text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/172

148 part of our great danger—it is a road which perhaps leads straight to the great nausea—I know quite well the purpose which all modern books will and can serve (granted that they last, which I am not afraid of, and granted equally that there is to be at some future day a generation with a more rigid, more severe, and healthier taste)—the function which all modernity generally will serve with posterity: that of an emetic,—and this by reason of its moral sugariness and falsity, its ingrained feminism, which it is pleased to call "Idealism," and at any rate believes to be idealism. Our cultured men of to-day, our "good" men, do not lie—that is true; but it does not redound to their honour! The real lie, the genuine, determined, "honest" lie (on whose value you can listen to Plato) would prove too tough and strong an article for them by a long way; it would be asking them to do what people have been forbidden to ask them to do, to open their eyes to their own selves, and to learn to distinguish between "true" and "false" in their own selves. The dishonest lie alone suits them: everything which fools a good man is perfectly incapable of any other attitude to anything than that of a dishonourable liar, an absolute liar, but none the less an innocent liar, a blue-eyed liar, a virtuous liar. These "good men," they are all now tainted with morality through and through, and as far as honour is concerned they are disgraced and corrupted for all eternity. Which of them could stand a further truth "about man"? or, put more tangibly, which of them could put up with a true biography? One or two instances: Lord Byron composed a most personal autobiography, but Thomas Moore was "too good" for

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/172


text: Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Amerigo Vespucci

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/173

Rh it; he burnt his friend's papers. Dr. Gwinner, Schopenhauer's executor, is said to have done the same; for Schopenhauer as well wrote much about himself, and perhaps also against himself (εὶς έαυόν). The virtuous American Thayer, Beethoven's biographer, suddenly stopped his work: he had come to a certain point in that honourable and simple life, and could stand it no longer. Moral: What sensible man nowadays writes one honest word about himself? He must already belong to the Order of Holy Foolhardiness. We are promised an autobiography of Richard Wagner; who doubts but that it would be a clever autobiography? Think, forsooth, of the grotesque horror which the Catholic priest Janssen aroused in Germany with his inconceivably square and harmless pictures of the German Reformation; what wouldn't people do if some real psychologist were to tell us about a genuine Luther, tell us, not with the moralist simplicity of a country priest or the sweet and cautious modesty of a Protestant historian, but say with the fearlessness of a Taine, that springs from force of character and not from a prudent toleration of force. (The Germans, by the bye, have already produced the classic specimen of this toleration—they may well be allowed to reckon him as one of their own, in Leopold Ranke, that born classical advocate of every causa fortior, that cleverest of all the clever opportunists.)

20.

But you will soon understand me.—Putting it shortly, there is reason enough, is there not, for us psychologists

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/173


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/174

150 nowadays never to get away from a certain mistrust of our own selves? Probably even we ourselves are still "too good" for our work; probably, whatever contempt we feel for this popular craze for morality, we ourselves are perhaps none the less its victims, prey, and slaves; probably it infects even us. Of what was that diplomat warning us, when he said to his colleagues: "Let us especially mistrust our first impulses, gentlemen! they are almost always good"? So should nowadays every psychologist talk to his colleagues. And thus we get back to our problem, which in point of fact does require from us a certain severity, a certain mistrust especially against "first impulses." The ascetic ideal in the service of projected emotional excess:—he who remembers the previous essay will already partially anticipate the essential meaning compressed into these above ten words. The thorough unswitching of the human soul, the plunging of it into terror, frost, ardour, rapture, so as to free it, as through some lightning shock, from all the smallness and pettiness of unhappiness, depression, and discomfort: what ways lead to this goal? And which of these ways does so most safely? . . . At bottom all great emotions have this power, provided that they find a sudden outlet—emotions such as rage, fear, lust, revenge, hope, triumph, despair, cruelty; and, in sooth, the ascetic priest has had no scruples in taking into his service the whole pack of hounds that rage in the human kennel, unleashing now these and now those, with the same constant of waking man out of his protracted melancholy, of chasing away, at any rate for a time, his dull pain, his shrinking misery, but always under the sanction

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/174


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/175

Rh of a religious interpretation and justification. This emotional excess has subsequently to be paid for, this is self-evident—it makes the ill more ill—and therefore this kind of remedy for pain is according to modern standards a "guilty" kind.

The dictates of fairness, however, require that we should all the more emphasise the fact that this remedy is applied with a good conscience, that the ascetic priest has prescribed it in the most implicit belief in its utility and indispensability;—often enough almost collapsing in the presence of the pain which he created;—that we should similarly emphasise the fact that the violent physiological revenges of such excesses, even perhaps the mental disturbances, are not absolutely inconsistent with the general tenor of this kind of remedy; this remedy, which, as we have shown previously, is not for the purpose of healing diseases, but of fighting the unhappiness of that depression, the alleviation and deadening of which was its object. The object was consequently achieved. The keynote by which the ascetic priest was enabled to get every kind of agonising and ecstatic music to play on the fibres of the human soul—was, as every one knows, the exploitation of the feeling of "guilt." I have already indicated in the previous essay the origin of this feeling—as a piece of animal psychology and nothing else: we were thus confronted with the feeling of "guilt," in its crude state, as it were. It was first in the hands of the priest, real artist that he was in the feeling of guilt, that it took shape—oh, what a shape!

"Sin"—for that is the name of the new priestly version of the animal "bad-conscience" (the inverted cruelty)—

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/175


text:
User:DeirdreAnne/scripts

 * See Also:
 * User:Inductiveload/InductiveBot information
 * User:Inductiveload
 * User:Phe/Scripts

My scripts
(ha!)

title: User:DeirdreAnne/scripts


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/176

152 has up to the present been the greatest event in the history of the diseased soul; in "sin" we find the most perilous and fatal masterpiece of religious interpretation. Imagine man, suffering from himself, some way or other but at any rate physiologically, perhaps like an animal shut up in a cage, not clear as to the why and the wherefore! imagine him in his desire for reasons—reasons bring relief—in his desire again for remedies, narcotics at last, consulting one, who knows even the occult—and see, lo and behold, he gets a hint from his wizard, the ascetic priest, his first hint on the "cause" of his trouble: he must search for it in himself, in his guiltiness, in a piece of the past, he must understand his very suffering as a state of punishment. He has heard, he has understood, has the unfortunate: he is now in the plight of a hen round which a line has been drawn. He never gets out of the circle of lines. The sick man has been turned into "the sinner"—and now for a few thousand years we never get away from the sight of this new invalid, of "a sinner"—shall we ever get away from it?—wherever we just look, everywhere the hypnotic gaze of the sinner always moving in one direction (in the direction of guilt, the only cause of suffering); everywhere the evil conscience, this "greuliche Thier," to use Luther's language; everywhere rumination over the past, a distorted view of action, the gaze of the "green-eyed monster" turned on all action: everywhere the wilful misunderstanding of suffering, its transvaluation into feelings of guilt, fear of retribution; everywhere the scourge, the hairy shirt, the starving body, contrition; everywhere the sinner

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/176


text:
Page:Language and the Study of Language.djvu/231

consideration of the processes of linguistic growth, and of their effects upon the condition of language and the rise of discordant tongues, was brought to a close in the preceding lecture with a brief discussion of certain erroneous views respecting original dialectic variety, and the influence exerted upon it by literary and grammatical cultivation. We then looked to see how and how far the principles which we had established could be applied to explain the seemingly infinite confusion of tongues now prevailing upon the earth, and to facilitate their classification and reduction to order. This led us to a recognition of our own language as one of a group of nearly related dialects, the Germanic group; and, on inquiring farther, we found that this was itself a member of a wider family, embracing nearly all the tongues of Europe, with a part of those of Asia, and. divided into seven principal branches: namely, the Indian, the Iranian, the Greek, the Latin, the Germanic, the Slavonic (including the Lithuanic, sometimes reckoned as a separate branch), and the Celtic. We called it the Indo-European family. At some place and time, which we were obliged to confess ourselves unable to determine with any


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/177

Rh himself on the ghastly wheel of a restless and morbidly eager conscience; everywhere mute pain, extreme fear, the agony of a tortured heart, the spasms of an unknown happiness, the shriek for "redemption." In point of fact, thanks to this system of procedure, the old depression, dullness, and fatigue were absolutely conquered, life itself became very interesting again, awake, eternally awake, sleepless, glowing, burnt away, exhausted and yet not tired—such was the figure cut by man, "the sinner," who was initiated into these mysteries. This grand old wizard of an ascetic priest fighting with depression—he had clearly triumphed, his kingdom had come: men no longer grumbled at pain, men panted after pain: "More pain! More pain!" So for centuries on end shrieked the demand of his acolytes and initiates. Every emotional excess which hurt; everything which broke, overthrew, crushed, transported, ravished; the mystery of torture-chambers, the ingenuity of hell itself—all this was now discovered, divined, exploited, all this was at the service of the wizard, all this served to promote the triumph of his ideal, the ascetic ideal. "My kingdom is not of this world," quoth he, both at the beginning and at the end: had he still the right to talk like that?—Goethe has maintained that there are only thirty-six tragic situations: we would infer from that, did we not know otherwise, that Goethe was no ascetic priest. He—knows more.

21.

