ACT V

A BROAD LANDSCAPE

Enter a TRAVELER

TRAVELER. Yes, they’re there, the same dark lindens
now grown old, but sturdy still. – After all these years of travel,	11,045
I shall see my friends again! It’s the old familiar place— in that cottage I found shelter when the storm and wave had cast me on the sand-dunes over there.	11,050
I should like to greet the couple who were very helpful then, but already rather old to be still my hosts today. They were worthy, pious people!	11,055
Shall I knock or shall I shout? Greetings if, as kind as ever, doing good still gives you pleasure!
Enter BAUCIS, a little woman, very old.
BAUCIS. Softly, softly, welcome stranger!
Quiet! let my husband rest!	11,060
Long naps give the old the power to be active when awake.
TRAVELER. Are you, mother, then still here
to receive my thanks again for the way you and your husband	11,065
saved my life when I was young? Are you Baucis, who so promptly offered half-dead lips new life,
(Enter her husband, PHILEMON.)
you Philemon, who so bravely rescued from the sea my goods?	11,070
That my dire adventure ended happily, I owe alone to your quickly kindled beacon and your bell’s clear silver sound.
Now let me walk into the open	11,075
and survey the boundless sea, there to kneel and say a prayer— for my heart is much oppressed.
He strides forward on the dune.
PHILEMON (to BAUCIS).
Quick! and lay the table for us where it’s pretty in the garden.	11,080
Let him hurry and be startled— he will not believe his eyes.
He joins the TRAVELER.
PHILEMON. See! the place where angry waves
mistreated you so cruelly has been laid out as a park,	11,085
is a counterfeit of Eden. Age prevented me from helping, as I would have done before; even as my strength kept failing, so the waters too withdrew.	11,090
Under cautious masters, workmen daringly built dams and channels, limited the ocean’s rights to obtain them for themselves. See how meadows, fields, and gardens,	11,095
woods and villages all flourish. – But now come and have your meal, for the sun will soon be gone. – Far away I see sails seeking a safe harbor for the night!	11,100
Birds know how to find their nests— there is where the port now is. That is why the sea’s blue edge only shows there in the distance, and left and right you see extending	11,105
densely populated land.
The three seat themselves at a table in the small garden.
BAUCIS. Silent still? And you take nothing
to relieve your thirst?
PHILEMON.Our friend
is curious about this marvel; since you like to talk, you tell him.	11,110
BAUCIS. Marvel is the word to use!
Even now I’m still uneasy; I’m convinced that the whole business was not done with proper means.
PHILEMON. Can the Emperor have sinned	11,115
who gave him these shores as fiefdom? Did a herald with a trumpet not proclaim it everywhere? – The first foothold was established not far distant from our dunes—	11,120
tents and huts! – But soon a palace rises, there amid the green.
BAUCIS. In the daytime noisy workmen
hacked and shoveled, all in vain; where, at night, small fires flickered,	11,125
there was a dam the following day. Human lives were sacrificed, groans of torment filled the darkness; fires flowed down to the sea— there, at dawn, was a canal.	11,130
He’s a godless man who covets both our cottage and our grove; boasting that he is our neighbor, he would have us be his serfs.
PHILEMON. But in exchange he’s offered us	11,135
an estate in the new land.
BAUCIS. Do not trust land in a marsh,
stick to where the ground is high!
PHILEMON. Let’s go over to the chapel—
there we’ll see the sun’s last light—	11,140
toll the bell, then kneel and pray, trusting in our fathers’ God!

PALACE
Before the Palace is a spacious formal park with a great rectilinear canal. FAUST, now an extremely old man, walks back and forth, meditating.
LYNCEUS (as WATCHMAN, through a speaking-trumpet). The sun is setting; some last sails are making briskly for the harbor. A good-sized boat in the canal	11,145
will reach this quay at any moment. – Your colored pennants flutter gaily, your masts and rigging show no damage— the grateful sailor gives you thanks, and fortune welcomes your well-timed return.	11,150
The little chapel-bell tolls on the dune.
