradle to grave& i !art eaning& behavior& and order to the life of the individual. 6ertainly& a ong the infant !eo!les of ankind there nu bered such serious souls for "ho nature "as the countenance of a divinity& "hile blither s!irits a ong the bade her "elco e only to their tables$ for these latter& the air "as a refreshing cordial& the lights of the heavens those of a nocturnal ball'roo & and !lants and beasts but savory victuals$ and thus nature see ed to the less akin to a silent& s!lendid te !le than to a /olly good kitchen'cu ' larder. )n their idst "ere other& ore thoughtful souls& "ho observed in nature in her e(tant state only grand& albeit uncultivated& structures& and "ho devoted their days and nights to the !erfection of a nobler sche a of nature. They a icably divided the "ork a ong the selves% so e sought to re'a"aken the stilled and long'lost sounds of the air and the forest$ others stored their inti ations and i ages of fairer kinds in bronze and stone$ re'co !osed the finer rocks into habitations& restored to light the hidden treasures ento bed in the earth$ subdued the e(uberant rivers and strea s& !o!ulated the deserts of the ocean& re!atriated glorious !lants and beasts to their desolate regions of origin$ curbed the inundations of the forests& and cultivated noble herbs and flo"ers& o!ened the earth to the life'giving touch of !rocreative air and light$ taught the colors of the s!ectru to ingle and order the selves into fetching i ages& taught the field and forest& rocks and s!rings& to re'convene in lovely gardens$ breathed sounds into living organs& so as to bestir the to erry vibrations$ took under their care such "retched& forsaken beasts as "ere susce!tible to hu an training$ and rid the forests of their no(ious onsters& those abortions of a degenerate fancy. Soon nature again learned better anners$ she beca e gentler and ore edifying& and ga ely ac,uiesced in the furthering of hu an "ishes. .y degrees& her heart again began to give fresh sti ulus to its hu an counter!art& she beca e co !anionable again& and thus there see s gradually to be da"ning a second instance of that golden age& in "hich she served as ankind0s friend& consolatri(& !riestess and iracle'"orker& all the "hile d"elling a ong en and establishing a heavenly inti acy bet"een the and the i ortals. Then once again shall the stars !ay visits to the earth& "ho fell foul of the during those ancient dark ages$ then shall the sun lay do"n her sce!ter and beco e once again a star a ong other stars& and all the s!ecies of the earth re'unite after a long !eriod of se!aration. Then shall be discovered the banished fa ilies of old& and each day shall "itness ne" salutations$ then shall the ,uonda inhabitants of the earth return to her$ in every hillock ne" e bers shall bestir the selves& every"here fla es of life shall blaze forth& old do iciles shall be built ane"& ancient e!ochs restored& and history rendered into a drea of an infinite& unforeseeable !resent. #e "ho is of this lineage and of this belief& and "ho& oreover& "ould fain contribute his fair share to this refine ent of nature& "anders about the artist0s "orksho!& listening out for the une(!ected !oetry that bursts forth fro every stratu & never tiring of conte !lating nature and !reoccu!ying hi self "ith her$ at all ti es follo"ing her cues& disdaining no errand&

ho"ever laborious& to "hich he is beckoned& even should it re,uire hi to !ass through ouldering to bs$ he discerns therein a sure treasure& the gli er of light at the botto of the ine'shaft& kno"ing as he does "hat a char ing lady denizen of the subterranean real is initiating hi into this heavenly ystery. No one strays farther afield of his goal than he "ho flatters hi self that he is already thoroughly and inde!endently ac,uainted "ith this strange real & that he can can e!ito ize its syste in a fe" /udicious "ords& and that he can s!ecify the right !ath to take at every turn. No understanding is !assively vouchsafed to hi "ho has sundered all ties and fashioned hi self into an island$ nor to hi "ho "ill not e(ert hi self. *nly children& or childlike adults "ho kno" not "hat they are about& ay chance u!on this real . A long and uninterru!ted inti acy "ith her& a s!ontaneous yet studied attitude of conte !lation& an attentiveness to her ost subtle suggestions and character'traits& an inner !oetic vitality& a "orldly'"ise intelligence& a si !le and !ious heart''such are the essential attributes of a true friend of nature$ and absent these& no one shall "itness the fruition of his desires. )t see s un"ise to "ish for a hu an "orld in the absence of an understanding and conce!tion of a hu an race in full flo"er. No one0s ind is obliged to take a na!& and "hile not all inds are e,ually a"ake& yet all of the are obliged to res!ond to sti uli and not to rest in a state of suffocated tor!or. Thus& /ust as one discerns the akings of an artist in the boy "ho fills every "all and stretch of ground "ith his !ictorial graffiti& and co bines colors in a otley assort ent of sha!es& so one discerns the akings of a !hiloso!her in every !erson "ho tirelessly in,uires into and investigates all natural ob/ects& takes notice of everything& synthesizes all !articulars& and re/oices in having ade hi self aster and !ro!rietor of a ne" !heno enon& a ne" force& a ne" for of kno"ledge. No"& there are those to "ho this endless !ursuit of the ra ifications of nature see s to be hardly "orth the effort$ and& oreover& to a ount to a !erilous undertaking devoid of !rofit and issue. Thus& /ust as one shall discover neither the s allest kernel of solid bodies& nor the ost ele entary thread& for all vastness is lost a idst the infinity that lies both beyond and behind it& so too is it "ith res!ect to the various classes of bodies and forces$ here& too& one alights u!on ne" classes& ne" structures& ne" !heno ena ad infinitu . Then they see si !ly to stand still "henever our industry flags& and thus one co es to s,uander one0s noblest hours on idle editations and "eariso e calculations& and the u!shot of these is outright insanity& a !er anent access of vertigo at the edge of a horrifying abyss. Moreover& nature has al"ays been''and it really is as bad as all this''a frightening death' ill$ every"here a onstrous rotation& an inscrutable cyclone of interconnections& a kingdo of gluttony& of the ost frenzied "antonness& an i ensity !regnant "ith isfortune$ "hat fe" !oints of light e(ist erely illu inate an ever'so' uch' ore terrifying night& any observer of "hich needs ust be horrified to the !oint of insensibility. Like a Savior death gives succor to the "retched hu an race& for in the absence of death the addest lunatic "ould !ractically be the ost fortunate of en. This very striving after the inner ost "orkings of this colossal engine constitutes& to be sure& a do"n"ard !ull to"ards the abyss& an inci!ient access of vertigo$ for every attractive feature assu es the as!ect of an ever'e(!anding cyclone& "hich takes entire !ossession of its ha!less victi & and subse,uently s"ee!s hi a"ay into a night bri ful of horrors. #erein is artfully laid a snare for hu an understanding& "hich& in its ca!acity as her arch'ene y& nature ubi,uitously seeks to annihilate. All hail an0s erst"hile childlike ignorance and innocence& "hich "ould not suffer hi to beco e a"are of the a!!alling disasters that lurked like ubi,uitous louring stor 'clouds round the eaves of his !eaceful abodes& !oised at every instant to give vent to their full fury. *nly in virtue of its intrinsically i !erfect understanding of natural forces has ankind thus far anged to survive$ and yet& that e!ochal o ent cannot be long in co ing "hen hu an beings collectively& by "ay of a assive co unal resolution& tear the selves free fro this distressing situation& fro this