So far as all this kind of priestly medicine-mongering,

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/177


text: Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Ames, Adelbert


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/178

154 the "guilty" kind, is concerned, every word of criticism is superfluous. As for the suggestion that emotional excess of the type, which in these cases the ascetic priest is fain to order to his sick patients (under the most sacred euphemism, as is obvious, and equally impregnated with the sanctity of his purpose), has ever really been of use to any sick man, who, forsooth, would feel inclined to maintain a proposition of that character? At any rate, some understanding should be come to as to the expression "be of use." If you only wish to express that such a system of treatment has reformed man, I do not gainsay it: I merely add that "reformed" conveys to my mind much as "tamed," "weakened," "discouraged," "refined," daintified," "emasculated" (and thus it means almost as much as injured). But when you have to deal principally with sick, depressed, and oppressed creatures, such a system, even granted that it makes the ill "better," under any circumstances also makes them more ill: ask the mad-doctors the invariable result of a methodical application of penance-torture, contritions, and salvation ecstasies. Similarly ask history. In every body politic where the ascetic priest has established this treatment of the sick, disease has on every occasion spread with sinister speed throughout its length and breadth. What was always the "result"? A shattered nervous system, in addition to the existing malady, and this in the greatest as in the smallest, in the individuals as in masses. We find, in consequence of the penance and redemption-training, awful epileptic epidemics, the greatest known to history, such as the St. Vitus and St. John dances of the

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/178


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/179

Rh Middle Ages; we find, as another phase of its after-effect, frightful mutilations and chronic depressions, by means of which the temperament of a nation or a city (Geneva, Bale) is turned once for all into its opposite;—this training, again, is responsible for the witch-hysteria, a phenomenon analogous to somnambulism (eight great epidemic outbursts of this only between 1564 and 1605);—we find similarly in its train those delirious death-cravings of large masses, whose awful "shriek," "evviva la morte!" was heard over the whole of Europe, now interrupted by voluptuous variations and anon by a rage for destruction, just as the same emotional sequence with the same intermittencies and sudden changes is now universally observed in every case where the ascetic doctrine of sin scores once more a great success (religious neurosis appears as a manifestation of the devil, there is no doubt of it. What is it? Quaeritur). Speaking generally, the ascetic ideal and its sublime-moral cult, this most ingenious, reckless, and perilous systematisation of all methods of emotional excess, is writ large in a dreadful and unforgettable fashion on the whole history of man, and unfortunately not only on history. I was scarcely able to put forward any other element which attacked the health and race efficiency of Europeans with more destructive power than did this ideal; it can be dubbed, without exaggeration, the real fatality in the history of the health of the European man. At the most you can merely draw a comparison with the specifically German influence: I mean the alcohol poisoning of Europe, which up to the present has kept pace exactly with the political and racial predominance of the Germans (where they

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/179


text:
Page:Language and the Study of Language.djvu/232

210 even tolerable degree of confidence—but more probably in Asia, and certainly not less than three thousand years before Christ—and in a condition of civilization respecting which the evidence of language furnished us valuable hints, some single community had spoken a single tongue, from which all these others were descended, in accordance with the universal laws of linguistic tradition, by processes which are still active in every part of human speech. And now, waiving for a while the question whether it may not be possible to regard the great Indo-European family itself as only a member of a yet vaster family, including all or nearly all the languages of the human race, we have, in the present lecture, to review more in detail its constitution, to note the period and locality of its constituent members, to glance at the special historical importance attaching to them and to the peoples who speak them, to set forth their value as the fundamental material of linguistic science, and to examine anew and more systematically the general method of linguistic research, as established upon their study.

We may best commence our survey of the varieties of Indo-European speech with our own branch, the Germanic. Its existing dialects, as has been already pointed out, are divided into three groups or sub-branches: 1, the Low-German, occupying northern Germany and the Netherlands, with their colony Britain, and with the numerous and widely-scattered modern colonies of Britain; 2, the High-German, in central and southern Germany; 3, the Scandinavian, in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. Of the Low-German group, the English is by far the most important member; its eventful history, illustrated at every step by valuable literary documents, we trace back, through Middle English (A.D. 1350-1550), Old English (A.D. 1250-1350), and Semi-Saxon (A.D. 1150-1250), to the Anglo-Saxon, which reaches into the seventh century of our era, possessing an antiquity exceeded by only one other Germanic dialect. Its earliest monuments, in their style and metre, and at least one of them, the Beowulf, in subject and substance also, carry us back to the pre-Christian period of Germanic history. We cannot delay here to enter into any detailed examination


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/180

156 inoculated their blood, there too did they inoculate their vice). Third in the series comes syphilis—magno sed proximo intervallo.

22.

The ascetic priest has, wherever he has obtained the mastery, corrupted the health of the soul, he has consequently also corrupted taste in artibus et litteris —he corrupts it still. "Consequently?" I hope I shall be granted this "consequently"; at any rate, I am not going to prove it first. One solitary indication, it concerns the arch-book of Christian literature, their real model, their "book-in-itself." In the very midst of the Graeco-Roman splendour, which was also a splendour of books, face to face with an ancient world of writings which had not yet fallen into decay and ruin, at a time when certain books were still to be read, to possess which we would give nowadays half our literature in exchange, at that time the simplicity and vanity of Christian agitators (they are generally called Fathers of the Church) dared to declare: "We too have our classical literature, we do not need that of the Greeks"—and meanwhile they proudly pointed to their books of legends, their letters of apostles, and their apologetic tractlets, just in the same way that to-day the English "Salvation Army" wages its fight against Shakespeare and other "heathens" with an analous literature. You already guess it, I do not like the "New Testament"; it almost upsets me that I stand so isolated in my taste so far as concerns this valued, this over-valued Scripture; the taste of two thousand years is

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/180


text: Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Ames, Oakes


text:
Page:Language and the Study of Language.djvu/233

VI.] of the character and changes of English speech, interesting and instructive as such a task would be; save so far as they have been and may hereafter be brought in by way of illustration of general linguistic laws, they must be left to more special treatises.

Next of kin with the Anglo-Saxon, or oldest form of English, are the ancient Frisian, of the northern sea-coast of Germany, which had, in the fourteenth century and later, a literature of its own, of juridical content, composed in an idiom of form little less antique than Old High-German, notwithstanding its comparatively modern date—and the Old Saxon, the principal language of northern Germany between the Rhine and the Elbe, represented to us by but a single work, the Heliand or 'Savior,' a poetical life of Christ, probably of the ninth century. Both Saxon and Frisian have been almost wholly crowded out of cultivated use in modern times, as was explained in a former lecture (see p. ), by the overpowering influence of the High German, and their domain has also been encroached upon by other dialects of the same kindred, so that they survive at present only as insignificant popular patois. Nothing but the political independence of Holland has saved its peculiar speech from the same fate: the literary cultivation of the Netherlandish or Dutch can be traced back to the thirteenth century, although dating chiefly from the sixteenth, the era of the country's terrible struggle against the political tyranny of Spain. The Flemish, the closely allied idiom of Flanders, has its own separate records, of about the same antiquity, but is now nearly extinct.

The history of High-German speech was succinctly sketched in connection with our inquiries into the rise and extension of literary dialects. It falls into three periods. The first period is that of the Old High-German (Althochdeutsch), from the eighth to the twelfth century; its monuments are tolerably abundant, but, with trifling exceptions, of Christian origin and religious content: they represent three


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/181

Rh against me; but what boots it! "Here I stand! I cannot help myself" —I have the courage of my bad taste. The Old Testament—yes, that is something quite different, all honour to the Old Testament! I find therein great men, an heroic landscape, and one of the rarest phenomena in the world, the incomparable naivete of the strong heart; further still, I find a people. In the New, on the contrary, just a hostel of petty sects, pure rococo of the soul, twisting angles and fancy touches, nothing but conventicle air, not to forget an occasional whiff of bucolic sweetness which appertains to the epoch (and the Roman province) and is less Jewish than Hellenistic. Meekness and braggadocio cheek by jowl; an emotional garrulousness that almost deafens; passionate hysteria, but no passion; painful pantomime; here manifestly every one lacked good breeding. How dare any one make so much fuss about their little failings as do these pious little fellows! No one cares a straw about it—let alone God. Finally they actually wish to have "the crown of eternal life," do all these little provincials! In return for what, in sooth? For what end? It is impossible to carry insolence any further. An immortal Peter! who could stand him! They have an ambition which makes one laugh: the thing dishes up cut and dried his most personal life, his melancholies, and common-or-garden troubles, as though the Universe itself were under an obligation to bother itself about them, for it never gets tired of wrapping up God Himself in the petty misery in which its

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/181


text:
Page:Language and the Study of Language.djvu/234

212 principal sub-dialects, the Frankish, the Alemannic and Swabian, and the Bavarian and Austrian. The second period, that of the Middle High-German (Mittelhochdeutsch), covers about four centuries, beginning with the twelfth and ending with the fifteenth; its ruling dialect is the Swabian; and its rich literature hands down to us valuable productions of the poetical fancy of the times, in the lyric verses of the Minnesingers, and precious memorials of ancient German national tradition, in the heroic legends (Heldensagen). The foremost work of the latter class, the Lay of the Nibelungen (Nibelungenlied), is one of the noblest epics which any country has produced, in any age of the world. Of the language and literature of the New High-German period, from early in the sixteenth century to our own times—the "German" language and literature, as we are accustomed to call it—there is no need that I speak more particularly.

The third subdivision of the Germanic branch is the Scandinavian. Its earliest monuments come to us from Iceland, that far-off and inhospitable island of volcanoes, boiling springs, and ice-fields, which, settled in the ninth century by refugees from Norway, long continued a free colony, a home of literary culture and legendary song. Cbristianity, more tolerant there than elsewhere on Germanic soil, did not sweep from existence the records of ancient religion and customs. The two Eddas, gathered or preserved to us from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, are, in virtue of their tone and content, by far the most primitive works in the whole circle of the Germanic literatures, documents of priceless value for the antiquity of the Germanic race. Their language also, though of so much more recent date than the oldest Anglo-Saxon and High-German, is not exceeded by either in respect to the primitiveness of its phonetic and grammatical form. Nor has it greatly changed during the six or seven centuries which have elapsed since the compilation of the Eddas. The modern Icelandic is still, among all the existing Germanic tongues, the one that has preserved and possesses the most of that original structure which once belonged to them all alike. Three other dialects, the Norwegian, the Swedish, and the Danish, constitute along with it the Scandinavian


text:
Page:Language and the Study of Language.djvu/235

VI.] group, and are languages of literary culture. They are not direct descendants of the "Old Norse" tongue, as the ancient Icelandic is usually called: the Norwegian comes nearest to being so; the others represent more ancient dialectic divisions of Scandinavian speech.