FAUST (starting). Confound that bell’s atrocious sound, as painful as an unexpected shot! Ostensibly my realm is boundless, but at my back vexation, taunting, reminds me with these irritating noises	11,155
that my great holdings have a blemish:
that linden grove, its old brown cottage, and the dilapidated chapel are not mine. Although I would enjoy its restful quiet, I cannot bear the thought of shade that’s not my own,	11,160
that pricks the eye and stabs the flesh like thorns— oh, would that I were far from here!
LYNCEUS (as above). See how the painted ship approaches gaily as evening breezes swell its sails! How agilely that moving tower bears	11,165
chests, crates, and bales along its course!
There appears a splendid vessel, richly laden with colorful exotic wares;
on it are MEPHISTOPHELES and the THREE MIGHTY MEN.
MEPHISTOPHELES and the MIGHTY MEN (in chorus).
Here we will land— have landed already. We greet our master, hail our patron!	11,170
They disembark, and the cargo is unloaded.
MEPHISTOPHELES. As can be seen, we’ve proved our worth,
and praise from you would give us pleasure. We started out with two ships only, but now we’re back in port with twenty. Our cargo clearly demonstrates	11,175
what great success we have achieved. On the open sea your mind is open, and no one gives a fig for prudence; you have to grab things in a hurry: you catch a fish or catch a ship,	11,180
and once you’ve three in your possession, you soon have caught a fourth as well; the fifth then hasn’t got a chance, since it’s a fact that might is right— not how but what will be the only question asked.	11,185
Unless I’m all at sea about maritime matters, war, trade, and piracy together are a trinity not to be severed.
THE MIGHTY MEN. No thanks or welcome!
No welcome or thanks—	11,190
as if we brought our master trash! He looks askance and finds repugnant these treasures worthy of a king.	11,195
MEPHISTOPHELES. Do not expect
still more rewards— you know you took your share already!	11,200
THE MIGHTY MEN. That does not count
in any way; we all demand our equal shares.
MEPHISTOPHELES. Put all our treasures	11,205
on display in the great rooms of the main floor! When he goes up and sees this wealth,	11,210
sees more exactly what it’s worth, I’m sure he won’t be stingy then, will give our squadron many a feast. –	11,215
Our merry company will all be here tomorrow, and I’ll take proper care of them.
(The cargo is removed.)
(To FAUST.) Your brow is grave, your look is somber, despite this news of great success.	11,220
August sagacity has won its crown of triumph: the ocean and your shore are now at peace, and from this strand the willing sea allows your ships a speedy journey— admit that here, here from this palace,	12,225
you have the whole world in your reach. This is the spot where all began, here stood your first rude wooden shack; a little ditch was dug where now is seen the splash of busy oars.	11,230
Your courage, and your workmen’s zeal, make you victorious on sea and land. And right from here …
FAUST.   Confound your here — that’s what’s so terribly oppressive! I have to tell you, you who know so much;	11,235
it causes me such endless heartache, it’s something I can bear no longer! And yet, I feel ashamed to say it. Those old folk there ought to give in;
I want those lindens part of my estate; the few trees spoil, because I do not own them, everything that I possess on earth. Among their branches I would like to build a platform with a panoramic vista	11,240
and so obtain an unobstructed view of all that I have now accomplished— survey with one inclusive look this masterpiece the human spirit has wrought to augment, by intelligent planning,	11,245
the space its peoples have for living. The worst of torments we can suffer is to feel want when we are rich. The tinkling bell, the lindens’ scent, make me feel buried in a crypt.	11,250
The freedom of an invincible will is blunted by this pile of sand. How rid myself of this obsession— the bell will ring, and I’ll be frantic! MEPHISTOPHELES. It’s only natural that something so annoying	11,255
should sour life for you. The fact is not to be disputed: any cultivated ear must find such clinking noisome. And yet that damned ding-dong-ding-dong, casting its damp pall on serenest evening skies,	11,260
intrudes itself upon whatever happens from first immersion to interment, as if, between that ding and dong, life were a dream to be forgotten. FAUST. Such wilful, obstinate resistance	11,265
so blights the acme of success that, with intense regret and pain, one has to tire of being just. MEPHISTOPHELES. Why let yourself be bothered so by this? You surely know, by now, how best to colonize.	11,270
FAUST. So be it! Go and rid me of their presence— you know the pretty piece of property that i have designated for their use. MEPHISTOPHELES. We’ll carry them off, then set them down; there! you see them settled once again;	11,275
a nice new place will reconcile them to any violence they suffer. He whistles shrilly; the MIGHTY MEN enter.	11,280
MEPHISTOPHELES. Come! There is an order from our master. The party for the fleet will be tomorrow.
