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japfags

Name: Anonymous 2012-03-08 9:43

hey /lang/ I need help translating Nietsche's phrase in Beyond Good and Evil "He who fights with monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you".

How does「怪物と戦うときは気をつけなさい。あなたが闇を見るとき、闇もまたあなたを見ている」sounds like?

 I don't seem to get the same feeling as when reading it in english (implying obviously it's already a translation from the original text).

Name: Anonymous 2012-03-08 18:46

I would use 獣 or 怪獣 instead of 怪物 or 化け物, as the latter tend to mean supernatural entities. Obviously the nuance is encompassed in English but Nietzsche is really talking about humans here. 

「怪物と戦うときは気をつけなさい。あなたが闇を見るとき、闇もまたあなたを見ている」

Is a little plain and sounds like a mother admonishing her child for playing with monsters and looking at darkness.

「お化けと戦ったら,お化けになれないように用心しなければなりません。暗闇の中にじっと見ながら、暗闇はあなたの心が見れる。」

Is better but still a little preachy with しなければなりません. The latter half is a little unclear as it doesn't really say WHAT it is you're looking at.

My offer:
怪獣と戦う人間はそれ相応に自分自身が怪獣にならないよう心がけるべきである。深淵を眺めすぎると、その深淵も自分の心を眺め返す。

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