a"ful !rison$ and by& "ay of a voluntary renunciation of their local affiliations and !ossessions& deliver their race forever fro this isery& and& under a ore fortunate dis!ensation& co end the selves into the care of their ancient father. .ut thus in ti es !ast ended their esti able state and co enced their inevitable& forcible e(ter ination& or an even ore grueso e degeneration into beasts& by "ay of the gradual de olition of the organs of thought. An inti acy of association "ith beasts& !lants& rocks& te !ests& sea'billo"s needs ust give fair "arning of the e(istence of an to these ob/ects$ and this fore"arning& transfor ation and dissolution of the divine and the hu an into refractory forces constitutes the s!irit of of that terrible& o nivorous !o"er kno"n as nature$ and does not each and every thing that one beholds a ount& in effect& to an i ense ruin of for er glories& to the leftovers of so e grisly re!ast7 0+air enough&0 say certain doughty souls% 0let our s!ecies "age an arduous& all'out "ar to the death "ith this Nature. -e ust try to get the better of her "ith slo" !oisons. Let the natural !hiloso!her be a noble hero "ho !lunges into the ga!ing chas in order that his fello"' citizens ay live. Artists have already inflicted u!on her nu erous blo"s by stealth$ you need only follo" their e(a !le% seize hold of her hidden sine"s and ake her greedily hunger after herself. Avail yourself of these dissensions& so that she& like the !roverbial fire'breathing bull& shall learn to direct her !aces according to your "hi . 8ou ust ake her your vassal. )t besee s hu an creatures to be !atient and trustful. The ost distant of kin are united "ith us in a co on ai $ the "heel of the heavens shall beco e the s!inning'"heel of our life& and then shall "e kno" ho" to build a ne" D/inistan "ith the hel! of our slaves. )n a s!irit of triu !h& let us survey her tu ult and devastation$ she shall be obliged to !rostitute herself to us& and& by "ay of this outrage& to do heavy !enance. Let us live and die i bued "ith the ra!turous instinct of our o"n freedo $ here rises the river that in days to co e shall inundate her and bring her to heel& and in this river let us bathe and refresh ourselves "ith hearts ne"ly e boldened for heroic e(!loits. #ere& one is beyond reach of the onster0s fury$ a single dro! of freedo suffices to cri!!le her in !er!etuity& and to confine her havoc "ithin rational bounds. "8ou are in the right&" say sundry others% "here or no"here else lies the talis an. At the fount of freedo "e sit and kee! "atch$ it is the great enchanted irror "herein the entirety of creation is revealed in all of its !ellucid !urity$ in it bathe the frail s!irits and likenesses of all natures& and here "e discover the door of every cha ber left unlocked. -hat need have "e of trudging through the boggy landsca!e of visible ob/ects7 After all& the landsca!e of unadulterated !urity lies "ithin us& in this selfsa e fountain. #erein is disclosed the true eaning of the "hole assive& otley& intricately co !licated s!ectacle$ and by "ay of looking on& "e are granted full entry into the !resence of nature& such that everything is inti ately fa iliar to us& and that "e recognize "ith certitude each and every sha!e that "e encounter. -e need not undertake any !reli inary researches$ a si !le corres!ondence& the erest fe" traces in the sand& suffice to enlighten us. Thus& everything is to us a assive te(t "hose key is in our !ossession& and nothing can catch us off our guard$ for "e have !ree !tively co e to understand the o!eration of the "hole assive clock"ork. And yet& in full consciousness& "e en/oy the usufruct of nature$ for she does not bring us to our senses$ for she does not disturb us "ith night ares born of fever& and akes us restful and ho!eful& in clear !resence of ind." "8ou others are istaken&" said a an of grave bearing& addressing these others. "Do you not discern in nature the fair co!y of your o"n selves7 8ou yourselves are consu ed by a savage thoughtlessness. 8ou are ignorant of the fact that your nature is but a !lay of the i agination& a chaotic fantasy of your night ares. )ndeed& for you she is a horrid beast& a strange& fantastic

s!ecter of your concu!iscence. #e "ho vie"s these ano alous !rogeny of his i agination "hen "ide a"ake does so "ithout tre bling& inas uch as he kno"s that they are but e !ty !hanto s of his infir ity. #e feels hi self to be aster of the "orld$ his ighty ego soars over this chas & and shall loftily soar over this infinity of vicissitudes for eternity after eternity. 4ndivided& his inner being strives to !roselytize& to s!read the good "ord. #e shall ceaselessly& and ad infinitu & assi ilate each and every !articular to hi self and to his circu a bient creation$ and "ith each and every for"ard stride he shall "itness the ever' crescent& ever' ore'brilliant !ro inence of an eternal& all'enco !assing& su!re ely oral "orld order$ of the fortress of his ego. The i !ort of the "orld is reason% for her sake does the "orld e(ist& and though the "orld has begun as the battlefield of a budding& child'like reason& yet it shall one day be transfor ed into the divine i age of her activity& into the theater of a true church. 4ntil then& let an honor her in her ca!acity as a sy bol of his soul& "hich ennobles itself& along "ith hi & by indeter inable gradations. Thus& let hi "ho "ould beco e ac,uainted "ith nature e(ercise his oral faculty& and cultivate and educate the noble kernel of his inner self$ and to hi shall nature unfold itself& as if s!ontaneously. Moral agency is that great and uni,ue e(!eri ent& "hereby all enig as of the ost anifold sort are solved. #e "ho understands it& and kno"s ho" to analyze it by "ay of the ost involved and rigorous chains of thought& is nature0s eternal aster." The novice listens to the clash of voices "ith tre!idation. 1ach of the see s to be in the right& and a curious confusion takes !ossession of his ind. .y degrees& his inner tu ult subsides$ and u!"ards& over the dark& utually'breaking "aves& there see s to soar a s!irit of !eace& "hose advent is heralded by a ne" valor& and a serene loftiness of !ers!ective& in the youth0s soul. There no" ca e bounding hither a ore cheerfully'dis!osed !lay ate of his& "hose te !les "ere garlanded "ith bind"eed and roses. "8ou brooding daydrea er9" he cried. "8ou are headed off on a co !letely "rong !ath. 8ou0ll never ake uch !rogress that "ay. The !ro!er attune ent of one0s dis!osition is the universal su!erlative. )s this truly nature0s dis!osition7 8ou are still young& and do you not feel the authoritative !ro !tings of youth in each and every one of your veins7 )s not your breast suffused "ith love and longing7 #o" can you re!ose yourself in solitude7 Does nature re!ose herself in solitude7 +ro solitude flee /oy and desire alike% and absent desire& of "hat use is nature to you7 *nly a ong one0s fello" en does the s!irit that over"hel s your senses in a thousand otley shades of color& that enfolds you like an invisible beloved& assu e his native for . At our ban,uets he gives free rein to his tongue$ he sits at the head of the table and launches into songs in !raise of the su!erlatively gladso e life. 3oor you& "ho have not yet loved9 -ith your first kiss a "hole ne" "orld "ill o!en u! to you$ "ith that kiss& life "ill rush into your enra!tured heart fro a thousand !oints of the co !ass. ) "ill recount to you a fairy tale$ hearken "ell to it% *nce u!on a ti e& "ell to"ards evening& there lived the youngest of young virtuous& but also odd beyond all easure. en. #e "as ost

