What, rightly seen, is being wise
But virtue in the ancient sense?
The strength of mind to supervise
Emotion and the future tense
Of how I think and choose and act;
The power to adjudicate
Between the claims of wish and fact,
And thus to finely shape my fate.
This height's not easy to achieve,
So I might seek a shorter path
In god or faith — might self-deceive
And try to cheat the brutal math
Of greater work and countless hours
Spent practicing at depth and length
The cultivation of my powers
Of self-command and moral strength.
The inner beauty I refine
Through harmony of task and soul
Demands my best: I both define
And symbolize my highest goal.
(cf. Daybreak, §55, §§58-60, §548)
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Peter Saint-Andre > Writings > Nietzsche > Songs of Zarathustra