Beyond Good and Evil...of feet

December 17, 2009 2:12 PM

Did Nietzsche write a poem about feet?

In one of my philosophy classes in college we read some of Nietzsche's poems. I have a distinct memory of giggling with one of my college chums about a specific poem, the subject of which was feet.

I remember nothing about the actual poem. The memory is completely about laughing at the fact that Nietzsche would have a poem about feet.

Now, this was 7 or 8 years ago, so the details are even more fuzzy. Recently, the memory was brought to the forefront of my mind again, and I tried to find Nietzsche's foot poem. I tried a variety of web searches, but nothing brought up anything that rung a bell.

So, I pose to you: Is there a Nietzsche poem about feet? Is it perhaps some other philosopher, and I just confused the two? Or is the man who runs the filing cabinets in my brain just totally screwing with me via fabricating this memory?

Upon read-through I realized, it might have been about shoes, and not feet. It was definitely the sub-ankle area, though.

posted by duckierose to Religion & Philosophy (7 answers total)

a quote? "I would believe only in a God that knows how to dance."
posted by edgeways at 2:46 PM on December 17, 2009

Best answer: Maybe this bit about the leg from the Dionysus Dithyrambs, 2? He was already kind of crazy by that point.

Drinking in this fairest air,
My nostrils swollen like goblets,
Without future, without memories,
Thus I sit here, you
Most beloved maidens,
And watch the palm tree,
As it, like a dancer,
Bends and arches and sways at the hips —
One does it too, if one watches long ...
Like a dancer, who, as it would seem to me,
Has stood too long, precariously long
Always, always only on one little leg? —
For she has forgotten, it would seem to me,
The other leg?
At least in vain
I sought the missing
Twin-jewel
— Namely, the other leg —
In the holy proximity
Of her most beloved, most delicate
Fanned-, and flittering-, and tinseled-tutus.
Yes, if you would, you fair maidens,
Quite believe me,
She has lost it ...

Oh my! oh my! oh my! oh my! oh my!...
It is gone,
Gone forever,
The other leg!
Oh what a shame about that lovely other leg!
Where—whence may it be lamenting forsaken,
This lonely leg?
Perhaps in fear of a
Grim, yellow, blond-maned
Lion-monster? Or maybe even
Gnawed off, nibbled off —
Pitiful, alas! alas! Nibbled off! Selah.

posted by nasreddin at 2:59 PM on December 17, 2009

Mit dem Fuße schreiben

52.

Ich schreib nicht mit der Hand allein:

Der Fuß will stets mit Schreiber sein.

Fest, frei und tapfer läuft er mir

Bald durch das Feld, bald durchs Papier.

[Die fröhliche Wissenschaft]
posted by ijsbrand at 3:03 PM on December 17, 2009 [2 favorites]

I know Pushkin wrote a fair bit about feet, some of which seemed humourous to me when I was reading them. But he's not a philosopher, so this may not be helpful.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 6:37 PM on December 17, 2009

Not necessarily about feet, but I always liked:

Smooth ice
Is paradise
For those who dance
With expertise
posted by bennett being thrown at 8:23 PM on December 17, 2009

Response by poster: nasreddin's answer reads as both familiar and kind of funny. Since my memory is clearly all sorts of jacked, unless I get a better answer, I'm going to assume that wins.
posted by duckierose at 10:56 AM on December 18, 2009

Mary had a little lamb
His hoof was full of soot.
And everywhere that Mary went
His sooty foot he put.

Maybe that was Ish Kabibble, and not Nietszche.
posted by Sallyfur at 4:22 PM on December 30, 2009