#e "as forever "orrying& ti e and again& about nothing$ he !assed his days in silence$ he "ould sit by hi self "hen others "ere frolicking and gay& and abandon hi self to curious !reoccu!ations. 6aves and forests "ere his favorite haunts$ and& oreover& he "ould unceasingly converse "ith the beasts of the field and the air& "ith trees and boulders'' naturally in no intelligible language''and& ore sonorously& "ith foolish old :eus hi self& to the !oint that he found hi self fairly doubled u! "ith laughter. .ut he re ained habitually surly and serious& in s!ite of all the !ains that the s,uirrels& the onkeys& the !arrots& and the

bullfinch took to a use hi and sho" hi the true !ath. The goose told fairly tales& the brook babbled a ballad bet"een ti es& a big fat rock cut droll ca!ers& the rose genially sneaked u! behind hi and around hi & slinking through the locks of his hair& and the ivy caressed his care"orn bro". And yet his seriousness and des!ondency "ere unyielding. #is !arents "ere ,uite de/ected in his behalf$ they hardly kne" "here to begin. #e "as healthy and "ell fed$ they had never scolded hi $ he had& oreover& until a fe" years !revious& been as erry and gay as could be& the cha !ion in all s!ortive contests and the favorite of all of his fe ale !lay ates. #e "as as !retty as a !icture and as "ell'bred as a husband'to'be$ and he danced like a true gallant. A ong these fe ale !lay ates of his there nu bered a certain one''a char ing& !icture' !erfect child& a veritable "a( doll''"ith hair like golden silk& li!s of cherry red& and eyes like /et'black e bers. So lovely "as she that he "ho sa" her "as as good as lost. )n those days& ;osebud''that "as her na e''bore a good "ill to #yacinth''that "as his na e''and he "as ortally in love "ith her. The other children kne" nothing of this. A violet had first entioned it to the $ the house'kittens had taken full notice of it$ their !arents0 houses "ere sited ,uite close to each other. -hen of an evening #yacinth "as standing at his "indo" and ;osebud at hers& and the kittens "ere out on the !ro"l for ice& they "ould see the t"o of the standing there and oftenti es laugh and giggle so loudly that they heard it and beca e cross. The violet had entioned it in strictest confidence to the stra"berry !lant& "ho entioned it in turn to her friend the gooseberry bush& "ho no" forbore to "ithdra" her thorns "hen #yacinth ca e "alking by$ thus !resently the "hole garden and forest discovered it& and "henever #yacinth "ent out& all around hi there "ould issue a ur ur of ;osebud is y s"eetheart9 #yacinth "as annoyed by this& and yet he could not hel! laughing "hen the little lizard ca e slithering u! to dis!ort hi self on a "ar rock& "agging his tail and singing% That darling infant hight ;osebud #as eyes full ne"ly bleared "ith ud. Mistaking #y0cinth for her u & She falls into his ar s all du b$ .ut on discov0ring her istake& Thinks but of hi & does not fright take& De!arts& no "ords betok0ning aught a iss& No"& as ever after& "ith a kiss. Ah9 Sic transit gloria undi. There no" arrived on the scene a an hailing fro foreign !arts& "ho "as astonishingly "ell'traveled$ he had a long beard& sunken eyes& hideous eyebro"s& and a arvelous costu e "ith nu erous !leats and strange sha!es "oven into it. #e !lanted hi self in front of #yacinth0s !arents0 house. #is curiosity aroused& #yacinth took a seat beside the an and fetched hi so e bread and "ine. The an shook his "hite beard this "ay and that and told tales until the "ee hours of the night& and #yacinth stayed a"ake and never budged an inch or gre" tired of listening. .y all subse,uent accounts& the an had uch to say of of foreign !arts and terrae incognitae& and of astonishingly strange events& and he re ained in the area for three days& and "ent cree!ing into dee! hollo"s of the earth "ith #yacinth.

;osebud roundly cursed the old sorcerer& for #yacinth "as absolutely s itten by his conversation and concerned hi self "ith nothing else$ he hardly even bothered to eat or drink anything. +inally the an took off& but he left behind in #yacinth0s kee!ing a s all book that nobody kne" ho" to read. #yacinth& for his !art& gave the an fruit& bread& and "ine& and acco !anied hi along a good stretch of his /ourney. And then he returned in a !ensive fra e of ind& and began a ne" ode of life. ;osebud took great !ity on hi & for fro that !oint on"ards& she attered but little to hi & and he re ained !er!etually "ra!!ed u! in hi self. )t no" so ha!!ened that one day he ca e ho e and "as as though ne"ly born. #e fell into the ar s of his !arents and began "ee!ing. ") ust set forth into foreign countries&" he said$ "the strange old "o an in the forest told e ho" ) ust beco e healthy$ she flung y book into the fire and urged e to go to you and seek your blessing. 3erha!s ) shall return soon& !erha!s never. 5ive y regards to ;osebud. So eho"& "henever ) try to think back on the old days& ore !o"erful thoughts inter!ose the selves$ !eace lies else"here& together "ith heart and love$ ) ust go seek the . -ould that ) could tell you "hither$ ) yself do not kno"$ yonder d"ells the other of all things& the veiled virgin. To"ards her do tend all the stirrings of y soul. +are"ell." #e tore hi self free and set forth. #is !arents la ented and shed tears$ ;osebud re ained in her cha ber and "e!t bitterly. #yacinth ade his "ay as best he could through valleys and "ilds& across ountains and rivers& to"ards the ysterious regions of the earth. 1very"here and of everyone< en and beasts& rocks and trees<he en,uired after the goddess )sis. So e of the laughed& so e of the "ere silent$ no"here "as an ans"er forthco ing. +irst& he !assed through a savage& ountainous country$ the road "as traversed by ists and clouds$ stor s raged incessantly$ then& he ha!!ened u!on so e unsightly deserts of red'hot sand$ and the farther he "andered& in like !ro!ortion "as his soul transfor ed$ ti e slo"ed do"n for hi and his inner tu ult subsided$ he beca e cal er& and the violent agitation "ithin hi by degrees beca e a gentle& albeit fir & urge to !ress on& an urge that absorbed his entire soul. #e felt as though any years lay behind hi . And no" the surrounding country beca e ore fertile and varied& the air ild and blue& the road ore s oothly !aved$ green thickets te !ted hi "ith "inso e shado"s& but he could not understand their language$ nor did they even see to s!eak& and yet they filled his heart "ith shades of green and a cool& silent essence. This s"eet longing "ithin hi ounted ever higher& and the leaves gre" ever brighter and cal er& the birds and beasts ever louder and errier& the fruits ever ore fragrant& the skies ever darker& and his love ever "ar er$ ti e !assed ever ore ,uickly& as though !resaging his /ourney0s end. *ne day he encountered a crystal'clear s!ring and a host of flo"ers running alongside and bet"een t"o ro"s of sky'scra!ing black colu ns. They saluted hi in a fa iliar tongue. "My beloved fello" country en&" he said$ ""here ay ) find the sacred residence of )sis7 )t ust lie so e"here hereabouts& and !erha!s you are better ac,uainted "ith the neighborhood than ) a ." "-e are like"ise erely !assing through&" re!lied the flo"ers$ "a fa ily of souls is traveling hither and beyond& and "e are !re!aring the !assage and lodging$ en route& a fe" days ago& "e ha!!ened to hear her na e entioned. 5o u!"ards& in the direction "hence "e ca e$ thus shall you surely co e to learn ore."

