THE
BIRTH OF TRAGEDY
OR
HELLENISM AND PESSIMISM
By
FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
TRANSLATED BY
WM. A. HAUSSMANN, PH.D.
The Complete Works of Friedrich Nietzsche
The First Complete and Authorised English Translation
Edited by Dr Oscar Levy
Volume One
T.N. FOULIS
13 & 15 FREDERICK STREET
EDINBURGH: AND LONDON
1910
CONTENTS.
BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION
AN ATTEMPT AT SELF-CRITICISM
FOREWORD TO RICHARD WAGNER
THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY
INTRODUCTION.[1]
Frederick Nietzsche was born at Röcken near Lützen, in the Prussianprovince of Saxony, on the 15th of October 1844, at 10 a.m. The dayhappened to be the anniversary of the birth of Frederick-William IV.,then King of Prussia, and the peal of the local church-bells which wasintended to celebrate this event, was, by a happy coincidence, justtimed to greet my brother on his entrance into the world. In 1841,at the time when our father was tutor to the Altenburg Princesses,Theresa of Saxe-Altenburg, Elizabeth, Grand Duchess of Olden-burg, andAlexandra, Grand Duchess Constantine of Russia, he had had the honourof being presented to his witty and pious sovereign. The meeting seemsto have impressed both parties very favourably; for, very shortlyafter it had taken place, our father received his living at Röcken "bysupreme command." His joy may well be imagined, therefore, when a firstson was born to him on his beloved[Pg i] and august patron's birthday, andat the christening ceremony he spoke as follows:—"Thou blessed monthof October!—for many years the most decisive events in my life haveoccurred within thy thirty-one days, and now I celebrate the greatestand most glorious of them all by baptising my little boy! O blissfulmoment! O exquisite festival! O unspeakably holy duty! In the Lord'sname I bless thee!—With all my heart I utter these words: Bring methis, my beloved child, that I may consecrate it unto the Lord. My son,Frederick William, thus shalt thou be named on earth, as a memento ofmy royal benefactor on whose birthday thou wast born!"
Our father was thirty-one years of age, and our mother not quitenineteen, when my brother was born. Our mother, who was the daughterof a clergyman, was good-looking and healthy, and was one of a verylarge family of sons and daughters. Our paternal grandparents, theRev. Oehler and his wife, in Pobles, were typically healthy people.Strength, robustness, lively dispositions, and a cheerful outlook onlife, were among the qualities which every one was pleased to observein them. Our grandfather Oehler was a bright, clever man, and quitethe old style of comfortable country parson, who thought it no sin togo hunting. He scarcely had a day's illness in his life, and wouldcertainly not have met with his end as early as he did—that is to say,before his seventieth year—if his careless disregard of all caution,where his health was concerned, had not