THE THREE. The old man’s welcome wasn’t generous— a lively party’s our just due.	11,285
MEPHISTOPHELES (ad spectatores). Here’s an old story, ever the same— Naboth’s vineyard once again. [1 Kings 21.]
The Darkness becomes complete.
LYNCEUS (the keeper on the palace watchtower, singing).
Sight is my birthright; assigned to this tower to watch is my task,	11,290
and the world is my joy. I gaze into the distance or look at what’s near— the moon and the stars, the forest with deer.	11,295
In what I behold there always is beauty; content with it all, I’m content with myself. Oh fortunate eyes!	11,300
whatever you’ve seen, whatever the outcome, you have known beauty!
(Pause.)
I have not been stationed here simply for my private pleasure—	11,305
what’s this threat of monstrous horror from the dark world down below! Through the lindens’ twofold night I see flashing sparks explode; incandescence, fanned by breezes,	11,310
swirls in ever greater rage. Woe! the fire’s in the cottage that so long was damp with moss; quick assistance is what’s needed, but no rescuers are near.	11,315
Will that dear, that kind old couple, once so careful with their fires, be the victims of that smoke! What a terrible disaster! Blazing flames—and glowing red	11,320
the moss-covered timberwork—
let us hope that those good people have escaped from the inferno! Tongues of flashing light are climbing through the leaves and up the branches;	11,325
withered boughs that bum and flicker soon are blazing, then cave in. Is this what my eyes should see! Why must I be so far-sighted?
Now the chapel too collapses, burdened down by falling branches. Coiling flames with serpent tongues have the treetops in their grasp. To their roots the hollow trunks	11,330
blaze scarlet in the glow they cast. –	11,335
(Long pause. Song.)
What was once a joy to see now belongs to ages past.
FAUST appears on the balcony, looking toward the dunes.
FAUST. What is that dolorous song up there? The message has arrived too late.
My watchman grieves; my inmost being is offended by this impatient action. – Although the stand of lindens may now be reduced to ugly half-charred trunks, a lookout soon can be erected	11,340
that will grant me a boundless view. From it I’ll also see the home that gives new shelter to those two old people who, grateful for my generous indulgence, will spend their final days in happiness.	11,345
MEPHISTOPHELES and the MIGHTY MEN (appearing below).
As fast as possible, we have returned; excuse us if there was a bit of trouble. We knocked, then beat upon the door, but still no one would open it; we kept on rattling and pounding,	11,350
then the rotted door fell down; we shouted and made angry threats, but still we met with no response. And as so often in such cases, they did not hear, they would not listen;	11,355
but we refused to brook delay, and, as you wished, soon cleared them out. The couple didn’t suffer much,	11,360
they simply dropped down dead with fright. A stranger who was hiding there put up a fight—we knocked him flat.	11,365
During this short but savage struggle, with embers scattered all about some straw ignited. Now it’s blazing, the pyre on which all three must die. FAUST. Were your ears deaf to what I said?	11,370
I wanted an exchange, not theft. My curse upon your senseless savagery— may each of you bear his part of it!
MEPHISTOPHELES and the MIGHTY MEN (in chorus). The ancient truth is loud and clear: Obey with grace when Force commands!	11,375
But if you’re bold and must resist, then risk your house and home and—life.	[Exeunt.
FAUST (on the balcony). The stars conceal their glittering light; the fire dies down to a faint glow, then a damp breeze rekindles it	11,380
and brings to me the smoke and vapor. An order quickly given, too quickly executed! – What are these shadows drifting toward me?
At the last stroke of midnight, FOUR GRAY WOMEN appear in the courtyard.