The flo"ers and the s!ring s iled as they said this& offered hi !roceeded on their "ay.

a draft of fresh "ater& and

#yacinth follo"ed their counsel& ke!t on en,uiring& and finally ca e to that long'sought'after d"elling& "hich "as situated under a cano!y of !al s and other e(,uisite !lants. #is heart throbbed in infinite longing& and the s"eetest dread !ervaded hi in this abode of eternal seasons. 4nder the aus!ices of a salutary celestial ether& he fell aslee!& for only in his drea s could he be led into the #oliest of #olies. )n a ost curious fashion& these drea s led hi through an infinite succession of cha bers full of strange ob/ects& on rousing ti bres and alternating concords. 1verything see ed so fa iliar to hi & and yet clothed in a s!lendor he had never before seen$ then& the last trace of earthly ateriality faded a"ay& as though consu ed by the air& and he stood before the celestial virgin$ then& he lifted the "eightless& lustrous veil and ;osebud sank into his ar s. Their fond reunion& their effusions of longing& "ere attended and surrounded by a distant usic& "hich banished everything alien fro this enchanting !lace. #yacinth lived long after "ith ;osebud a ong his /oyful !arents and !lay ates& and innu erable grandchildren gave thanks to the strange old "o an for her counsel and fire$ for in those days& !eo!le could have as any children as they "ished. The novices e braced one another and dis!ersed. The s!acious cha bers stood e !ty and reverberative$ and the arvelous collo,uy of innu erable languages and a thousandfold natures& "hich had united in anifold co binations& continued. Their inner energies !layed off one another. They strove to regain their freedo & their old'established relations. A fe" of the stood at their a!!ointed stations as "itnesses to the anifold goings'on of their i ediate surroundings. The rest co !lained of terrible agonies and sorro"s& and be"ailed the loss of the ancient& glorious life in the boso of nature& "hen they "ere united by a co on freedo & and each of the received according to his o"n needs. =*h9&> they said% =-ould that an understood the usic of nature "ithin& and "ere ca!able of !erceiving the har ony "ithout. .ut he hardly kno"s that "e belong together& and that none of us can survive in the absence of the others. #e cannot leave "ell enough alone$ he tyrannically se!arates us& and in strident dissonances clutches at everything "ithin his reach. #o" ha!!y "ould he contrive to be& if only he should a icably /oin "ith us and enter into our great confederation& as in the for er =golden age&> as he so a!tly ter s it. )n those days& he understood us$ /ust as "e understood hi . #is craving to beco e a god has se!arated hi fro us$ he seeks for that "hich "e kno" not and of "hich "e can for no distinct inti ation& and ever since has he ceased to be an acco !anying voice& a fello"'traveler. #e fully inti ates the infinite bliss& the eternal delight& "ithin us$ and therefore is he co !elled to subsu e such a arvelous love under our united aus!ices. The enchant ent of gold& the arcana of colors& the /oys of "ater& are not foreign to hi $ in ancient ti es he inti ated the "ondrousness of !recious stones$ and yet& he still lacks a s"eet !assion for the fabric of nature& an eye for our enra!turing ysteries. Does he study to feel& if but once7 #e is& as of no"& but feebly ac,uainted "ith this ost heavenly& this ost natural& of all eanings% through feeling ight the yearned'for& ancient age be reborn$ the basic !rinci!le of feeling is an inner light& "hich is refracted in s!lendid& !o"erful colors. Thereu!on the stars "ould rise "ithin hi $ he "ould learn to feel the entire "orld ore clearly and ultifariously than he !resently does& "ithin the li its and surfaces !rescribed to hi by his o"n eyes. #e "ould beco e aster of an infinite !lay of forces and "ould abandon all of his foolish as!irations to"ards an eternal& self'sustaining and ever'increasing lu(ury. Thought is but a drea of feeling& a vanished feeling$ a being of di & !ale'gray cast."

-hile thus they "ere s!eaking& the sun shone through the high "indo"s& and the din of the conversation subsided into a gentle ur ur$ an infinite inti ation !ervaded all sha!es& the ost delightful "ar th s!read over everyone& and out of the dee!est of silences arose the ost "ondrous usic of nature. 6lose by& one could hear the sound of hu an voices& and of the o!ening of the great folding doors behind the garden$ and a grou! of travelers took their seats on the broad front ste!s of the building. The delightful landsca!e lay brightly illu inated before the $ and in the distance& the !ros!ect faded u!"ards along the ridges of an azure ountain range. +riendly children ca e bearing anifold victuals and s!irits& and there !resently began a s!irited conversation a ong the . "To everything that he undertakes& an ust direct his undivided attention or his ego&" one of the said at last& "and once he has done this& ne" ideas or for s of !erce!tion e erge$ and these see to be nothing other than the delicate& shading& ras!ing strokes of a drafts an0s !encil& or the curious condensations and figurations of an elastic fluid& "hich anifest the selves in a "ondrous fashion "ithin hi . They !ro!agate out"ards fro the !oint u!on "hich he has !er anently engraved the original i !ression& in all directions& "ith vital agility& and take hold of his ego "ith ain force. #e is like"ise oftenti es ca!able of annihilating this !lay afresh& "hile si ultaneously re'dividing his attention& or leaving it to its o"n ca!ricious devices$ for these ideas then see to hi to be nothing other than irradiations and reactions stirred u! by this selfsa e ego in this selfsa e elastic ediu & or the refractions of the for er by the latter$ or& on the "hole& a curious inter!lay bet"een the "aves of this sea and his o"n infle(ible faculty of attention. )t is ost striking that an first beco es truly cognizant of his uni,ueness& of his es!ecial freedo & courtesy of this inter!lay$ and that it da"ns on hi as though he "ere "aking fro a dee! slu ber$ as though he only /ust no" "ere finding hi self at ho e in the "orld& as though the light of day "ere !ro!agating itself for the first ti e into his inner "orld. #e believes he has attained the ne !lus ultra if he anages& "ithout interru!ting this !lay& con/ointly to undertake the daily grind of the sensory "orld$ and to !erceive and to think con/ointly. Thereby he "ins on both fronts% the e(terior "orld is rendered trans!arent& and the interior "orld anifold and eaningful& and thus an finds hi self in an inti ate& vital !osition !oised bet"een t"o "orlds& in the ost !erfect freedo and in the ost /oyous feeling of !o"er. )t is natural that an seeks to !er!etuate this condition and to distribute it over the su total of his i !ressions$ that he does not "eary of !ursuing these associations of the t"o "orlds& and investigating their sy !athies and anti!athies. The aggregate of "hich''"hat sets us in otion'' an ter s nature& and therefore nature stands in an i ediate relation to the li bs of our body& "hich relation "e ter the senses. *ur body0s obscure and ysterious connections render su!!ositious the e(istence of ysterious relations "ithin nature& and thus is nature that "ondrous co unity into "hich our body initiates us& and in "hich "e co e to !artici!ate "ithin the co !ass of the body0s furnishings and ca!acities. The ,uestion is "hether "e are ca!able of truly gras!ing the Nature of Natures by eans of this s!ecific nature& and& if so& to "hat e(tent our thoughts and the intensity of our attention are deli ited by the aforesaid$ or "hether they deli it it& and thereby tear the selves free fro Nature and& !erchance& vitiate their delicate !liancy. *ne clearly sees that these inner relations and furnishings of our body ust& above all other things& be fatho ed ere ay ho!e to ans"er this ,uestion and to !enetrate the nature of things. And yet it ay once have been conceivable that in fact "e should first sub it ourselves to a trial course of training "ithin the anifold do ain of o"n thoughts& ere "e should be ca!able of venturing an atte !t on the inner connections of our body& or of availing ourselves of its understanding to"ards an understanding of nature$ and& to be sure& nothing then could have been ore natural than to beget all !ossible ove ents of thoughts& and to ac,uire a !roficiency& and& indeed& a grace of ease& in this occu!ation$ to flit fro one thought to another and to synthesize and analyse the in anifold fashions. To this end one ust