How many other Germanic branches, originally coördinate with the three we have described, once had existence, but have become extinct in later times, by the extinction of the communities who spoke them, we have not, nor shall we ever have, any means of knowing. But of one such, at least, most precious remains have escaped the general destruction of the nationality to which it belonged. One portion of the western division of the great and famous Gothic nation crossed the lower Danube, some time in the early part of the fourth century, and settled in the Roman province of Mœsia, as subjects of the empire and as Christians. For them, their bishop and leader, Ulfilas, later in the same century, made a translation into their own vernacular of nearly the whole Bible, writing it in an alphabet of his own devising, founded on the Greek. Five hundred years afterward, the Gothic was everywhere an extinct tongue; but considerable portions of the Gothic Scriptures—namely, a part of the Gospels, Paul's epistles nearly complete, and fragments of the Old Testament—are happily still preserved, in a single manuscript of the fifth century, now at Upsala, in Sweden. Scanty as these relics may be, they are of inestimable value in illustrating the history of the whole Germanic branch of Indo-European language, and bridging over the distance which separates it from the other branches. For, as in time, so still more notably in material and structure, their idiom is much the most ancient of all the varied forms of Germanic speech: it is not, indeed, the mother of the rest, nor of any among them; but it is their eldest sister, and fully entitled to claim the place of head of their family.

The Slavonian branch—to which, on account of its local vicinity, as well as its probable nearer relationship, to the Germanic, we next turn our attention—need not occupy us long. It is of much less interest to us, because of its greater remoteness from our race and from our knowledge, its inferior


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/182

158 troubles are involved. And how about the atrocious form of this chronic hobnobbing with God? This Jewish, and not merely Jewish, slobbering and clawing importunacy towards God!—There exist little despised "heathen nations" in East Africa, from whom these first Christians could have learnt something worth learning, a little tact in worshipping; these nations do not allow themselves to say aloud the name of their God. This seems to me delicate enough, it is certain that it is too delicate, and not only for primitive Christians; to take a contrast, just recollect Luther, the most "eloquent" and insolent peasant whom Germany has had, think of the Lutherian tone, in which he felt quite the most in his element during his tete-a-tetes with God. Luther's opposition to the mediaeval saints of the Church (in particular, against "that devil's hog, the Pope"), was, there is no doubt, at bottom the opposition of a boor, who was offended at the good etiquette of the Church, that worship-etiquette of the sacerdotal code, which only admits to the holy of holies the initiated and the silent, and shuts the door against the boors. These definitely were not to be allowed a hearing in this planet—but Luther the peasant simply wished it otherwise; as it was, it was not German enough for him. He personally wished himself to talk direct, to talk personally, to talk "straight from the shoulder" with his God. Well, he's done it. The ascetic ideal, you will guess, was at no time and in no place, a school of good taste, still less of good manners—at the best it was a school for sacerdotal manners: that is, it contains in itself something which was a deadly enemy to all good

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/182


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods

 * Chapter 1 – King Zhou and Goddess Nu Wa
 * Chapter 2 – The Rebellion of Su Hu
 * Chapter 3 – Daji Enters the Palace
 * Chapter 4 – The Fox Sprite Murders Daji
 * Chapter 5 – Cloud Dweller Presents a Pine Wood Sword
 * Chapter 6 – The Burning Pillar Torture
 * Chapter 7 – Fei Zhong Plots to Depose the Queen
 * Chapter 8 – Princes Take Flight
 * Chapter 9 – The Prime Minister's Resolve
 * Chapter 10 – The Discovery of Thunderquaker
 * Chapter 11 – The Ill-Fortunes of the Grand Dukes
 * Chapter 12 – The Birth of Nezha
 * Chapter 13 – Combat Between Two Fairies
 * Chapter 14 – Reincarnation with Lotus Flowers
 * Chapter 15 – Jiang Ziya Leaves Mount Kunlun
 * Chapter 16 – Burning the Jade Lute Specter
 * Chapter 17 – The Serpent Pit
 * Chapter 18 – Flight From Morning Song
 * Chapter 19 – Gifts to the King
 * Chapter 20 – San Yisheng Bribes the Corrupt Courtiers
 * Chapter 21 – Flight Through the Five Passes
 * Chapter 22 – Return of the Duke
 * Chapter 23 – Dream of a Flying Bear
 * Chapter 24 – From Fisherman to Prime Minister
 * Chapter 25 – Banquet for Specters in the Palace
 * Chapter 26 – Daji Plots Revenge
 * Chapter 27 – Return of the Grand Old Master
 * Chapter 28 – Punitive Expedition Against the North Grand Dukedom
 * Chapter 29 – Clash Between Two Grand Dukes

 * Chapter 30 – Incidents Leading to a Rebellion
 * Chapter 31 – Flight and Pursuit
 * Chapter 32 – Meeting Between Father and Son
 * Chapter 33 – The Battle at Sishui Pass
 * Chapter 34 – Good and Bad Fortune of Yellow Flying Tiger
 * Chapter 35 – The Surrender of Two Generals
 * Chapter 36 – First Disaster Within the Western Foothills
 * Chapter 37 – Jiang Ziya Visits Mount Kunlun
 * Chapter 38 – Baby Tooth Tackles Four Superiormen
 * Chapter 39 – Lu Xiong Assists Zhang Guifang
 * Chapter 40 – Phoenix City's Great Siege
 * Chapter 41 – Grand Old Master Wen Zhong Attacks the Western Foothills
 * Chapter 42 – Surrender of the Bandit Chiefs
 * Chapter 43 – The Grand Old Master's Bad Luck
 * Chapter 44 – Jiang Ziya's Souls Float Over Mount Kunlun
 * Chapter 45 – Confronting the Destructive Forces
 * /Chapter 46/
 * Chapter 47 – Zhao Gongming, the Conqueror of Sun and Moon
 * Chapter 48 – Lu Ya's Gourd of Supreme Light
 * Chapter 49 – King Wu in the Red Sand Trap
 * Chapter 50 – The Yellow River Trap
 * Chapter 51 – The Final Resolve of Grand Old Master Wen Zhong
 * Chapter 52 – Fall of the Legendary Hero
 * Chapter 53 – Wrath of Commander Deng Jiugong
 * Chapter 54 – The Master Burrower Earth Traveler Sun
 * Chapter 55 – Submission of Earth Traveler Sun
 * Chapter 56 – The Conflict for the sake of Reputation

 * Chapter 57 – The Resolve of Su Hu
 * Chapter 58 – Lu Yue, the God of the Plague
 * Chapter 59 – Awakening of the Left Arm of Successorship
 * Chapter 60 – The Three-"handed" Beast Fights under the Veil of Princely Repute
 * Chapter 61 – The Left Arm Vanishes Upon a Celestial Bridge of Flame
 * Chapter 62 – The Golden-Winged Celestial Inherits the Will of Shang
 * Chapter 63 – The Right Arm of Supremacy Awakens from the Land of Deceit
 * Chapter 64 – With the Left Arm of Fire, Yin Jiao's Ambition Tears Apart the House of Zhou
 * Chapter 65 – The Will of a Million is Shattered by Four
 * Chapter 66 – A Hero Vows Redemption Upon a Moonlighten Night; A Dragon of Justice Rises from a Sea Filled with Shame
 * Chapter 67 – The Outspoken Warrior is Granted Honors of Lordship; Royalty and Justice Become Twisted to Circumstance
 * Chapter 68 – Two Hermits Stop the Army
 * Chapter 69 – Trouble at the Golden Chicken Range
 * Chapter 70 – Subjugation of the Peacock
 * Chapter 71 – The Offensive on Three Routes
 * Chapter 72 – Grand Completion at the Green Touring Palace
 * Chapter 73 – Yellow Flying Tiger Defeated at the Green Dragon Pass
 * Chapter 74 – Combat Between Two Generals
 * Chapter 75 – An Attempted Theft Ends in Failure
 * Chapter 76 – The Occupation of Sishui Pass
 * Chapter 77 – Transformation Into Three Fairies
 * /The Ten Crucible Battle Formation/

封神演義

title: Portal:Investiture of the Gods


text:
Page:Best Russian Short Stories.djvu/199

Rh No, indeed, I said it must be made and made right—for Mrs. Zarubkin, it must be better than for any one else. That's the way I feel about it."

"Splendid! Just what I wanted to know."

"But why don't you show me your material? Why don't you say to me, 'Here, Abramka, here is the stuff, make a dress?' Abramka would work on it day and night."

"Ahem, that's just it—I can't order it. That is where the trouble comes in. Tell me, Abramka, what is the shortest time you need for making the dress? Listen, the very shortest?"

Abramka shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, is a week too much for a ball dress such as you will want? It's got to be sewed, it can't be pasted together. You, yourself, know that, Mrs. Zarubkin."

"But supposing I order it only three days before the ball?"

Abramka started.

"Only three days before the ball? A ball dress? Am I a god, Mrs. Zarubkin? I am nothing but the ladies' tailor, Abramka Stiftik."

"Well, then you are a nice tailor!" said Tantyana Grigoryevna, scornfully. "In Moscow they made a ball dress for me in two days."

Abramka jumped up as if at a shot, and beat his breast.

"Is that so? Then I say, Mrs. Zarubkin," he cried pathetically, "if they made a ball gown for you in Moscow in two days, very well, then I will make a ball gown for you, if I must, in one day. I will neither eat nor sleep, and I won't let my help off either for one minute. How does that suit you?"

"Sit down, Abramka, thank you very much. I hope I shall not have to put such a strain on you. It really does not depend upon me, otherwise I should have ordered the dress from you long ago."

"It doesn't depend upon you? Then upon whom does it depend?"