THE FIRST. My name is Want. THE SECOND.                        And mine is Debt. THE THIRD. My name is Care. THE FOURTH.                        And mine, Distress.	11,385
THREE (together). The portal is locked, we cannot get in; the owner is wealthy, it’s no place for us. WANT. I’d be but a shadow. DEBT.       And I would be canceled. DISTRESS. Those whom life pampers have no eyes for me. CARE. You, sisters, are helpless, have no right to enter.	11,390
But Care, through the keyhole, will slip quickly in.	[Disappears.
WANT. Away, then, gray sisters, away now from here! DEBT. As close as I can I’ll stick to your side. DISTRESS. And to your heels as close as she can, Distress. THE THREE. See the clouds gather, the stars disappear!	11,395
Look there, look off there! Far away in the distance our brother is coming – it’s he, it is – – – Death.	[Exeunt.
FAUST (within the palace). I saw four come, but only three depart; I could not catch the sense of what they said. I heard one word that sounded like distress,	11,400
the somber rhyme that followed it was – death. It had a hollow, muted, spectral sound. I have not fought my way to freedom yet! If I could rid my path of magic, could totally unlearn its incantations,	11,405
confront you, Nature, simply as a man, to be a human being would then be worth the effort. That’s what I was before I probed obscurities, blasphemed and cursed my world and self. Now the air holds so many spectral shapes	11,410
that there’s no knowing how to shun them. Though reason grant us happy, lucid days, the nights entangle us in webs of dream; as, gladdened, we return from springtime fields, some bird will croak—an omen of ill-fortune!	11,415
Enmeshed in superstition all our lives, when something happens it’s a sign or warning. And so we stand alone and frightened. – There the door creaks, and yet no one appears.
(Shaken.) Is someone here? CARE.                              The question asks for Yes.	11,420
FAUST. And who are you? CARE.                              I’m here—that’s all that matters. FAUST. Begone! CARE.              This is my proper place. FAUST (at first angry, then addressing himself in a moderated tone). Take heed to use no incantation! CARE. Even though no ear may hear me,
in your heart my voice is loud;	11,425
I appear in many masks, and I wield a vengeful power: the companion-cause of fear whether you’re on land or sea; always met with, never sought,	11,430
always cursed, but never banished.
Have you not ever, then, known Care? FAUST. I’ve never tarried anywhere; I snatched from fortune what I wanted, what did not please me I let go,	11,435
and disregarded what eluded me. I’ve only had desires to fulfill them,
then wished anew, and so I’ve stormed amain my way through life; once grand and vigorous, my days are spent with prudent caution.	11,440
I know this mortal sphere sufficiently, and there’s no seeing into the Beyond; he is a fool who casts a sheep’s eye at it, invents himself some peers above the clouds— let him stand firm and look at what’s around him:	11,445
no good and able man finds this world mute! What need has he to float into eternity— the things he knows are tangible! Let his path be this earth while he exists; if spirits haunt him, let him not break stride	11,450
but, keeping on, find all life’s pains and joys, always, in every moment, never satisfied!
CARE. Once I make a man my own, nothing in this world can help him; everlasting darkness falls,	11,455
suns no longer rise or set— though no outward sense has failed, all is darkness in his heart, and however great his treasures, there’s no joy in their possession.	11,460
Good and bad luck both depress him, he is starving though there’s plenty; source of joy or spot of trouble, it’s postponed until the morrow— caring only for the future,	11,465
he gets nothing done at all. FAUST. Stop! In this way you won’t get at me! I will not listen to this madness. Begone! Your wretched litany might well seduce a man of wisdom.	11,470
CARE. Whether he should go or come
is something he cannot decide; in the middle of a street his stride will break, he’ll grope his way; more and more he is bogged down,	11,475
everything seems more distorted; to himself, to all, a burden, when he breathes he feels he’s choking, neither stifled nor yet living, tom between despair and hoping.	11,480
All is one unceasing round of things not done, of odious duties,
of sense of freedom, then depression; broken, unrefreshing sleep leaves him without will to move	11,485
and prepares him for damnation.