attentively have conte !lated all i !ressions& and like"ise re arked "ith !recision the !lay of all such thoughts as should ensue therefro & and have taken stock of any such ne" thoughts as should therefro & in turn& e erge$ in order& thus& to co e by degrees to discover their echanis & and& through the re!etition of this effort& to learn to differentiate the ove ents to "hich each i !ression is straitly con/oined fro the re ainder& and to co it these differentiations to e ory. #ad ever so fe" such ove ents& ,ua individual characters of nature?s ty!eface& then seen the light of day& the deci!hering of the "hole "ould have !roceeded a!ace& and the authority of the observer over all ove ents and all !roductions of thought<and oreover& the authority& in full innocence of any genuine !recedent i !ression& to bring forth the thoughts of nature and to sketch her for out in the rough<been fir ly established$ and then the ulti ate ai "ould have been achieved." =)t is ,uite a ventureso e enter!rise&> said another& =to strive to !iece together nature out of her e(ternal anifestations and forces& and to avo" her to be& on the one hand& a fire of onstrous sco!e& and& on the other& a failure of "ondrous artifice$ on the one hand& a duality or trinity& on the other& any odd force one cares to na e. )t "ould then have been ore conceivable that she "as the !roduct of an incredible consensus of an infinitely varied essence& the "ondrous linch!in of the s!iritual "orld& the tangent and eeting'!oint of innu erable "orlds." "Let it be ventured&" said a third& "that the net cast by the intre!id fisher an has ever been ha!hazardly "oven% so uch the better for the eventual catch. *ne is heartened by the latter only insofar as it i !els one to stay the course& and let each ne" finding that serves to conceal the reality of things be accordingly "elco e. Do you not believe that the fulfill ent of the "orthy syste fro "hich the future geogra!hy of nature shall derive its cartogra!hic data is in the i ediate offing7 The latter geogra!hy shall be established by the for er syste & and the ensuing establish ent shall& first of all& be ca!able of instructing us on the e(traordinary lie of the land. Mere kno"ledge of nature& standing heavens a!art fro the e(egesis of nature& "ill si !ly have !assed a"ay. The true deci!herer "ill !erchance arrive& to set in otion further natural forces& along "ith the generation of further glorious and ore useful natural !heno ena$ he "ill be ca!able of fantastically i !rovising on nature as on a assive keyboard instru ent$ and yet he "ill not understand nature. This understanding is the endo" ent of the natural historian& of the !ro!het of the ages& "ho& being "ell'versed in nature0s narrative& and "ell' ac,uainted "ith the "orld& that higher theater of natural history& !erceives and sagely !reaches the gos!el of its significances. And for all that& this territory yet re ains a hallo"ed terra incognita. The divine aeries have let fall a ere fe" verbal scra!s into the outh of this highest of all for s of kno"ledge& and it is but s all "onder that ti orous souls have suffered this inti ation to elude the & and reduced nature to a ho eostatic achine& devoid of both !ast and future. 1very divine entity has its story to tell$ and is nature& that un!aralleled "hole to "hich an can liken hi self& to be reckoned less "orthy than an of fashioning such a story& or& "hat co es to sa e thing& of !ossessing a ind7 Absent her ind& nature "ould cease to be nature$ to be the un!aralleled counterty!e of ankind& to be either the essential ans"er to that ysterious ,uestion of ,uestions& or the ,uestion to that infinite ans"er of ans"ers." "*nly the !oets have felt "hat nature can be to an&" co enced a fair youth& "and here one ay also say of the that ankind eets in the its ost !erfect realization$ and that fro the & in virtue of their irror'like clarity and ni bleness of !erce!tion& each and every i !ression& in all of its infinite fluctuations& is faithfully trans itted to all !oints of the co !ass. )n nature they discover everything. To the alone her soul re ains fa iliar

