ON MOODS (1864) Author(s): Friedrich Nietzsche and Graham Parkes Source: Journal of Nietzsche Studies, No.

2, 'Mood, Music and the Subject' (Autumn 1991), pp. 5-10 Published by: Penn State University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20717549 . Accessed: 25/04/2013 18:30
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ON MOODS (1864) Friedrich

Translated by

Nietzsche
Graham Parkes

Let gown, falling

the on

reader the outside,

imagine evening and of I

me the am

sitting first alone in

at day

home, of

wrapped Easter. I A stare

in

dressing rain a is long

fine for

the

room.

time
hand, all

at

the blank
by the to

sheet
confused be written

of paper
crowd down. of

lying
things, Some

in front
events, of them

of me, pen
and are thoughts

in

vexed demanding

tempestuous

in their
wine; thought the our and we but

demands,
in arises, world is and or

being
to an with

young
these

still
many who

and
an

effervescent
old, ripened, the us say

like
clarified

new

opposition like

old an

master equivocal by

surveys Let

strivings it openly:

of

youthful temperament new call worlds, 'mood'

eye. the conflict of

conditioned the also, current with

between the conflict

these is

old what

situation some disdain,

'temper'.

Like

a good

diplomat

rise

above

the

quarreling

parties

and of
the

describe
a man who

the state
every day

of the commonwealth with the

attends inadvertently the

impartiality
of all

sessions

parties,
and scorns

applying
from the

in practice
rostrum.

the

very

principle

that

he mocks

Let

us

admit

it:

am writing

about

moods,

insofar

as

am

right

now in a certain
mood for describing

mood; and it
moods.

is

fortunate

that

I am just

in the

Today

played

Liszt's

Consolations 5

many

times

over,

and

now

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feel

how

its

tones to

have resonate

penetrated within me.

my I

being recently

and

continue, underwent a

spiritualized,

painful
parting, fused to to me

experience
and together, had I not what like in a now I and just is lemon such a

that
notice I see had like the way

had
how that this it, new that

to
this the

do

with
feeling

parting
and those not So the mass upon what is have

or
tones

not
have

music

would

appealed strives feelings the new heart, fuses

experience. and events only the that a part current

soul of

attract

squeezes but always

impinge of

with able
and

what

is

old,

and a residue related

alone,

is

left

over

which

is

not

yet

to find anything
thus lodges here

to it in the household
quite often to the

of the soul,
of the

displeasure

older
Look! passes from one

residents
Here by. all comes Listen! sides was just

with
a

whom it
friend, Music! the house

often
there

comes
a book

into
is

conflict.
opening, are to noble a

But
girl in the

Already that alone

new stands finds

guests open many

streaming all, and relatives.

into now

who

standing

it

is

quite want guests to,

marvellous: nor come that who

it the must,

is

not

that come

the as only

guests they those are;

come but must

because rather come,

ttiey those

guests and

indeed

who

anything Since
soul

the

soul not
or

cannot lie

reflect

simply

does

not

touch

it;

but

it does
reflect

within
the soul

the power
is touched

of the will
only by what

to make the
it wants,

not,

and that
are many

seems

absurd

to many people:
that they resist.

for they recall

But what is

how there
it that

sensations

ultimately
only the

determines
drives and

the will?
desires are

Or how often the will

awake! But one of the

sleeps
strongest

and

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desires unusual, are

of

the

soul explains

is

a why

certain we often

curiosity, allow

a ourselves

taste

for moods

the that

which

unpleasant.

But
things:

it

is
the

not only
soul and resonance mood, and is

through
composed it can can

the
of is lie

will
the

that
same an heavily assume

the
or event on such

soul
similar which the a

assimilates
stuff finds soul as as no a

experiences, sympathetic burdensome that it

thus

that so

eventually the

preponderance of the soul.

compresses

and

constricts

other

contents

Moods external between a

thus

arise

either on the

from inner there

inner world. an

conflicts Here there of

or is the a

else civil

from war by

pressure two enemy class,

camps, a small

oppression

populace

particular

minority.