FAUST. Ill-omened spectres! Time and time again this is the way you work on human kind, transforming even days that are indifferent into an ugly tangle of enmeshing torments.	11,490
We can’t, I know, be rid of daemons easily— their ties upon us never can be severed— but I shall not acknowledge, Care, not ever, your vast, insidious power. CARE. Then feel it now, and hear the curse	11,495
with which I turn away from you: throughout its whole existence your human race is blind— now, Faustus, it’s your turn at last.
She breathes upon him and vanishes.
FAUST (blinded). The darkness seems to press about me more and more, but in my inner being there is radiant light;	11,500
I’ll hasten the fulfillment of my plans— only the master’s order carries weight. – Workmen, up from your beds! Up, every man, and make my bold design reality! Take up your tools! To work with spade and shovel—	11,505
what’s been marked off must be completed now! Prompt effort and strict discipline will guarantee superb rewards: to complete a task that’s so tremendous, working as one is worth a thousand hands.	11,510

The large outer courtyard of the palace is now lit by torches. – Enter
MEPHISTOPHELES, leading a group of LEMURES.

MEPHISTOPHELES. Come, hurry here! Come in! Come in, you tottery Lemures, you patched-together, half-live creatures of sinew, ligament and bone.
LEMURES (chorus). Here we come, and promptly too,	11,515
half under the impression that this concerns a lot of land of which we’ll take possession.     We see the poles and pointed stakes,
the chain to measure sections,	11,520
but why we have been summoned here is something we’ve forgotten.
MEPHISTOPHELES. No fine surveying’s needed here; just use the standard of your bodies: he who is tallest must lie down full length,	11,525
you others make a ridge of turf around him; then, as they did for our forefathers, dig a long four-sided hole! From palace into these cramped quarters— that’s the inane conclusion of all this.	11,530
LEMURES (digging, with derisive gestures).
In youth when I did live and love, I thought that all was pleasant; when there was song and merriment, my feet would take to dancing.
But then malicious Age appeared	11,535
and smote me with his crutch; I tripped beside an open door— why must be graves left open!
FAUST emerges from the palace, groping his way past the door posts.
FAUST. How good to hear the sound of shovels! The mass of workers serve my pleasure,	11,540
uniting land again with land, imposing borders on the ocean, confining it in rigid bonds.
MEPHISTOPHELES (aside). And yet with all your dams and levees your striving serves no one but us;	11,545
in fact, you’re now preparing a grand feast for the water-daemon, Neptune. All of your kind are doomed already; – the elements have sworn to help us; the end will be annihilation.	11,550
FAUST. Overseer!
MEPHISTOPHELES. Here!
FAUST.                            Use every means you can and get a plentiful supply of laborers; use benefits and discipline to spur them on, make payments, offer bonuses, conscript them! And day by day I want to be informed	11,555
how the canal I’ve started is advancing.
MEPHISTOPHELES (sotto voce). The word I heard was more banal: they mentioned graves, not some canal.
FAUST. A marsh stretching along those mountains contaminates what’s been reclaimed so far;	11,560
to drain that stagnant pool as well would be a crowning last achievement. If I can furnish space for many millions to live—not safe, I know, but free to work in green and fertile fields, with man and beast	11,565
soon happy on the new-made soil and settled in beside the mighty hill a dauntless people’s effort has erected, creating here inside a land of Eden— then there, without, the tide may bluster to its brim,	11,570
but where it gnaws, attempting to rush in by force, communal effort will be quick to close the breach. To this idea I am committed wholly, it is the final wisdom we can reach: he, only, merits freedom and existence	11,575
who wins them every day anew. And so, beset by danger, here childhood’s years, maturity, and age will all be vigorous. If only I might see that people’s teeming life, share their autonomy on unencumbered soil;	11,580
then, to the moment, I could say: tarry a while, you are so fair— the traces of my days on earth will survive into eternity! – Envisioning those heights of happiness,	11,585
I now enjoy my highest moment.
FAUST falls backward and is caught by the Lemures, who lay him on the ground.
MEPHISTOPHELES. No pleasure sates him, no success suffices, and so he still keeps chasing shapes that always change; this final, mediocre, empty moment— the poor wretch wants to cling to it.	11,590
He who resisted me with such great vigor —time triumphs—lies here on the sand an old, old man. The clock stands still –
LEMURES.                      Stands still? As deathly still as midnight! Now its hand falls.