territory$ and in her society they seek& and not in vain& all of the blessings of the golden age. +or the nature !ossesses the varied !lenitude of an infinite s!irit& all the ore so "hile the cleverest and ost ,uick'"itted of their fello" en is busy s!ringing on the his ingenious feints and sallies& encounters and diversions& !uffed'u! ideas and eccentric notions. The ine(haustible richness of her fancy insures that nothing "ithin her orbit is ever sought after in vain. She kno"s ho" to e bellish& to enliven& to sanction everything$ and in "hat see s in fine grain to be but the insensate "orkings of a thoughtless echanis & the ore discerning eye yet descries''in these concurrences and conse,uences of isolated contingencies''a "ondrous sy !athy "ith the heart of an. The "ind is a ove ent of air that can have any nu ber of e(ternal causes& but to the lonely& yearning heart is it nothing ore than that''"hen it rushes !ast& "afted hither fro beloved regions& and see ing to resolve his silent sorro"& by "ay of its thousand elancholy tones& into a single elodious sigh issuing fro the boso of nature0s entirety7 Does not the young lover thus also feel his entire& efflorescent soul affir ed& "ith ravishing conviction& in the fresh verdure of the s!ring eado"s$ and does the lu(uriant !roduce of the vine ever see ore e(,uisite to thirsty souls "hen distilled into golden "ine than "hen res!lendently clustered and half hidden a ongst the broad leaves7 *ne ta(es the !oets "ith e(aggeration and akes allo"ances& as it "ere& for the chi erically !ictorial character of their language''indeed& "ithout looking any further into the atter& one si !ly akes shift "ith attributing to their fancy that "hi sical nature that sees and hears any a thing that others do not hear and see& and that in a delicious frenzy governs and holds s"ay over the real "orld ad libitu $ but it see s to e that the !oets have not by any eans gone far enough in the "ay of e(aggeration& that they have as yet only di ly sur ised the agic inherent in their language& and have been erely toying "ith their fancy as a child toys "ith his father0s agic "and. They kno" not "hich forces are subservient to the & "hich "orlds are obliged to heed their beck and call. +or is it not true that stones and forests hearken to usic and& ta ed thereby& ac,uiesce in its "ill like so any beasts of burden7 Do the fairest flo"ers not actually blosso in the !resence of the beloved& and do they not re/oice in the !rivilege of thus adorning her7 Does not the sky beco e clear& the sea s ooth& at their behest7 Does not nature in her entirety e(!ress''in the anner of a living !hysiogno y''the co !le(ion& the !ulse& the condition& of each and every su!erior being to "hich "e en have given a na e7 )s not the living rock transfor ed into a singular Thou& in virtue of y a!ostro!hizing it as such7 And "hat a ) if not the ighty flood itself& "hen& "ith a heavy heart& ) gaze do"n into its billo"ing "aves& and lose y thoughts in its s"iftly eddying current7 *nly a tran,uil& satiate heart "ill understand the vegetable "orld$ only a boisterous child or a ad an "ill understand the beasts. ) kno" not "hether anyone ever truly understood the rocks and stones& but any such he needs ust have been a subli e being. +ro those statues& those relics of a long'vanished age of hu an glory& shines forth a !rofound s!irit<and hence a !eculiar insight into the ineral "orld<that sheds u!on the truly !erce!tive observer a kind of ineral husk that see s to !enetrate in"ards. The subli e is a !etrifying agent& and thus "e could not !er it ourselves to "onder at the subli e in nature and its effects& or to re ain ignorant of "here it "as to be sought. May not nature have been turned to stone by the gaze of 5od7 *r for sheer terror at the advent of an7" #e "ho had first s!oken on this to!ic had sunk into dee! editation& and the distant ountain'!eaks "ere assu ing a t"ilit !articolored as!ect& as evening gently and !eaceably descended u!on the length and breadth of the land. After a long silence& he "as heard to say% ")n order to understand nature& one ust allo" nature in"ardly to co e into being via the full !ano!ly of her succession. )n undertaking this task& one ust si !ly be attentive to our divine longing for beings "ho rese ble ourselves& and to the basic co and ents of these beings& and allo" oneself to be governed by these co and ents$ for in truth all of nature is

intelligible only as an instru ent and ediu of consensus a ong rational beings. The thinking an returns to the !ri ordial final cause of his e(istence& to that !oint "herein creation and kno"ledge stood united in the ost "onderfully utual corres!ondence& to that !rocreative o ent of authentic !leasure& of inti ate self'conce!tion. -hen he is subse,uently and utterly i ersed in the !erusal of this !ri eval !heno enon& the history of nature?s fecundity unfolds itself before his eyes like an unli ited stage'!lay& traversing ne"ly'ger inated e!ochs and regions$ and each and every fi(ed !oint that !reci!itates out of the endless flu( thereof "ill constitute& for hi & an original anifestation of the genius of love& an original bond bet"een the Thou and the ). The authentic theory of nature inheres in the scru!ulous chronicling of this interior "orld'history$ out of the intrinsic coherence of the chronicler?s "orld of ideas& and the latter?s har onious relation to the universe as a "hole& there auto atically arises a syste of ideas fitted to the blue!rint and rulebook of that universe. .ut the art of e,uani ous !erusal& of fruitful editation on the "orld& is a difficult one$ its realization re,uires a serious& unflagging attitude of conte !lation and an austere sobriety of /udg ent$ and its re"ard "ill consist in no volley of a!!lause besto"ed by the shirking ultitude of the !resent day& but rather in a si !le delight in kno"ing and in vigilantly a"aiting further kno"ledge& in an inti ate contiguity "ith the universe." ")ndeed&" said the second s!eaker& "nothing is ore re arkable than the great si ultaneity in nature. )n all !laces nature see s to be "holly of the !resent o ent. To"ard the enkindling of a single candle all natural forces are arshaled& and in such a anner is she !er!etually and ubi,uitously re!resenting and transfor ing herself& forcing together leaves& flo"ers& and fruits& and is !lu b in the iddle of the !resent age& si ultaneously of the !ast and of the future$ and "ho kno"s in "hich !articular anner she unifor ly "orks fro afar& and "hether this syste of nature is not& after all& erely a single sun in the universe& united there"ith by certain bonds& by eans of a certain light& and by certain other attractive and influential forces that& for the ti e being& suffer the selves to be distinctly !erceived in our inds& and to suffer& oreover& the s!irit of the universe to !our forth itself u!on this nature& all the "hile !arceling out the re ainder of this s!irit of nature to other natural syste s7" "-henever&" said the third s!eaker& "the thinker ,ua artist sets forth along the !ath of active industry& and through the skillful a!!lication of his intellectual energies& strives to reduce the cos os to a single and see ingly'irreducible diagra & such that nature is fairly& so to s!eak& ade to dance and to transcribe verbati the choreogra!hy of her ove ents& nature?s suitor can but arvel at the sheer derring'do of the undertaking& and re/oice in this a !lification of ankind?s architectonic ca!abilities. The artist ,uite !ro!erly gives !ride of !lace to activity& inas uch as his essence consists in acting and engendering through kno"ing and "illing& and his art consists in e !loying everything as his o"n instru ent& and in contriving to i itate nature in his o"n fashion$ and hence& activity beco es the governing !rinci!le of his "orld& and his "orld his art. #erein& oreover& nature ac,uires a fresh luster of visible a/esty& and only an outright brute "ould s!urn the attending verbal elange of curious artifice. )n gratitude the !riest de!osited this ne"''this noble''s!eci en of cartogra!hy before the altar of the agnetic needle that never isses its ark& and that has led countless shi!s adrift on uncharted seas to safe harbor in inhabited coasts& and back to their res!ective ho elands. A!art fro the thinker& there yet e(ist certain other fanciers of kno"ledge "ho evince no es!ecial !redilection for ental !rocreation$ and "ho& accordingly& and in default of a vocational obligation to that art& beco e& rather& nature?s schoolboys& "ho discover their chief delight in studying rather than in teaching& in suffering rather than in creating& in receiving rather than in giving. So e of the anage to kee! the selves busy and to !lace their trust in the o ni!resence and intrinsic affinities of nature$ hence& oreover& being !ree !tively convinced of the defectiveness and heterono y of all individual entities& they scru!ulously