"Ahem, it depends upon—but now, Abramka, remember


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 1

The beginning of Investiture of the Gods (chapter 1) is titled "King Zhou and Goddess Nu Wa". One day, King Da Yi—first king of the Shang Dynasty of China—was walked through the royal gardens to gaze at the great beauty all around him. Suddenly, the Flying Cloud Pavilion collapsed. As a single beam from the pavilion fell towards the king, Prince Zi Shou grabbed hold of the beam and threw it aside. Some of the royal ministers, including Shan Rong and Mei Bo, witnessed the strength that the prince possessed. They advised the king to name Zi Shou his heir apparent. Thus following the death of King Da Yi, Prince Zi Shou was crowned 'King Zhou' and became the new ruler of the Shang Dynasty within its new capital: Morning Song. After seven years of prosperity within the Shang Dynasty, etchings of evil tyranny began to evolve in the heart of King Zhou.

The first rebellion took place on the second month of the seventh year of King Zhou's reign. Grand Old Master Wen Zhong, the head of civil affairs, personally rode out upon his great dragon to subdue it in the North Sea district. The following day prime minister Shang Rong asked the king to head to the temple of Nu Wa to make an offering celebrating Nu Wa's birthday. King Zhou agreed and he departed with his entourage from the capital's gates for the temple of Nu Wa. As King Zhou enjoyed the temple's immense scenery, he gazed into the eyes of Goddess Nu Wa - who sat behind a celestial curtain. Overtaken by her unparalleled beauty, King Zhou used his ink brush to write a poem of her glory upon a pillar within the temple. Shang Rong reproached the king, saying that a love poem to a goddess could bring disaster, but King Zhou replied that it was an ode to her beauty and thus could not give offense.

After the king and his entourage had returned to the capital, Nu Wa saw the poem as a sexual overture and immediately vowed to destroy the Shang Dynasty for the king's impurity and impudence. Once she had arrived at Morning Song atop her phoenix, Nu Wa realized that King Zhou was destined to rule another twenty years; so, she left in a rage. We she arrived at her temple, she summoned her three right-hand sprites: Daji, a thousand year-old female fox; Splendor, a nine-headed female pheasant; and Jade, a female lute. Once summoned, Goddess Nu Wa told them to transform themselves into beautiful women in order to distract King Zhou from his state affairs. That way, Zhou would be overthrown by mortal means and not offend destiny. Back in Morning Song, King Zhou would sit atound pining for the incredible, unattainable beauty that Nu Wa possessed, refusing to perform any action until he could attain her as one of his lovers. One of the royal ministers, Fei Zhong, suggested to the king that one-hundred women should be taken from each of the four Grand Dukes so that he may have an opportunity to find a woman that ranked in beauty with Nu Wa. With the possibility of relief in sight, King Zhou could finally sleep and began his preparations the following day.

Categorized Events

 * Reign of the Shang Dynasty; King Da Yi's strole within his garden
 * King Da Yi's passing; Prince Zi Shou becomes King Zhou
 * Grand Old Master set's out to subdue rebellion at North Sea; Nu Wa's birthday
 * Entering of Nu Wa's temple; King Zhou's representative poem of unattainable beauty
 * Rage of Nu Wa; summoning forth of the three sacred sprites
 * King Zhou's depression; Fei Zhong's Grand Duke one-hundred women suggestion

封神演義/卷001


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 2

This chapter is titled "The Rebellion of Su Hu". In the morning, King Zhou wrote a letter to the four Grand Dukes ordering them each to bring one-hundred of the most beautiful virgins in their duchies to the royal palace. Prime Minister Shang Rong told the king that this would only anger people and give rise to another rebellion, so King Zhou withdrew the edict immediately.

The following summer, eight-hundred marquises came to offer their allegiance to the Shang Dynasty. Ministers Fei Zhong and You Hun, who had become extremely influential in court after the departure of Grand Old Master Wen, began asking for presents and bribes from the marquises. However, Su Hu, Marquis of Jizhou, refused to give them anything because of the strength of his character. This angered Fei Zhong and You Hun.

At the end of the year, the kingdom's marquises and dukes arrived at Morning Song to kiss the ring. The four grand dukes were brought before King Zhou and fully honored for great diligence in their duties. After the four dukes had been well-feasted throughout the day, King Zhou returned to his inner chambers and to discuss the state of the kingdom with his two favorite ministers: Fei Zhong and You Hun. Seeing an opportunity to put Su Hu in his place, Fei Zhong told the king that Su Hu's decision-making was becoming suspect. Coincidentally, Su Hu had a gorgeous daughter and if the king married her, it would secure Su Hu's loyalty.

Su Hu was summoned to the Dragon Virtue Court. There, King Zhou said that if he gave his daughter to the king as a wife, Su Hu would be granted great wealth, rank, and recognition within the dynasty of Shang. Su Hu categorically refused and ranted about the king's lack of virtue. Zhou flew into a rage and had Su Hu arrested. Fei Zhong suggested that the king release Su Hu and publicly forgive him, demonstrating his generosity and care for his people. Such a gesture, Fei Zhong continued, would make Su Hu's daughter all the easier to attain. Calming down a bit, King Zhou agreed and had Su Hu mrely expelled from court.

On his way back to Jizhou, Su Hu weighed his options. One the one hand, if he handed his daughter over to the king, he would be seen as a hypocrite. On the other hand, if he refused, the king would eventually send the army to his prefecture to prevent any further acts of defiance. Su Hu couldn't bear to compromise his morals, so he decided that the best course of action was to go on the offensive. He began to gather his own forces and wrote a poem condemning the Shang dynasty on the Meridian Gate in Morning Song.

When King Zhou saw the defiant poem, he ordered a force of six armies to be placed under his command so the he could attack Jizhou. General Lu Xiong suggested an alternative: The Grand Duke of the North, Chong Houhu, and the Grand Duke of the West, Ji Chang, could lead a joint force against Su Hu's city instead. The order was given, but Ji Chang decided to stay in the capital and investigate what would make a loyal nobleman like Su Hu suddenly turn rebel. Chong Houhu, however, immediately marched on Jizhou.

Once Su Hu received word that an army was incoming, he ordered his men to prepare for a siege. An intelligence officer told Su Hu that it was Chong Houhu that led the army and that he had agreed to do it solely because the king had ordered it. Su Hu had thought better of Chong Houhu. As the siege began, Su Hu presented himself to Chong Houhu and explained why he had rebelled, but Grand Duke of the North wouldn't hear it. He sent General Mei Wu to kill Su Hu, but Mei Wu was intercepted by Su Quanzhong, Su Hu's eldest son. After twenty rounds of fierce combat, Su Quanzhong killed Mei Wu. With the first victory going to Jizhou, the grand melee began and Su Hu's army forced Chong Houhu into a retreat. Once the army had returned to the city, they hatched a plan to surprise attack Ching's fortifications and break his morale and, hopefully, gain support from neighboring territories; possibly even the other Grand Dukes.

Back at his camp, Chong Houhu started drinking and hoped that Ji Chang would arrive to reinforce him. In the night, Su Hu's forces attacked the camp and slaughtered countless Shang soldiers. Chong Houhu, fearing for his life, went to blade to blade with Su Hu. However, his line broke and his forces began fleeing en masse. Su Hu called off the pursuit after 20 li. Chong attempted to re-establish a defensive position, while a messenger ran to the capital to summon Ji Chang. But not all of the Jizhou forces had fallen back. Su Quanzhong ambushed Chong's army before they could establish defenses. Quanzhong, great dragon glaive in hand, was intent on killing Chong personally. He killed three Sheng generals and wounded Chong's son, Yingbiao, before the loyalist army could escape his soldiers.

In the morning, Quanzhong returned home to regale his father with the story of his victory. Su Hu was overjoyed by his son's strength and military prowess. Now, plans for their next move needed to be made.

封神演義/卷002


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 3

This chapter is titled "Daji Enters the Palace". As Chong Houhu thus regrouped his remaining forces, he'd grieve at their many past losses and what was yet to unfold. After General Huang Yuanji stated to the commander that it would currently be best to ask Ji Chang for reinforcements, Chong Houhu resolutely refused less the latter would be punished by the king for not already offering his promised assistance. Once word came out that a large military force was heading in their direction at an immense pace, Chong Houhu realized that it was none other than his younger brother, the renowned Black Tiger Chong Heihu, Marquis of Caozhou. With a total of twenty-three thousand soldiers, Chong Heihu declared assistance to his elder brother and thus left to Jizhou. As Su Hu attained report on Black Tiger's arrival, he sat in utter frustration over the former's ability to use magic. Su Quanzhong, however, would express little fear towards Black Tiger's magic renown and thus left the city to due battle with the latter. Even though Black Tiger arrived to simply discuss the situation with his old friend Su Hu, Sun Quanzhong inisted to do nothing more than clash blades with the former after hearing of his physical prowess. Once the former and latter had thus began their duel, Sun Quanzhong would notice a large gourd present on Black Tiger's back—but would continue to lash his dragon slave forward with one resolve in mind: Chong Heihu's capture. With little other choice, Black Tiger opened his gourd which signaled countless heavenly eagles to swoop down and peck their beaks into Su's flesh while black smoke oozed from his gourd profusely.

After hearing of his son's capture, Su Hu flew into unparalleled frustration and thus concluded it best to kill himself by the sword after slaying his wife and daughter—lest they were to be killed once being taken prisoners following his defeat. With such a thought in mind, Su Hu would present himself before his daughter with sword in hand utterly determined to preserve his honor until the very end. Just at this critical point in time, Black Tiger's second arrival was reported to Su Hu -- and the latter thus made defensive preparations for the pass immediately. Black Tiger, who only intended on consulting with Su Hu, had no choice but to return to the Shang camp in frustration. Due to the former's continued obstinance, the supply lines were secretly cut off at set intervals as to prevent Jizhou from attaining their needed provisions. Within this moment of besiegement, Zheng Lun arrived and challenged Black Tiger with due determination. During their vigorous clash, Zheng Lun became aware of the latter's large gourd atop his back and thus deployed his own magical ability: the soul stealing beams, from his nostrils immediately. As Black Tiger was presented before Su Hu following his capture, he became grateful at the former's courtesy and thus took the place of honor. Once Chong Houhu had attained word of his brother's condition, San Yisheng, supreme minister under Ji Chang, arrived and told the former that a letter of exhortion should be sent to Su Hu stating that he is to give up his daughter on the condition that he reattains the title of Marquis of Jizhou -- which would save the people from further suffering. Following Chong Houhu's consention, San Yisheng appeared before Jizhou and handed Ji Chang's letter to Su Hu immediately. Upon the reading of this letter, Su Hu became instantly enlightened at the West Grand Duke's rationale—and thus consented with great happiness and feasting. After asking San Yisheng to deliver his reply to Ji Chang with gifts of fine gold and satin, Su Hu made preparations to personally escort his daughter to the capital's palace.

