Zarathustra's roundelay


Zarathustra's Roundelay is a poem that figures as a central motif in the 1883-1885 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche. The roundelay first appears in "Chapter 59: The Second Dance-Song", as a psychological revelation that precedes "Chapter 60: The Seven Seals", a conclusion and affirmation of Zarathustra's middle-aged philosophical ventures. Then, in the second last chapter, "The Drunken Song", Zarathustra elaborates upon and explains his roundelay, revealing its connection to the Eternal Recurrence.

The German original

Zarathustra's Rundgesang

English translations

There are a number of different English translations:
Thomas Common
Alexander Tille, revised
Walter Kaufmann
R. J. Hollingdale
Adrian Del Caro

Translations in other languages

A number of significant translations have also been made in other languages:
Henri Albert – French
Unidentified translator – Spanish
''W. A. Verloren van Themaat – Esperanto

Cultural impact

The roundelay was used as the text for the 4th movement of Gustav Mahler's 1895 3rd Symphony. It was also used as the text of the fourth and final movement of Lukas Foss' 1960 Time Cycle.