hold each and every s!ecific !heno enon that co es their "ay at ar 0s length$ and yet& once having& "ith a steady gaze& seized hold of the thousandfold& self'transfor ing s!irit of such a !heno enon& they !ursue this thread through every shabby nook and cranny of its !assages through the ysterious ra" aterial& all for the sake of drafting a "oefully inaccurate a! of its labyrinthine course. 4ntold !rofits consecrate their "eariso e labor& and the basic sche a of their a! "ill s,uare& to an astonishing e(tent& "ith the syste s of the thinker$ and to the consolation of the latter they "ill have& so to s!eak& unintentionally furnished living !roof of his abstract theore s. The ost unregenerate idlers a ong the naively a"ait their self' !rofiting cognizance of nature via an affectionate co unication fro a certain e(alted being enobled by their ardor. They !refer not to devote their ti e and attention to business during this brief s!an of life& and to "ithhold fro love their services. Through !iety of co !ort ent they seek erely to obtain love& erely to co unicate love& in reckless disregard of the great s!ectacle of forces& to yield their destiny !lacidly u! to this kingdo of !o"er$ for they are suffused "ith an inti ate a"areness of their inse!arability fro the beloved being& and they are oved by nature only inas uch as she is a likeness or chattel of the aforesaid. And "hat need have these ha!!y souls of kno"ledge<they "ho have culled the lion?s share for the selves& and "ho& in this terrestrial "orld& shine forth as un"avering fla es of love only on the s!ires of the te !le or to"ards thither'driven shi!s& as !ortents of the all'consu ing fire of heaven7 *ftenti es& of a blissful hour& these devoted children ha!!en u!on certain ite s of "ondrous s!lendor lurking in the catalog of nature0s arcana$ and& in an uncontrollable access of artlessness& !ublish their discoveries. They follo" the trail of the natural !hiloso!hers in order to gather u! any such /e"els as the latter ay have inadvertently let fall in the course of their innocently e(uberant !rogress$ to their love the ever'e !athetic !oet !ledges hi self& and he seeks by eans of his song to trans!lant this love& this ger inating seed of the golden age& to other cli es and e!ochs." "-hose heart does not /u ! for sheer delight&" cried the youth "ith the coruscating eyes& ="hen !ervaded by the inner ost life of nature in its full !rofusion7 -hen thereu!on that ighty sensation for "hich our language has no other na es than @love? and @lust&? e(!ands "ithin hi like a va!or of all'dissolving !otency& and he& tre bling "ith s"eet dread& !lunges into the tenebrous& seductive "o b of nature& his "retched !ersonality consu es itself in overs!reading "aves of lust& and nothing re ains but a focal !oint of i easurable !otency& a s"allo"ing eddy in the idst of the vast ocean9 -hat is the o ni!resently visible fla e7 An ardent e brace& "hose s"eet fruit !reci!itates in dro!s of sensual lust. -ater& that firstborn child of ethereal coalescences& is inca!able of disavo"ing its sensual origin& and !lainly sho"s itself ,ua ele ent of love and of the ad i(ture of the celestial al ighty on earth. Not "ithout reason did the sages of yore seek in "ater the origin of all things& and verily did they s!eak of a higher "ater vis'A'vis sea"ater and s!ring "ater. )n the for er& !ri ordial fluidity& as brought to light in olten etals& alone is anifested$ and& hence& ankind is inclined to accord it erely divine reverence. #o" fe" have yet i ersed the selves in the arcana of fluidity& and this inti ation of the highest for of en/oy ent and of life itself has never da"ned u!on any a drunken soul. )n thirst this "orld soul& this !rodigious longing for deli,uescence& is ade anifest. Drunkards feel this su!erterrestrial ecstasy of fluidity all too keenly& and ulti ately all agreeable sensations "ithin us are but anifold deli,uescences& agitations of those !ri ordial "aters "ithin us. 1ven slee! is nothing other than the high tide of that invisible ocean& and a"akening but the co ence ent of its ebb. #o" any a hu an being stands on the brink of the heady flo" and hears not the lullaby of these aternal "aters$ and en/oys not the enchanting !lay of their infinite undulations9 )n the golden age& "e lived like these "aves$ in brightly colored clouds& in those s"i ing oceans and !ri ordial "ells!rings of all life on earth& in !er!etual frolic& the races of an loved and begot one another& and "ere visited by the children of heaven$ until finally&

in that event that sacred tradition ter s the 5reat +lood& this flourishing "orld !erished$ the earth "as laid lo" by an ini ical being& leaving behind a fe" hu an stragglers arooned on the craggy ountainto!s of a strange ne" "orld. #o" curious that !recisely the ost sacrosanct& the ost sole n& and the ost enchanting !heno ena of nature are in the hands of such insi!id individuals as our analytical che ists are "ont to be9<that they& "hich "ith ain force rouse nature?s ost creative faculties& and erit e(clusive regard as an arcanu of vitality& a ystery of subli e hu anity Bare so sha elessly and indlessly called forth by such banausic souls as "ill never understand the iracle enclosed "ithin their flasks. *nly !oets should ever have dealings "ith fluidity& and be !er itted to recount its history to the ardent ears of youth$ the laboratory "ould then be a te !le& and "ith ne"born love ankind "ould reverence its fla e and its fluctuations and sing their !raises. #o" fortunate "ould our cities& la!!ed by the sea or so e ighty river& then fancy the selves$ "hile every head"ater "ould be rendered love0s sanctuary and the abode of en of skill and genius. #ence& too& are children enticed by nothing so uch as by fire and "ater& such that every strea bids fair to lead the into !articolored distances and lovelier regions. )t is not erely reflection that heaven i !arts to "ater$ it is a tender bond of friendshi!& a token of neighborliness& and "hen the unfulfilled urge to"ards the i easurable heights so "ills it& ever'fortunate love gladly sinks into the infinite de!ths. .ut it is futile to drea of teaching and !reaching nature. A !erson "ho "as born blind "ill never learn to see& ho"ever uch one "ould like to tell hi of light and color and sha!es beyond his reach. )n like fashion& no one "ill ever understand nature "ho lacks a natural organ& an instru ental e ber devoted entirely to the !rocreation and se,uestration of nature$ "ho does not all but involuntarily recognize and distinguish nature every"here and in everything& and''"ith his inborn a!!etite for !rocreation& in anifold consanguinity "ith all bodies& co ingled "ith all natural entities through the ediu of the senses''as it "ere& feel hi self into her. .ut as for hi "ho has an accurate and !racticed natural faculty% he derives nourish ent fro nature "hile he is studying her$ and takes !leasure in her infinite ultifariousness& her volu!tuary ine(haustibility$ and can do "ell enough "ithout any disturbance of his en/oy ent by idle chit'chat. To hi it see s& rather& that one can neither be sufficiently !reoccu!ied by nature& nor s!eak of her "ith sufficient tenderness& nor conte !late her in a sufficiently undisturbed and attentive fra e of ind. #e feels hi self "ithin her as "ithin the boso of his blushing bride'to'be$ and to her alone& in hours of s"eetest inti acy& he confides the insights he has gleaned. ) dee fortunate this son& this darling of nature& "ho she suffers to conte !late her in her duality& ,ua !rocreative and !arturitive force$ and in her unity& as an infinite& everlasting arriage. #is life "ill be a cornuco!ia of all !leasures& an enchain ent of sensual lust "ith his religion of actual& authentic naturalis ." During this last s!eech the teacher "ith his novices had been a!!roaching the asse bly. The travelers stood u! and reverentially saluted hi . A refreshing breeze "afted through the roo and over the ste!s. The teacher allo"ed to be fetched one of those rare& coruscating ge s kno"n as a carbuncle$ and a !o"erful red light !oured itself over their sundry figures and rai ents. .y and by& a genial s!irit of utual co unication ca e into being a ong the . As usic "as heard to !lay in the distance and a refreshing fla e lea!t fro crystal bo"ls into the s!eakers? ouths& the visitors e(changed curious re iniscences of their e(tensive travels. +ull of longing and intellectual craving& they had set out in search of the foot!rints of that bygone race "hose degenerate and uncivilized re ains !resent'day hu anity "ould see to constitute& "hose su!erior level of civilizational attain ent the latter have to thank for their ost significant and ost indis!ensable i !le ents and for s of kno"ledge. Above all& they had been enticed by that holy language<that ere"hile lu inous link bet"een those royal