封神演義/卷003


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 4

This chapter is titled "The Fox Sprite Murders Daji". As Su Hu took leave from Jizhou, Black Tiger promised to the former that he would return his son immediately after arriving back at camp. With reciprocated dignity, both Su Hu and Black Tiger headed their separate ways to mark their conflict's true conclusion. Once Black Tiger had arrived back at the Shang camp, he explained the resolution of Su Hu and thoroughly reprimanded his elder brother for his disgraceful incompetence—vowing to never see him again. With Black Tiger now returning to Caozhou, Chong Houhu felt immense shame and embrassment at his former actions and would thus return to his dukedom immediately after filing a report to King Zhou. After Su Hu met with his newly freed son, Su Quanzhong, and explained to him about leadership over Jizhou while he was away, the former would enter the inner palace to discuss the situation with his wife. The next morning, Su Hu, and his tearful-eyed daughter, Daji, would head out in a carriage with three-thousand soldiers and five-hundred officers to make quick pace to the capital. Following the passage of many days Su Hu and his entourage would arrive at a courier station within Enzhou and stay their for the night. However, their had been a rumor of an evil sprite that was lurking within this station for the past few years, and Su Hu thus constantly exchanged moments of reading his book of military strategy to ensuring his daughter's safety throughout the night -- never daring to sleep for a single moment. Suddenly during the second watch at night, each candle flickered constantly throughout the halls and people screamed at the sight of a supposed ghost flying about.

Immediately with due vigor, Su Hu grabbed his iron staff and rushed to Daji's rear hall room—but his lamp would suddenly burn out forcing him to order a new lamp with due haste. Upon the entering of his daughter's room, he would be overjoyed to hear that she was only recently awoken once her father rushed into her room. As Su Hu thus returned to his room in relief at such a good omen that his daughter remained safe, little did he realize that the thousand-year fox had already seized Daji's body once Su Hu was busy attaining his secondary lamp. After several days following their setting out from Enzhou, Su Hu and his entourage would finally arrive at Morning Song and present themselves before Prince Yellow Flying Tiger. Once Su Hu had thus stationed his troops outside the city while Daji remained in the Golden Reception House, Fei Zhong and You Hun became angry at their lack of presents from the former following his arrival -- and thus successfully encouraged King Zhou to put him to death the following day. As the following day arrived, Su Hu presented himself before the king in convictual robes stating that he deserves death for his past defiance. With Shang Rong's immediate defense, Fei Zhong declared that if Su Hu's daughter is indeed very beautiful, she would be taken in while the former is freed; but if she lacks eloquentness on the contrary, both of their heads should be displayed before the city's gates. As Daji thus bowed before the king with her full condolencses, the latter could barely control his inner lust and amazement at her collosal beauty and elegance. After immediately pardoning Su Hu for his crimes and placing him back at his original rank, King Zhou took Daji's hand and headed back to the Fairy Longevity Palace to fully enjoy his first night with her. With greatly displeased ministers, civil and military affairs were continuously ignored throughout the future as King Zhou enjoyed great pleasure with Daji from time to time. By thus setting aside exceedingly urgent matters, it seemed as if the Shang Dynasty itself was rapidly sinking into chaos...

封神演義/卷004


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 5

This chapter is dubbed as "Cloud Dweller Presents a Pine Wood Sword". This would be the first chapter in which true chaos began to spread within the Shang Dynasty because of the King's new treasured concubine, Daji. In reality, this girl named Daji was truly killed and possessed by a fox specter, who plans on destroying the dynasty through Nu Wa's orders. When this chapter had begun, the man by the name of Cloud Dweller had currently been searching around Tiger peak for medicinal herbs. After this renowned dweller of the clouds realized that their had been a thousand year old vixen in human form—as Daji—present within the kingdom, the dweller would tell his pupil to prepare for him a wooden sword—a sword that would sicken the vixen to death after a period of time. After officials such as the Number One Grand Counselor Mei Bo had discussed the major issue of the kingdom with his fellow officials, it was soon decided that a large gong would be beaten and all officials of the kingdom would gather before the king as to show their dedication. After the annoyed King Zhou entered from his room to meet his "boring officials", he would not be in any mood to listen and only wished to return to his precious Daji. Both the Prime Minister and the Vice Prime Minister called out to their king, "Sire! Our kingdom is in trouble. There are uncontrolled floods and droughts. The populace is suffering and restless. All the memoranda from the dukes have not been attended to. Your Majesty has not come for months to the morning assembly. Many urgent matters await your decision." The king would generally turn a deaf ear to his officials primarily out of his ignorance. After Cloud Dweller appears present before Zhou and engages in a long conversation, he departs and tells the king to hang his wooden sword over the door of the Longevity Palace. Thus, the chapter then ends following the departure of both the king and all of his officials. At the very end of this chapter however, the sword would be burned through Daji's orders -- it was mysteriously making her deathly ill.

Categorized Events

 * The introduction of Cloud Dweller - a man who believes strongly in the Taoist ways.
 * Beginning chaos of Shang Dynasty - the ignored officials
 * Arrival of Cloud Dweller - presentation of wooden sword
 * Uneasy premonitions of King Zhou
 * Burning of the wooden sword

封神演義/卷005


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 7

This chapter is titled "Fei Zhong Plots to Depose the Queen". Following Queen Jiang's arrival at the Fairy Longevity Palace, she was approached by Daji with a single courteous bow before being escorted into the court. With the king thus fully enjoying the night by his queen's side, Daji began to dance with great eloquence and beauty. Not enjoying this stay by her husband's side, Queen Jiang reprimanded King Zhou for his continued deludeness—and thus left the personal chambers of the court. Being rather angry and depressed over the queen's sudden words, King Zhou asked his precious Daji if she could dance once more to his delight. Falling to the floor with tears in her eyes, Daji exclaimed her worry towards the kingdom if the queen reported her actions to other ministers and nobles -- resulting in her own death. The king, now exceedingly angry, ensured to Daji that he would dispose of the queen shortly to ensure her safety. On the first day of the following month, Queen Jiang received congratulations from the royal concubines as a monthly custom. With Daji prostrating herself before the Queen, she was thoroughly humiliated over the former's words before taking her own leave. For being rebuked by the Queen so wrathfully in front of two other concubines, Daji discussed with Gun Juan, her maidservant, about how Queen Jiang should effectively be killed and replaced. As King Zhou and Daji enjoyed the scenery of the gardens the following day, Fei Zhong attained a report on Daji's lust to kill Queen Jiang and thus pondered through night and day to think of a method—lest he were to be eventually killed for refusing her decree. Gazing outside his window, Fei Zhong noticed a tall bulky man by the name of Jiang Huan of East Lu that had come to repay the former with due respect and gratitude for his past consideration. With a plan now formed in his mind upon the latter's arrival, Fei Zhong immediately told Jiang Huan what to do while informing Daji in addition. After being told to attend state affairs the following day by Daji, King Zhou was suddenly attacked by a disguised Jiang Huan—saying he shall replace his own father as king for the sake of the Shang Dynasty's preservation. As Jiang lashed at the king with his dagger, he was brushed back immediately by royal guards and effectively captured.

Once Fei Zhong volunteered to personally interrogate the captive on the issue upon the entering of the Grand Hall, he reported to King Zhou shortly that the latter was a general under the Eastern Grand Duke—Queen Jiang's father. This duke had been ordered by Queen Jiang to put the king to death so that he could take the throne. After thus appointing Concubine Huang as Chief Justice for this case, King Zhou angrily charged back into the Fairy Longevity Palace asking about the issue with countless ministers. Not attaining any true knowledge of such a complicated incident, King Zhou passed an oral decree via the court herald onto Queen Jiang stating that she is to appear at the West Palace for trial immediately. Following her arrival at the palace, Queen Jian pleaded her innocence personally to Lady Huang. As the former's words were accurately told to King Zhou himself, Daji came forth from the shadows stating that the queen is simply pushing her own blames upon others with additional falsehood. It was thus decided that if Queen Jiang didn't confess the truth about the matter, one of her eyes would be gauged out as punishment. Lady Huang, who immediately ran to the Queen telling her to confess a false statement, simply gazed forth as a royal guard plucked one of the latter's eyes out after refusing the former's request with due resolve. King Zhou, who became fearful of an attack by the Eastern Grand Duke or great condemnation from his ministers, was told by Daji that Queen should most reassuringly tell the truth after having her hands burnt to ashes by a boiling brass dipper. As such an action was resentfully decreed by the king, Queen Jiang sternly refused once more to confess any such crime -- and thus lost her hands to the dipper in short time. Regaining her strength after watching such a cruel scene, Lady Huang informed the king about her continued reluctance. In the former's great worry, Daji suggested to the king that Queen Jiang should be brought together to be tried with the accused Jiang Huan.