MEPHISTOPHELES.    It falls, and all is finished.
LEMURES. So all is over.
MEPHISTOPHELES.         Over—a stupid word!	11,595
Why over? What’s over, and mere nothing, are the same. So what’s the point of making all our effort
to snatch what has been made into our nothingness! “All’s over!”—what’s the inference from that?	11,600
That things might just as well have never been, but chase around in circles as if they did exist. I’d much prefer Eternal Emptiness instead.
INTERMENT
ONE OF THE LEMURES (solo).
Who built me such a wretched house with shovel and with spade?	11,605
LEMURES (chorus).
For an insentient guest in burlap it’s far too nicely made.
ONE OF THE LEMURES (solo).
Why is the room so badly furnished? Where are the chairs, the table?
LEMURES (chorus).
All items were on short-term loan,	11,610
and creditors are many.
MEPHISTOPHELES. The body’s here, and if its spirit tries escaping I’ll promptly show my blood-signed title to it— although, alas! today they have so many ways to cheat the devil of his souls.	11,615
Our good old-fashioned methods give offense, and modem ways won’t help us much; once I’d have acted on my own, but now I’ll need to call upon assistants.
Things have come to a pretty pass!	11,620
Established usages and ancient rights— there’s nothing we can count on any more! The soul used to emerge when someone breathed his last; I’d lie in wait and, like the nimblest mouse, snap! it was clenched within my claws.	11,625
But now it hesitates to leave that dreary place, its noisome home inside a worthless corpse. But in the end the feuding elements will ignominiously evict it. And though I fret for days on end, the questions	11,630
when, how, and where continually plague me; old Death has lost his former mettle, so even whether has been long in doubt. I’ve often coveted some limbs in rigor mortis — illusion only! They stirred and began to move again.	11,635
(He makes fantastic gestures of conjuration, in the manner of a squad-leader.)
Here, quickly! On the double! When you come, you fellows with straight horns, and you with crooked ones, you sterling coins from our infernal mint, bring the hell-mouth along as well. Hell, to be sure, devours with many different jaws,	11,640
according to one’s rank and status— though in the future, even for this final fanfare, people will bother less about the niceties. (The hideous hell-mouth, placed stage-left, opens its jaws.)
Past gaping tusks the fiery torrent pours raging from the dome of the abyss,	11,645
and in the background, amid seething vapors, I see the Flaming City glow eternally. The red surf surges forward to the teeth, bearing damned souls that seek salvation; crushed in the hyena’s colossal jaws,	11,650
they must retrace the fearful path of fire. In the comers, much more could be discovered— the maximum of horror in a minimum of space! Try as you will to terrify the sinful, they think these things are only lies and figments.	11,655
(To the FAT DEVILS, who have short, straight horns.)
You there, pot-bellied rascals with the fiery cheeks, fattened on brimstone, your faces fairly shining! You bullnecked scoundrels with untuming heads! watch out below for any phosphorescent glow: that will be Psyche with her wings—his petty soul—	11,660
but if you pluck them off, she is a loathsome worm. The moment I have set my mark upon her, away with her in flaming cyclone! It is your duty, fat-paunched rogues, to pay attention to the lower regions,	11,665
although it is somewhat uncertain if that is where she would prefer to dwell. The navel is one place she likes to stay, so be on guard, or she may slip out there.
(To the THIN DEVILS, who have long, twisting horns.)
You giant clowns, file-leaders everyone,	11,670
keep sawing the air—no letting up!— with arms full length and sharp claws out to grab the fluttering fugitive. Her spirit’s surely wretched in her present house, will want to move up right away to something better.	11,675
A Glory is lowered from above-right.
HEAVENLY HOST. Heavenly messengers,
kin to the blest above, come, flying calmly, to bring sinners forgiveness and new life to dust;	11,680
provide, as you soar in leisurely flight, all living creatures with tokens of love!
MEPHISTOPHELES. I hear discordant, nasty tinklings—	11,685
they come from that disturbing light up there; such juvenile-androgynous bumbling is what the sanctimonious enjoy. You will remember how, in our most heinous hours, we plotted the destruction of mankind:	11,690
the vilest method we invented exactly suits the needs of their devotions.