!ersons and the inhabitants of su!erterrestrial regions<a fe" "ords of "hich& according to anifold ru ors and legends& ay still have been& by fortunate ha!!enstance& in our forefathers? !ossession. Their !ronunciation "as a "ondrous usic "hose over!o"ering notes !enetrated the inner core of each nature and deco !osed it. 1ach na e they uttered see ed a !ass"ord into the soul of every natural body. -ith creative violence they set in otion these vibrations& these i ages of all "orld'!heno ena$ and "ith /ustice it could be said of the that the life of the universe "as a never'ending conversation a ong a thousand voices$ for in their s!eech all forces& all for s of activity& see ed to be united in the ost inconceivable fashion. To go in ,uest of the re nants of this language<or& at any rate& of all re!orts of it<had been one of the chief !ur!oses of their voyage& and the call of anti,uity had !erforce led the to Sais. They ho!ed here to obtain o entous infor ation fro the learned kee!er of the te !le archives& and !erchance to discover actual e(!lanations in the great 6ollection of All Cinds. They begged the teacher?s leave to slee! in the te !le for one night& and to attend his lectures for a fe" days. They obtained "hat they desired& and fervently re/oiced as the teacher acco !anied their tales "ith anifold observations dra"n fro the treasury of his e(!erience& and e(!ounded a series of instructive and agreeable !arables and conceits in their !resence. At length& he ca e to the sub/ect of the true calling of his old age% to a"aken& to disci!line& to hone the un istakable affinity for nature in young inds$ and to unite this affinity "ith certain other !redis!ositions to"ard higher fruits and flo"ers. =To be a herald of nature is a s!lendid and sacred office&> said the teacher. =Neither a co !endious and cohesive ac,uaintance "ith the various sciences$ nor a gift for assi ilating these sciences to fa iliar conce!ts and e(!eriences& and for substituting nor al& everyday "ords and !hrases for !eculiar& foreign'sounding ones$ nor even a knack<characteristic of an a !le i agination<of co bining natural !heno ena into facilely co !rehensible and strikingly'illu inated tableau( that either titillate and gratify the senses through the char of their co !osition and the co!iousness of their contents& or enchant the ind through so e dee! eaning<none of these constitutes a true re,uire ent of a nature'initiate. To one for "ho there are other sakes than nature?s this !erha!s suffices$ but he "ho feels a sincere longing for nature& "ho seeks everything in her& and is& as it "ere& a sensitive instru ent of her clandestine activities& "ho "ill recognize as his teacher and nature?s confidant only hi "ho s!eaks on her behalf "ith devotion and conviction& "hose discourses are i bued "ith a arvelous& atchless forcefulness and inse!arability and evince true ins!iration by "ay of the true gos!el. The aus!icious native a!titude of such a natural te !era ent ust& through unre itting diligence fro youth on"ards& through solitude and silence Dfor garrulity does not sit "ell on constancy of attentionE$ such a one ust& ) say& be su!!orted and instructed by a hu ble& childlike de eanor and indefatigable !atience. Ti e does not suffer itself to deter ine ho" soon one !artici!ates in her ysteries. Many a blessed soul has arrived at that o ent early in life& any another in old age. A true researcher never gro"s old$ each eternal shoot transcends the s!an of life& and the further its outer husk decays& the ore beautiful and lustrous its inner kernel is rendered. This gift& oreover& does not confine itself to e(ternal beauty& or to strength& or insight& or any other for of hu an e(cellence. )n all "alks of life& "ithin every age and nation& in all cli es and e!ochs& there have been !eo!le singled out by nature as her favorites& and blessed by her s!iritual conce!tion. *ftenti es these !eo!le see ed to be ore si !le' inded and clu sy than others and throughout their lives "ere ecli!sed by the over"hel ing shado" of the ultitude. )t is in fact re arkably rare to find a genuine co !rehension of nature united "ith great astuteness& elo,uence& and courtly anners& for it generally either attends or begets si !le "ords& a straightfor"ard eaning& and a odest bearing. )n the "orksho!s of crafts en and artists$ and "herever en stand in a ultifold inti acy "ith nature$ as they do in agriculture& in navigation& in cattle'breeding& in bronze' ining& and in any other trades''there the develo! ent of this sense ost

effortlessly and ost often see s to take !lace. )f every art subsists in its !erce!tion of the eans of attaining a studied !ur!ose& of begetting a deter inate i !ression and !heno enon& and in its facility in choosing and e !loying these eans$ then& accordingly& he "ho feels the inner calling to ake the understanding of nature ore co on a ong en& to develo! and nurture this dis!osition in ankind& ust first seek to !ay scru!ulous heed to the natural otives of this develo! ent& and to the funda entals of this art of nature. -ith the hel! of these ac,uired insights he "ill fashion hi self a syste of the a!!lication of these eans to every individual''a syste founded on e(!eri ent& analysis& and co !arison$ he "ill go so far as to ado!t this syste as a kind of second nature& and then set about his singularly re"arding business "ith enthusias . The latter alone ay rightly be called a teacher of nature''hence& every other ere naturalist but a fortuitous sy !athizer "ith nature''"ho "ill a"aken the sense of nature like a !roduct of nature herself.> T#1 1ND Notes There no" arrived on the scene a an hailing fro foreign !arts& "ho "as astonishingly "ell' traveled% he had...a arvelous costu e "ith nu erous !leats and strange sha!es "oven into it F"1s ka ein Mann aus fre den Landen gegangen& der "ar erstaunlich "eit gereist& hatte...ein "underliches Cleid it vielen +alten& und seltsa e +iguren hineinge"ebt"G. 6f. Cafka& Der 3rozess% "F1Gin Mann& den er in dieser -ohnung noch nie als gesehen hatte& trat ein. 1r trug ein anliegendes sch"arzes Cleid das& Hhnlich den ;eiseanzIgen& it verschiedenen +alten& Taschen& Schnallen& CnJ!fen&" etc. A ong the . )t is conte(tually unclear "hether this "the " refers to the travelers or to the children. K Translation L 2MMN by Douglas ;obertson