封神演義/卷007


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 8

This chapter is titled "Princes Take Flight". As Jiang Huan and Queen Jiang were thus placed before the West Palace together, the Queen and Lady Huan wrathfully rebuked Huan for his evil treachery. At this same point in time, Crown Prince Yin Jiao and Yin Hong, who were playing chess, were immediately informed by Yang Rong of the current situation—and thus ran to the Western Palace in quick pace to meet with their mother. Gazing at their mother laying forth in a large pool of blood, the queen stated her final words to the crown prince to attain revenge before uttering one last breath before death. In unparalleled blood lust towards his mother's death, Yin Jiao grabbed his sword and sliced the neighboring Jiang Huan into two pieces after being informed of the latter's treachery. Once Yin Jiao had impulsively shouted his additional desire to kill Daji, Chao Tian and Chao Lei—dubbed as the "Chao Twins"—immediately ran to the king at the Fairy Longevity Palace in fear and elaborated the crown prince's intentions. In resoundful rage, King Zhou handed the Chao Twins his Dragon-Phoenix sword to personally put an end to both princes through decapitation. With the twins thus heading to the Eastern Palace, Lady Huang heard the king's newest decree and quickly told the two princes to take shelter with Concubine Yang at the Fragrant Palace for a few days. As the princes thus arrived at Concubine Yang's residence, Chao Tiang and Chao Lei arrived shortly for inspection—but were barked away for their rude insolence. After the princes left to a greater area of safety—the Grand Hall with Yellow Flying Tiger—Concubine Yang decided to hang herself less she were to be found out at a later time that she sheltered the princes. At this same point in time Lady Huang informed King Zhou of Queen Jiang's last saying before death, and the Chao Twins were ordered to head to the Grand Hall after elaborating their past failure. The princes arrived shortly before the Grand Hall and were met by Yellow Flying Tiger and many other ministers who angrily vowed to see His Majesty after hearing the former's unfortunate story.

Once Fang Bi and Fang Xiang—dubbed as the "Fang Brothers"—roared into the Grand Hall stating that King Zhou should be overthrown for his blatant tyranny, Yellow Flying Tiger and others stood silent in great frustration if such an action would truly be right. In justice's name, the two fang brothers each grabbed hold of one prince and charged forth from the palace gates stating boldy that they would escort the two princes to East Lu before raising their own army to uproot the evil tyrant. As each minister sat in astonishment at what had just taken place, Yellow Flying Tiger solely stood forth in admiration of the Fang Brothers' exceeded loyalty. With the immediate arrival of the Chao Twins, they were informed of the incident with the Fang Brothers; being in a difficult situation, the two headed to see King Zhou in quick pace. After ensuring Yellow Flying Tiger with this task, the former headed out alone atop his divine Rainbow Ox. Following his immediate arrival before the two princes in the wilderness, he pleaded for the two children to put an end to their own lives; for if he were to kill them himself, his conscience would never be the same; but if he were to refuse the king's order, he would receive death. After Prince Yellow Flying Tiger sat in frustration, he told Fang Bi to head to Jiang Huanchu at East Lu with the two princes while Fang Xiang was to see E Chongyu to encourage him to lead a two-directional force against the capital with the former. Handing Fang Bi his jade pendant as an expense, he headed back to the capital to report his failure—to the ministers' delight. Upon his report to King Zhou that evening, Daji suggested to the king that two generals should be sent immediately that night to pursue the two brothers with three-thousand soldiers in assistance. Once these two less generals—Yin and Lei—approached Yellow Flying Tiger that night, the latter ensured their supply of men and horses to be ready at the fifth watch the following morning—less his plans were to be foiled. Being equipped with old and infirmed men the next morning as soldiers, the two generals simply sighed to themselves with the knowledge that they had no other choice but to continue

Traveling for the past two days with the young princes, the four individuals arrived at a fork in the road: one direction leading east, and the other leading south. The Fang Brothers decided it best that the two princes solely traveled either paths while they both traveled to the west; for the precious jade piece given by Yellow Flying Tiger may be a risky expense less anyone in the future realized who it truly belonged to. Thus telling the princes their resolution, they informed them that they will take refuge in any neighboring dukedom along the way and join their vanguard upon it's future advance to Morning Song. Following their tearful farewell, Yin Jiao declared that he will continue to head east until he meets with his grandfather, and Yin Hong should head to the south. Once his grandfather were to begin his troop mobilization upon the capital, Yin Jiao promised to inform his younger brother of his route so that he could additionally join in the attack. Thus parting their separate ways, Yin Hong arrived shortly at a small village and sat down to eat a meal after declaring to the cottagers that he was none other than the younger son of King Zhou. Following his immediate leave once paying his obeisance, Yin Hong entered the Temple of Emperor Xuanyuan along his way and slept their for the night in comfort. While Yin Jiao meanwhile continued his journey towards East Lu, he found himself in front of a Grand Tutor's mansion -- as displayed from a board hanging from its gate. Being late into the night, the prince decided it best to rest at this mansion for now while he resumes early into the following morning. Knocking continuously without any answer, Yin Jiao decided to open the gates where he heard someone reciting over a poem. Walking closer and elaborting the reason upon his arrival, Yin Jiao entered the mansion and saw none other than former Prime Minister Shang Rong standing before him to his immense surprise. As Shang Rong sat down to listen to the prince's story, he stamped his foot in unparalleled rage—and thus vowed to Yin Jiao that he would return to the capital with the former and directly petition His Majesty to abandon his course of action to save the kingdom. With Shang Rong thus forming his petition, Generals Yin and Lei meanwhile decided to split their forces into two--one halve leaving the east, and the other to the south—after arriving at the original tripe fork road. Thus leaving their separate directions, they decided to meet at this specific fork road as an area of regroup after the princes were captured.

封神演義/卷008


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 9

This chapter is titled "The Prime Minister's Resolve". As General Lei continued to the south from day to night, the majority of his soldiers fell off their saddles in their tiredness; and a command for rest was thus ensued. With the intention to rest at a village for the night, a section of his soldiers roamed about through the pine forest to eventually find the Temple of Xuanyuan. Upon the entering of this temple, General Lei smiled in immense delight as he saw none other than prince Yin Hong sleeping soundly before him. Awaking the prince immediately, he allowed the former to personally use his horse on their travel back to the three-staked road. Meanwhile after two days of travel, General Yin arrived at a small village by the name of Fengyun where he noticed the residence of Shang Rong nearby. Upon his entering of this residence, it was decided that Yin Jiao would personally ride together with General Yin back to the capital while Shang Rong heads to the former location at a later time less Yin were to be accused of private dealings with Shang Rong in the future. As Generals Yin and Lei thus regrouped at the three-forked road in due happiness over their success, Yin Hong and Yin Jiao wept together for their unfortunate situation. Following their arrival back to the capital, Yellow Flying Tiger ground his teeth in explosive rage, declaring that he would personally slay Generals Yin and Lei with his sword before they ever were to be recognized for their one-sided merit. Ordering all ministers to quickly gather before the palace gates in defense for the two princes, Yin and Lei meanwhile attained a written report from King Zhou to put them both to death before the gates in quick pace. Seeing such a report, Supreme Minister Zhao Qi grabbed it from their hands and tore it to many pieces in his rage. Continuing in such a manner, Zhao Qi declared to every minister present to go to the Grand Hall and invite His Majesty to attend; for such was the perfect chance to admonish the simple-minded tyrant.

With Yellow Flying Tiger's four right-hand generals protecting the princes with their lives, and ministers banging the bells and beating the drums to attain the king's attendance, King Zhou simply wrote a decree to put an end to the princes for their unfilialness while remaining in his Fairy Longevity Palace. With the executioners thus pacing towards the two bound princes, Superiorman Pure Essence and Grand Completion meanwhile roamed about through the skies in great boredom. As they thus appeared above Morning Song and saw the two princes ready for execution, a grand gust storm ran across the skies -- putting every official and soldier present in fear. With the sudden disappearance of Yin Hong and Yin Jiao following the end of the storm, this calamity brought great relief and joy in the hearts of each official, while King Zhou sat in wonder at such a happening. Now finally arriving at the capital of Morning Song, Shang Rong rose forth and heard the complete story of current happenings from Yellow Flying Tiger himself. In due resolve to be able to confront the emperors of yore in high honor and loyalty, Shang Rong immediately ordered the beating of bells and drums to force the foul King Zhou into the Grand Hall. As the king thus arrived before his desk, Shang Rong kneeled forward and presented to the former his written report. Upon the reading of this report, King Zhou flew into great rage—immediately ordering Shang Rong to be beaten to death with the golden hammer. Yelling back at the king with words of duty and love towards his past services in the name of the Shang Dynasty, Shang Rong knocked away the guards and jumped head-first into a stone pillar—effectively ending his life in a rather grusome manner. As many ministers exchanged glances at such a horrific scene, King Zhou ordered for his body to be thrown into an empty field behind the capital in an expression of his dignity towards the former.

封神演義/卷009


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/183

Rh manners. Lack of measure, opposition to measure it is itself a "non plus ultra."

23.

The ascetic ideal has corrupted not only health and taste, there are also third, fourth, fifth, and sixth things which it has corrupted—I shall take care not to go through the catalogue (when should I get to the end?). I have here to expose not what this ideal effected; but rather only what it means, on what it is based, what lies lurking behind it and under it, that of which it is the provisional expression, an obscure expression bristling with queries and misunderstandings. And with this object only in view I presumed "not to spare" my readers a glance at the awfulness of its results, a glance at its fatal results; I did this to prepare them for the final and most awful aspect presented to me by the question of the significance of that ideal. What is the significance of the power of that ideal, the monstrousness of its power? Why is it given such an amount of scope? Why is not a better resistance offered against it? The ascetic ideal expresses one will: where is the opposition will, in which an opposition ideal expresses itself? The ascetic ideal has an aim—this goal is, putting it generally, that all the other interests of human life should, measured by its standard, appear petty and narrow; it explains epochs, nations, men, in reference to this one end; it forbids any other interpretation, any other end; it repudiates, denies, affirms, confirms, only in the sense of its own interpretation (and

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/183


text:
Page:Language and the Study of Language.djvu/236

214 historical importance and literary value, and its more modern appearance. The oldest of its dialects in date, and, in nearly all respects, the most primitive in form, is the language of the ancient Bulgarians, into which their apostle Cyril translated the Scriptures, now just about a thousand years ago. It is a curious coincidence that our knowledge of both Germanic and Slavonic speech thus begins, like that of many a rude and hitherto unlettered dialect in the hands of missionaries at the present day, with a Bible version, and at nearly the same geographical locality; the kingdom of the Bulgarians having followed that of the Goths on the southern bank of the lower Danube. But this ancient idiom—from which the modern Bulgarian differs greatly, having changed with unusual rapidity in the interval—is more commonly called the Old Slavonic, or the Church Slavic, having been adopted by a large part of the Slavonian races as their sacred language, and being still employed as such, within the ecclesiastical limits of the Greek Church. It belongs to what is known as the south-eastern section of the Slavonic branch. By far the most important of the other languages in the same section is the Russian, in its two divisions, the Russian proper and the Little-Russian, or Ruthenian. The Russian is in our day a literary language of considerable importance; its forms are traceable, in scanty documents, back into the eleventh century. In its cultivated development, it has been strongly influenced by the Church Slavonic. The south-eastern section further includes the Servian, with its closely related dialect, the Kroatian, and the Slovenian of Carinthia and Styria. Specimens of these tongues are as old as the tenth, or even the ninth, century. The Servian has an interesting modern literature of popular songs.