The canting puppies, here they come! Those mincing ways have cost us many a soul, snatched from us as they wage their war with our own weapons—	11,695
they’re devils, too, but in disguise. To be defeated there would be your lasting shame— on to the grave, and take your stand beside it!
ANGELS (in chorus, strewing roses).
Roses so brilliant and aromatic,	11,700
fluttering, floating, secretly quickening— on leaf-wings to hold you, with blossoms unfolding, hasten to bloom!	11,705
Springtime and crimson and purple, appear! Bring paradise down to him who rests here!
MEPHISTOPHELES (to the DEVILS). Why do you flinch? Is that good devilish behavior?	11,710
Stand fast, and let them strew away! Back to your posts, you beardless boys! No doubt they think that with this snow of tiny flowers they’ll cool your diabolic ardor, but it will melt away before your breath.	11,715
Now blow, you bellows-devils! – That’s enough! your breathing makes the whole flock blench. –
Take it easy! Now shut your mouths and noses! I see that you’ve been blowing much too hard. Why can’t you ever learn to practice moderation!	11,720
The stuff not only shrivels, it scorches, withers—bums! Now the bright mass of poisoned flame drifts toward us, Brace yourselves, close ranks, and stop it! – The devils’ strength gives out! All valor’s gone! They’ve caught an unfamiliar scent of wheedling warmth!	11,725
THE ANGELS. These blossoms of happiness,
these flames filled with gladness, disseminate love and prepare for the bliss all hearts desire.	11,730
In radiant skies what’s said will be truth, and heavenly hosts will always know light.
MEPHISTOPHELES. A curse upon these scurvy dolts!	11,735
My fiends are standing on their heads— the fat ones turning cartwheel after cartwheel, before they plunge breech-first down into hell. – I hope your bath will be as hot as you deserve! But as for me, I won’t desert my post.	11,740
(Fighting off the roses that drift about him.)
Will-o’-the-wisps, begone! You, there! You may shine bright but, once you’re caught, you are a nasty whitish slime. Why are you fluttering still? Be on your way! – I feel the pinch of pitch and brimstone on my neck.
THE ANGELS.            What you find alien,	11,745
be sure to avoid it; what hurts your inward self, you must reject it. But if still it intrudes, we must confront it.	11,750
Love only succors those who can love.
MEPHISTOPHELES. My head’s on fire, and I’ve heart-and-liver burn; that superdiabolic element is far more poignant than the flames of hell.	11,755
I see why you unhappy lovers moan so overmuch— you who, although you’re spumed, still twist your necks to catch a glimpse of her you love.
My plight too! What’s pulling my head in that direction, when that’s the side of my sworn foes—	11,760
I used to find them an offensive sight!
Has some strange thing infected me? I love to look at them, these loveliest of youths; what makes me hesitate to curse them? And if I let myself become infatuated,	11,765
who will be henceforth called a fatuous fool! Confounded rascals—though I hate them, I find them only too attractive! –
You lovely children, may I ask
if you’re descendants too of Lucifer? You are, I swear, so pretty that I’d like to kiss you; I have a feeling you would suit me nicely. I am as much at ease and natural as if we’d met a thousand times already,	11,770
and am as eager as a stalking kitten,	11,775
while you grow lovelier each time I look. Please don’t hang back—look at me at least once! THE ANGELS. Now that we are advancing, why do you withdraw? We’re coming closer, and if you can, remain!
The ANGELS proceed to occupy the whole stage.
MEPHISTOPHELES (forced into the proscenium).
You call us spirits damned but prove to be the actual sorcerers yourselves, for you seduce both men and women. – Oh, what a damnable affair! Is this the stuff that love is made of?	11,780
My body is on fire everywhere— I hardly feel those bums upon my neck. – You’re hovering without direction—come down here and use your limbs in ways a bit more worldly; your grave looks suit you very nicely, I admit,	11,785
but just for once I’d like to see your smile— that would afford me everlasting ecstasy! I have in mind the way that lovers look: it only takes a little movement of the mouth. You, there, the lad that’s tall, I like you best;	11,790
that sanctimonious air is not becoming to you, so please give me a slightly wanton look! Another thing! Without offending decency you could wear less; long pleated robes are prudish – They’re turning – see them from the rear! –	11,795
the rascals really whet my appetite!
