The Philosophers
I am rejoiced, worthy sirs, to find you in pleno assembled;For I have come down below, seeking the one needful thing.
Quick to the point, my good friend! For the Jena Gazette comesto hand here,Even in hell,--so we know all that is passing above.
So much the better! So give me (I will not depart hence without it)Some good principle now,--one that will always avail!
Cogito, ergo sum. I have thought, and therefore existence!If the first be but true, then is the second one sure.
As I think, I exist. 'Tis good! But who always is thinking?Oft I've existed e'en when I have been thinking of naught.
Since there are things that exist, a thing of all things there mustneeds be;In the thing of all things dabble we, just as we are.
Just the reverse, say I. Besides myself there is nothing;Everything else that there is is but a bubble to me.
Two kinds of things I allow to exist,--the world and the spirit;Naught of others I know; even these signify one.
I know naught of the thing, and know still less of the spirit;Both but appear unto me; yet no appearance they are.
I am I, and settle myself,--and if I then settleNothing to be, well and good--there's a nonentity formed.
There is conception at least! A thing conceived there is, therefore;And a conceiver as well,--which, with conception, make three.
All this nonsense, good sirs, won't answer my purpose a tittle:I a real principle need,--one by which something is fixed.
Nothing is now to be found in the theoretical province;Practical principles hold, such as: thou canst, for thou shouldst.
If I but thought so! When people know no more sensible answer,Into the conscience at once plunge they with desperate haste.
Don't converse with those fellows! That Kant has turned them all crazy;Speak to me, for in hell I am the same that I was.
I have made use of my nose for years together to smell with;Have I a right to my nose that can be legally proved?
Truly a delicate point! Yet the first possession appearethIn thy favor to tell; therefore make use of it still!
Willingly serve I my friends; but, alas, I do it with pleasure;Therefore I often am vexed that no true virtue I have.
As there is no other means, thou hadst better begin to despise them;And with aversion, then, do that which thy duty commands.
Words in this poem
- needful a.
- Full of need; in need or want; needy; distressing.
- gazette n.
- A newspaper; a printed sheet published periodically; esp., the official journal published by the British government, and containing legal and state notices. [F. gazette, It. gazzetta, perh. from gazetta a Venetian coin (see Gazet), said to have been the price of the first newspaper published at Venice; or perh. dim. ]
- depart v. i.
- To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
- ergo conj.
- Therefore; consequently; -- often used in a jocular way. [L.]
- needs adv.
- Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]
- nonentity n.
- Nonexistence; the negation of being.
- conceiver n.
- One who conceives.
- tittle n.
- A particle; a minute part; a jot; an iota. [OE. titel, titil, apparently a dim. of tit, in the sense of small; cf. G. tüttel a tittle, dim. of OHG. tutta teat. Perhaps, however, the same word as title, n.]
- conscience n.
- Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
- desperate a.
- Without hope; given to despair; hopeless. [L. desperatus, p. p. of desperare. See Despair, and cf. Desperado.]
- willingly adv.
- In a willing manner; with free will; without reluctance; cheerfully.
- despise v. t.
- To look down upon with disfavor or contempt; to contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have a low opinion or contemptuous dislike of. [OF. despis-, in some forms of despire to despise, fr. L. despicere, despectum, to look down upon, despise; de- + spicere, specere, to look. See Spy, and cf. Des]
- aversion n.
- A turning away. [L. aversio: cf. F. aversion. See Avert.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Philosophers is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Schiller — Third period, Project Gutenberg ebook #6796; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Friedrich Schiller, The Philosophers, in The Poems of Schiller: Third Period (1805), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6796, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/schiller-third-period/the-philosophers.html, id L21908.
Form and metre
The Philosophers is 40 lines in 19 stanzas. This poem did not settle on a metre of its own; the book it comes from is in iambic tetrameter.
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I am rejoiced, worthy sirs, to find you in pleno assembled; | 16 | ··˘//˘·······˘/˘ |
| For I have come down below, seeking the one needful thing. | 14 | ·······/˘··/˘· |
| Quick to the point, my good friend! For the Jena Gazette comes | 14 | ·········/˘˘/· |
| to hand here, | 3 | ··· |
| Even in hell,--so we know all that is passing above. | 14 | /˘········/˘·· |
| So much the better! So give me (I will not depart hence without it) | 17 | ···/˘······˘/···· |
| Some good principle now,--one that will always avail! | 13 | ··/˘˘····/·˘/ |
| Cogito, ergo sum. I have thought, and therefore existence! | 15 | ···/˘·······˘/˘ |
| If the first be but true, then is the second one sure. | 13 | ·········/˘·· |
| As I think, I exist. 'Tis good! But who always is thinking? | 15 | ····˘/····/··/˘ |
| Oft I've existed e'en when I have been thinking of naught. | 14 | ··˘/˘·····/˘·· |
| Since there are things that exist, a thing of all things there must | 14 | ·····˘/······· |
| needs be; | 2 | ·· |
| In the thing of all things dabble we, just as we are. | 13 | ······/˘····· |
| Just the reverse, say I. Besides myself there is nothing; | 14 | ··˘/··˘/·/··/˘ |
| Everything else that there is is but a bubble to me. | 14 | /˘········/˘·· |
| Two kinds of things I allow to exist,--the world and the spirit; | 15 | ·····˘/·˘/····/ |
| Naught of others I know; even these signify one. | 13 | ··/˘··/˘·/˘·· |
| I know naught of the thing, and know still less of the spirit; | 14 | ············/˘ |
| Both but appear unto me; yet no appearance they are. | 14 | ··˘/·····˘/˘·· |
| I am I, and settle myself,--and if I then settle | 14 | ····/˘·/····/˘ |
| Nothing to be, well and good--there's a nonentity formed. | 14 | /˘·······˘/˘˘· |
| There is conception at least! A thing conceived there is, therefore; | 15 | ··˘/˘····˘/···· |
| And a conceiver as well,--which, with conception, make three. | 14 | ··˘/˘····˘/˘·· |
| All this nonsense, good sirs, won't answer my purpose a tittle: | 15 | ··/˘···/˘·/˘·/˘ |
| I a real principle need,--one by which something is fixed. | 14 | ···/˘˘····/˘·· |
| Nothing is now to be found in the theoretical province; | 15 | /˘········˘/˘/˘ |
| Practical principles hold, such as: thou canst, for thou shouldst. | 14 | /˘˘/˘˘········ |
| If I but thought so! When people know no more sensible answer, | 15 | ······/˘···/˘/˘ |
| Into the conscience at once plunge they with desperate haste. | 13 | ···/˘·····/˘· |
| Don't converse with those fellows! That Kant has turned them all crazy; | 15 | ·/˘··/˘······/˘ |
| Speak to me, for in hell I am the same that I was. | 13 | ············· |
| I have made use of my nose for years together to smell with; | 15 | ·········˘/˘··· |
| Have I a right to my nose that can be legally proved? | 14 | ··········/˘˘· |
| Truly a delicate point! Yet the first possession appeareth | 15 | /˘·/˘····˘/˘˘/˘ |
| In thy favor to tell; therefore make use of it still! | 13 | ··/˘········· |
| Willingly serve I my friends; but, alas, I do it with pleasure; | 15 | /˘·····˘/····/˘ |
| Therefore I often am vexed that no true virtue I have. | 14 | ···/˘·····/˘·· |
| As there is no other means, thou hadst better begin to despise them; | 17 | ····/˘···/˘˘/·˘/· |
| And with aversion, then, do that which thy duty commands. | 14 | ··˘/˘·····/˘˘/ |
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