To the other section, the western, belong the Polish, the Bohemian with the related Moravian and Slovakian, the upper and lower Sorbian, and the Polabian, on the Elbe. Of these, the Bohemiam is the oldest, having monuments probably of the tenth century. Polish literature begins in the


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/184

160 there ever a more thoroughly elaborated system of interpretation?); it subjects itself to no power, rather does it believe in its own precedence over every power—it believes that nothing powerful exists in the world that has not first got to receive from "it" a meaning, a right to exist, a value, as being an instrument in its work, a way and means to its end, to one end. Where is the counterpart of this complete system of will, end, and interpretation? Why is the counterpart lacking? Where is the other "one aim"? But I am told it is not lacking, that not only has it fought a long and fortunate fight with that ideal, but that further it has already won the mastery over that ideal in all essentials: let our whole modern science attest this—that modern science, which, like the genuine reality-philosophy which it is, manifestly believes in itself alone, manifestly has the courage to be itself, the will to be itself, and has got on well enough without God, another world, and negative virtues.

With all their noisy agitator-babble, however, they effect nothing with me; these trumpeters of reality are bad musicians, their voices do not come from the deeps with sufficient audibility, they are not the mouthpiece for the abyss of scientific knowledge—for to-day scientific knowledge is an abyss—the word "science," in such trumpeter-mouths, is a prostitution, an abuse, an impertinence. The truth is just the opposite from what is maintained in the ascetic theory. Science has to-day absolutely no belief in itself, let alone in an ideal superior to Itself, and wherever science still consists of passion, love, ardour, suffering it is not the opposition to that ascetic ideal, but rather the incarnation of its latest and noblest

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/184


text:
User:Theornamentalist/Daydreams5

As opposed to transcribing the text appearing on a scan verbatim, the work using the scan is meant to tie the translation to a particular publication. It allows for duplication of formatting, referencing and collaboration between translators, who must be fluent in both the language translating from and the one translating into. Because it does not function like the traditional proofreading system, one which is a direct digitization of the text appearing in print, and because there are not always equivalent words or phrases between languages, it is at best an approximation where words or sentences split up by pages may require viewing off of a given page to check for proper translation. Therefore, things such as hyphenated words between pages, typos and errors can be forgone. In addition, whereas a traditional transcription is validated upon at least two editors reviewing the transcription to match the original, the translated page is validated upon at least two editors agreeing the that translation is suitable, but as is the nature of translating and working in a wiki environment, a translation may never be "done" in theory. Therefore, as opposed to a traditional transcription validation being in a state of being presumably "validated" in which it may not be edited again, a translated work considered "validated" may still be edited heavily if an editor feels a better translation exists. As with anything at Wikisource, a civil discussion on the Talk page is appropriate for discrepencies to mimimize potential disagreements in translating, which may arise between editors.

title: User:Theornamentalist/Daydreams5


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 10

This chapter is titled "The Discovery of Thunderquaker". Seeing this tragedy in full form, Supreme Minister Zhao Qi additionally expressed his inner hate towards the king without a single ounce of fear. Upon being bound before a burning pillar as punishment, Zhao Qi became nothing more than ash to the wind in mere moments. Now returning to the Fairy Longevity Palace in great satisfaction over his barbarity, King Zhou personally approached Daji, explained the past incident with Shang Rong, and discussed with her how to get rid of Jiang Huanchu as a threat to the capital. With no true thought-out resolution to such a problem, Daji called forth Fei Zhong for a suggestion. Fei Zhong stated that the four regional grand dukes should effectively be disposed off less any ministers of Morning Song attempted to rise up in rebellion with any neighboring force. Jiang Huanchu would also be effectively destroyed as a threat to the capital if he were to join the other three grand dukes in execution. Following the king's immediate approval of Fei Zhong's suggestion, four royal messengers were personally sent to each grand duke—Jiang Huanchu, E Chongyu, Ji Chang, and Chong Houhu—in quick pace. As one of four messengers arrived before the Western Foothills—Ji Chang's domain—and presented it before Ji Chang himself, the latter offered fine silver and gold to the messenger before ensuring his depature to the capital at a later time. After appointing San Yisheng as commander of internal affairs, Ji Chang went to his son, Bo Yi Kao, told him of his seven-year-prisoner prophecy, and how he should take care of state affairs following his departure. Explaining the situation to many other ministers in attendance throughout the day, Ji Chang took his leave from the Western Foothills the following morning with fifty attendants by his side. As his party arrived before Mount Yan, a sudden rainstorm appeared with giant waves rolling down from each neighboring mountain top; it was as if an ocean was falling from the very skies. After hearing a collosal thunderbolt shake the very earth, Ji Chang gave the order for his soldiers to find "the star of a warrior"—followed from the saying that a gifted warrior is born after the movement of lightning.

Upon the finding of a small newborn child with eyes like that of stars, Ji Chang told his men to find a local family that could take the child in. However, Master of the Clouds personally presented himself shortly before Ji Chang, stating that he would graciously take the child—newly dubbed as "Thunderquaker"—in as his own, and return him to the former once he had left Morning Song. As Ji Chang thus continued his journey, he arrived at Morning Song one day to be entertained in the company of the other three grand dukes at the Golden Reception House. As the night flew and the four grand dukes enjoyed their wine to the fullest, E Chongyu, the Grand Duke of the East, began to spout words of hatred at Chong Houhu's actions in his drunken state. Being at a lose in judgement due to their state of mind, Chong Houhu and E Chongyu began to physically attack each other before Ji Chang forcefully pulled the two apart and sent them to their respective rooms. At the second watch that night, Ji Chang heard someone present at the reception house mutter that the blood of the grand dukes would stain the market walls the following day. Threatening to put every individual to death if the culprit did not show himself, the accused Yao Fu was thrown before Ji Chang's feet shortly. As Yao Fu, who was a relative of a royal messenger, told Ji Chang and Jiang Huanchu of the unfortunate past within the kingdom, Jiang Huanchu fell to his feet in misery over his daughter's cruel death while Ji Chang offered to create a petition in his behalf. Vowing to personally see King Zhou over the death of his precious daughter, Jiang Huanchu declared to Ji Chang that he should form his own report on the case instead. When Fei Zhong learned of their arrival before the capital, he told King Zhou that he should ignore any report that is to be handed to him the following morning—and the dukes should be publicly executed without condition. As King Zhou arrived within the Grand Hall the following morning, he announced forth the four grand dukes immediately. When Jiang Huanchu handed his report to King Zhou and calmly accused the latter for his barbarity, the former's robes were removed to prepare for his immediate execution. However, the other three grand dukes rushed forth protesting Huanchu's innocence.

Categorized Events

 * Arrival of the imperial messenger
 * The compassionate words of authority
 * Ji Chang heads out to the capital
 * Thunderstorm unleashed; Thunder Quaker born
 * Meeting of the four grand dukes; the drunken stupor
 * Execution of the Grand Duke of the South

封神演義/卷010


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 11

This chapter is titled "The Ill-Fortunes of the Grand Dukes". Seeing how King Zhou was to put Jiang Huanchu to death so blatantly, the other three grand dukes knelt before the king in shock and told the latter to reconsider his decision in the name of preserving his king-minister relationship. As Bi Gan spread forth their petition upon King Zhou's desk, he had little choice but to read it. Upon the reading of this petition, which elaborated the king's many wrongs, the latter flew into a great rage while tearing it to many pieces. Once the three dukes had been bounded immediately for such a slanderous petition, Yellow Flying Tiger and other princes knelt down and elaborated the grand duty and loyalty that the dukes fully showed throughout their many merits towards the name of the Shang Dynasty. After hearing their story, King Zhou came to a new conclusion: Ji Chang will be specially pardoned for his exceeded virtue and due loyalty while the other two dukes are to be executed at once as previously stated. Even with Yang Ren's continued plead to have mercy on the two remaining dukes, the king's decree was effectively carried out in efficient form none the less. Following King Zhou's return to his palace, each minister wept profusely at such a tragedy while the remaining attendants of the two newly deceased dukes fled immediately to their respective dukedoms in a chance to attain a future rebellion. As two grand dukes were thus buried and Ji Chang made preparations to head back to his dukedom, Fei Zhong approached King Zhou and suggested to him that Ji Chang should effectively be destroyed less he attempts to join forces with either Jiang Wenhuan of the east or E Shun in the south—the sons of the deceased dukes—due to his secret "inner treachery". By observing the former during his farewell feast, Fei Zhong could effectively determine if he was truly loyal to the dynasty; for if he seems the least bit treacherous, he should be disposed of immediately.