Often,

when

eavesdrop

on

my

own

thoughts

and

feelings

and

silently
buzzing through

attend
of the those air

to

myself,

it

is

as
as or an

if
if

I
there

heard
were flies

the
a to

hum and
rushing the sun.

wild as when

factions, a thought

eagle

Conflict

is

the constant extract

nourishment

of the is

soul,

and the and fine. it

soul The

knows how to soul destroys

from it much that gives birth the

the

sweet

and thereby

to new things, opponent

most

fights its own

is

energetically
side that places, for it an never fine

and yet gently

intimate pays words, union. attention handwriting

draws
And to the are

over to

marvellous ? names,

thing persons,

exterior all

relatively

unimportant

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but

it

treasures

what

lies

within

the

covering.

That sorrow feeling, hnd is the

which may and our the of

is soon

perhaps turn thus deepen as the

now out to

your be

whole only the

happiness garment the greater

or of a

your yet

entire deeper comes. of them and

will moods same the

disappear themselves next, but

when

thing no one

thus quite birth

continually: each is unfathomably

young

moment.

think

of

many

thing

that

used

to

love;

names

and

persons

changed,
natures is true,

and
would

I
have

don't
become is

want
ever that

to

claim

that

in
and these

actuality
profound. similar

their
What moods

more ,each

beautiful one of

though,

signifies
Intolerable already

a step
to gone go

forward
through it

for me, and that

the wants same to keep stages on

for the
again extending

spirit
that itself it

it

is
has

through:

into

the depths

and heights.

Dear soul, nature,

moods, as

salute as you

you,

marvellous itself, transcend the of no plant creation. longer

variations but more

of

tempestuous than strive the love the same as mood I I

manifold since

nature

magnificent and

eternally whereas

yourselves still I this no exhales longer in

eternally -fragrance ioved was in some as

upwards, it did on ago; to

the I

day am

weeks I began

moment

write.

?irst
on,

I tried
and the

it
music

in music,
remained

but it didn't
dead. Then

work:
I tried

the heart
in verse:

stormed
no,

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rhyme rhythms. quickly

failed Away scribble,

to

capture with ink the ?

it, paper: quick

at

least take a

not new

calm sheet,

and and

measured now pen

here!

Mild voices people here

summer in are a

evening, the lanes,

twilight in colourful out, there the

streaked distance lanterns a rattle

with noise blaze, of

pallor. and wild drums, music.

Children's A fair: growl; and

dancing, rings

animals steady

shot

insistent.

Inside day

the looks

room

it

is

darker. through

light the

lamp,

but

the

eye

of

the It

inquisitively

half-drawn

curtains.

would
which animated within, ?

like

to

see

farther,
the

right
light, in the

into
duskier distance in a

the middle
than ? storm. the

of this
evening,

heart
more deep

hotter than like a

than the huge

voices bell

reverberates

sounded

And I implore
attract clarify, welcome, the purify, at

a thunderstorm;
lightning? blow Now, fragrances

does
you of

the

tolling

of the bell
thunderstorm, my dull nature;

not

approaching rain into

last,

welcome!

There!
my heart; of mist.

You first
and Do from you

bolt
it

of lightning,
arises it, I the stretch and a something dark, my

there
like

you flash,
a long, one? after out: it, 'Be

right
pale My as cleansed!'

into

column eye if is to

know and

treacherous hand out rang

already curse.

brighter, The thunder

growls,

voice

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Heavy Light soother,

sultriness; breath, on

my heart the ground Here it

swells. the is grass desert,

Nothing trembles empty,

moves. ?

There welcome,

? rain, anew!

my saviour!

dead:

plant

There! heart!

A And

second a voice

bolt! rang

Dazzling out: 'Hope!'

and

two-edged,

right

into

my

(\ gentle the storm

fragrance follows, blossoms

rises howling before

from in it,

the

ground, of rain

a its

wind prey.

comes It

up,

and

pursuit as the

drives after.

\>roken-off

swims

joyfully

Right

through

the

middle

of

my

heart.

Storm

and

rain!

Thunder

and lightning!
Become new!'

Right

through

the middle!

And a voice

rang out:

?ber
ftanden, pp.113-116.

Stimmungen',
edited by

from
Karl

Schlechta

Friedrich

fljetasgfte,_Werke
(M?nchen, 1956),

in
vol.III,

drei

10

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