As Ji Chang thus presented his farewell to the king and Prime Minister Bi Gan, he rode to the Changting Pavilion where he was warmly welcomed by many high ranked ministers. With happiness and due dignity present within each minister's heart, Ji Chang was merrily treated to volleys of wine in a celebratory feast. Once both Fei Zhong and You Hun arrived shortly, each minister became displeased and dispersed immediately at the sight of such criminals in their presence. With Ji Chang now alone with Fei Zhong and You Hun, the latter presented forth an especially large jug of wine equipped with extra-large cups for the former to drink from. As Ji Chang thus happily guzzled down several glasses, and became somewhat drunk, Fei Zhong purposely asked the former the fate of the Shang Dynasty. After stating that King Zhou would be the last monarch of the dynasty, and his rule will last for another decade or so, Ji Chang additionally foretold the rather strange death that Fei Zhong and You Hun will experience in the future: they will be frozen to death in ice. With expressive condolences towards Ji Chang's prophecies, Fei Zhong and You Hun shortly returned to the Fairy Longevity Palace to tell the king how truly foul the duke was. As Chao Tian—one of the Chao Twins—was thus deployed to bring back Ji Chang immediately by decree of King Zhou, Chao Tian arrived shortly before Ji Chang and rode back to the capital. Once Ji Chang was presented before King Zhou, and received the death punishment, Bi Gan defended the former, saying that divination is simply meant to predict the success or failure of future events—and was most definitely not invented by Ji Chang or used for the sole purpose to create his own rash predictions whatsoever. After thus being forced to make a divination to see if it will come true, Ji Chang stated that the Ancestral Temple shall burn to ashes at noon the following day. With such a prophecy being reciprocated in real form, King Zhou flew back in astonishment at Ji Chang's sage-like qualities. However, it was concluded that Ji Chang will escape the death punishment—but will be forced to live within Morning Song's Yaoli District as to ensure no future trouble is caused through such divination. Once peace is to be restored in the capital, Ji Chang would be freed from such containment. Bowing in gratitude towards the king's grace, Ji Chang was welcomed merrily into Yaoli as a leader of the people who possessed voidful hate towards King Zhou. One day into the future, Prince Yellow Flying Tiger received a report that Jiang Wenhuan of the south is attacking Youhun Pass, while E Shun is present at Sanshan. Now being fully rational over the rebellion of four-hundred marquises at present, he sighed with discontent before ordering his generals to protect the passes with all due haste.

Categorized Events

 * Execution of the Grand Duke of the East
 * The petition concerning the Grand Dukes
 * The pardon of Ji Chang and death of the Grand Dukes of the South and East
 * Ji Chang's visit to the ancestral shrine
 * Encounter with Fei Zhong and You Hun
 * The Drunkenness - foretelling with the Trigram
 * The King's anger - changing of fate
 * Casting of the gold coins - burning of the Ancestral Shrine
 * Youli District house arrest - seven years

封神演義/卷011


text:
Page:Language and the Study of Language.djvu/237

VI.] century, since, down to that time, the cultivated of the nation had written wholly in Latin. The others can show nothing older than the sixteenth century, and are of little consequence in any aspect.

The Lithuanic or Lettic group of dialects is sometimes treated as a subdivision of the Slavonic, and sometimes—perhaps with better reason—as a separate branch, coördinate with the other, although very closely related to it. It is of very slight historical or literary importance: its interest lies chiefly in the fact that, under the operation of causes in its history which are yet unexplained and probably unexplainable, it has preserved many of the original forms of Indo-European speech in a more uncorrupted condition than any other known dialect of the whole family which is not as much as two thousand years older. It is composed of only three dialects, one of which, the Old Prussian, the original language of the inhabitants of north-eastern Prussia, has been extinct for two hundred years, crowded out of existence by the Low-German, and leaving behind, as its only monument, a brief catechism. The other two, the Lithuanian and the Lettish, or Livonian, are still spoken by a million or two of people in the Russian and Prussian provinces bordering on the Baltic, but seem destined to give way helplessly before the encroachments of the German and Russian, and to share one day the fate of their sister-dialect. The oldest Lithuanian document dates from the middle of the sixteenth century. The southern or High Lithuanian is of most antique form; the Low Lithuanian, and yet more notably the Lettish to the north, show a less remarkable conservation of ancient material.

The Celtic languages, as was pointed out in the last lecture, have been well-nigh extinguished by the Romanic and Germanic tongues, and now only lurk in the remotest and most inaccessible corners of the wide territory which they once occupied in Europe. The Scotch Highlands, the wildest parts of Ireland, the Isle of Man, the mountains of Wales, the rough glens of Cornwall, and the land lying nearest to Cornwall across the British Channel, the promontory of Brittany, are the only regions where, for many centuries


text:
Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/185

Rh form. Does that ring strange? There are enough brave and decent working people, even among the learned men of to-day, who like their little corner, and who, just because they are pleased so to do, become at times indecently loud with their demand, that people to-day should be quite content, especially in science—for in science there is so much useful work to do. I do not deny it—there is nothing I should like less than to spoil the delight of these honest workers in their handiwork; for I rejoice in their work. But the fact of science requiring hard work, the fact of its having contented workers, is absolutely no proof of science as a whole having to-day one end, one will, one ideal, one passion for a great faith; the contrary, as I have said, is the case. When science is not the latest manifestation of the ascetic ideal—but these are cases of such rarity, selectness, and exquisiteness, as to preclude the general judgment being affected thereby—science is a hiding-place for every kind of cowardice, disbelief, remorse, despectio sui, bad conscience—it is the very anxiety that springs from having no ideal, the suffering from the lack of a great love, the discontent with an enforced moderation. Oh, what does all science not cover to-day? How much, at any rate, does it not try to cover? The diligence of our best scholars, their senseless industry, their burning the candle of their brain at both ends—their very mastery in their handiwork—how often is the real meaning of all that to prevent themselves continuing to see a certain thing? Science as a self-anaesthetic: do you know that? You wound them—every one who consorts with scholars experiences this—you wound them sometimes to the quick through just a

title: Page:The Genealogy of Morals.djvu/185


text:
Portal:Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 12

This chapter is titled "The Birth of Nezha". Present at Chentang Pass was none other than the renowned military commander Li Jing, who possessed the rare ability to travel through ground, metal, wood, or fire as taught by Superiorman Woe Evading Sage. Currently with two sons—Muzha and Jinzha--and his wife, Madam Yin, Li Jing was in a strange situation: his wife was seemingly pregnant for over three years and sixth months -- but never progressed into labor. However, as Yin had a strange dream one night, she suddenly gave birth to this strange child the following morning. With maidens rushing about saying that a demon was present in Yin's chambers, Li Jing immediately rushed forth into her room and cleaved in two a strange fleshy ball that rolled to and fro across the floor. Within the ball emerged a small young child with hair as white as snow with a gleaming golden bracelet on his right wrist. Taking the young child into his arms, Li Jing and his wife were both very delighted at the sight of their new son. As Fairy Primordial arrived shortly, and was happily welcomed into their territory, the former took hold of the child and declared his name to be 'Nezha'. After containing consent that Primordial could adopt the child as his own disciple, Li Jing continued to train his soldiers fervently throughout the following seven years of time. As Nezha ventured outside of the pass one day with a guard after his seven-year nurturing under Fairy Primordial, Nezha arrived before the Nine Bed River which sparkled with the light of the sun. Determined to take a bath in this stream as an escape from the great heat of summer, Nezha immediately took his clothes off and used the Sky Buddling Damask around his neck to wipe his body. Little did he know that each time this scarf touched the water the surface turned red; when it swished about, the ground beneath shook violently.

Ao Guang, the dragon king of the East Sea, thus ordered his yaksha scout, Li Gan, to find out the cause to each consistent tremors. After realizing Nezha to be the source of such tremors, Li Gan lashed his axe violently at the former in great rage—but only ended up losing his life shortly by Nezha's Universal Ring. As Ao Guang was informed of his scout's death, Ao Bing eased his father with word that he will find out the reason for such an action. Experiencing great ridicule and aroggance upon the meeting of Nezha, Third Prince Ao Bing lashed his jaden lance forthward with great renown. Using both of his legendary items with synchronized ability, Nezha managed to strike the former dead—who thus returned to his original form: a silver dragon. Being informed by Ao Bing's soldiers that his third son lost his life in addition, Ao Guang's rage pierced the very skies as he transformed himself into a scholar to immediately see Li Jing on the issue. After angrily elaborating the issue to Li Jing, Ao Guang demanded to see Nezha in person without any moment to waste. When Nezha appeared before Ao Guang and apologetically handed him his third son's tendon that was previously ripped out, the former flew into greater discontempt declaring fully that he would personally see the Jade Emperor to ensure their punishment. Feeling fully responsible for the great agony and frustration that his mother and father were now going through, Nezha declared that will see his master, Fairy Primordial, to see how he should deal with Ao Guang to ensure his family's safety. Using a dust cloud to move with great speed through the air, Nezha arrived shortly before his master's residence at Qianyuan Mountain. Knowing fully that the minor actions of the past were destined to occur, and such a matter was not worthy to be placed before the Jade Emperor himself, Fairy Primordial first drew invisibility charms on Nezha and then sent him to the Virtue Gate of the Heavenly Palace with his set instructions. Arriving in moderate time before the Virtue Gate, Nezha gazed in great admiration at the beauty and elegance that revolved around him; such a sight truly was far too great to ever be present within earth. As Ao Guang eventually arrived through the gate, he rode swiftly towards the South Heavenly Gate -- determined indeed to see the Jade Emperor at once. Realizing that such a gate was yet closed, a large pain suddenly erupted forth in his back as Nezha's Universal Ring landed a crucial blow to the former. Falling to the ground with Nezha grabbing hold of his neck, Ao Guang was truly in a difficult situation.

Categorized Events

 * Introduction of Li Jing
 * Large object split open - Nezha born
 * Paragon received - third disciple attained
 * (10 year lapse) Nezha's bathing at Nine Curve River
 * Nezha VS Night Face
 * Nezha VS Ao Bing
 * Ao Guang's intense anger - discussion with Li Jing
 * Vow of Ao Guang - to meet with the Jade Emperor
 * Nezha's meeting with Superiorman Paragon; juju attained
 * Nezha's cruelness unleashed

封神演義/卷012