THE ANGELS. Turn into clarity, you fires of passion! May truth cure all who seek self-damnation,	11,800
so that from evil	11,805
they win joyous redemption and, one with the All, are evermore blessed!
MEPHISTOPHELES (regaining composure). What’s happening to me? – Like Job a mass of boils from head to toe, a horror to myself,	11,810
and yet triumphant after self-inspection, still confident in both my tribe and self! The parts essential to a devil all are rescued, the love-illusion has become a healing rash; all those atrocious flames have now stopped burning—	11,815
and, as is only proper, I curse you one and all!
THE ANGELS. Fires of holiness!
Whom they encompass, will live in blessed oneness with all who are good.	11,820
Let us, together, ascend and give praise! The air is now purified, his spirit may breathe!
The ANGELS rise, bearing away the immortal part of FAUST.
MEPHISTOPHELES (looking about). But what has happened, where can they have gone? –	11,825
You stole a march on me, you puppies! – They’re flying off toward heaven with my prey— so that is why they dallied at the graveside! They’ve robbed me of a great, unequaled treasure; the noble soul that pledged itself to me—	11,830
they’ve tricked me out of it and smuggled it away.
From whom can I now seek redress? Who will procure me what I’ve duly earned? You’ve been deceived—and late in life, besides— it serves you right, this is your worst of times.	11,835
I bungled everything disgracefully, and so, o shame! a great investment’s wasted— a seasoned devil overcome by vulgar lust, erotic silliness! If one possessing wisdom and experience	11,840
could get involved in childish madness, it is indeed the very height of folly that in the end defeated him.

MOUNTAIN GORGES
Forest, rocks. A solitude with HOLY ANCHORETS in crevices of the mountainside.
CHORUS and ECHO. Woods seek to come near
as rocks press them down, roots try to take hold as trees crowd together, wave splashes on wave as caves give us shelter;	11,845
lions roaming about, silent and friendly, respect this asylum, love’s sanctuary.	11,850
PATER ECSTATICUS (hovering at various levels). Searing eternal bliss,
love’s bond of fire, heart’s seething anguish, divine surges of rapture— arrows, transpierce me, lances, subdue me,	11,855
batter me, cudgels, lightning, crash through me, so that what’s trivial may evanesce and love’s lasting core	11,860
shine as a constant star!	11,865
PATER PROFUNDUS (in a lower region). When the abyss of rock below weighs down abysses deeper still, when jetting streams in thousands plunge into the seething cataract,
when with its strong innate compulsion a tree will rise straight to the sky, it is all-potent Love that gives all things their form, sustains all things. When all about me there is tumult—	11,870
woods and ravines a surging sea— the roar is pleasant as the streams, bringing water to a valley, gush and plunge into the gorge; the thunderbolts that crashed in flame	11,875
to purify the atmosphere of poisonous vapors it had nursed—	11,880
these messengers of love proclaim creative force encompassing us always.
May it enkindle, too, my inner being where, confused and chill, my spirit	11,885
is consumed, racked by their fetters, in the tormenting bondage of my blunted senses. Quiet, o God, my troubled thoughts, and grant my needy heart Your light!
PATER SERAPHICUS (at median elevation). Lo! a morning-wisp of cloud is floating	11,890
through the spruces’ waving hair; I divine what lives within it— it’s a group of newborn spirits.
BLESSED BOYS (in chorus). Tell us, Father, where we’re going, kindly tell us who we are! –	11,895
We are happy, for existence seems so easy to us all.
PATER SERAPHICUS. You are boys!—were born at midnight, half-endowed with mind and senses— right away lost to your parents,	11,900
for us angels, source of gain. Since you feel someone is present who can love you, come to me; you are fortunate that on you earth’s harsh paths have left no mark.	11,905
Come down here into my eyes, organs made to see this world; you may use them as your own— gaze upon the landscape here!
(He takes the BOYS into himself.)
Those are trees, and those are rocks,	11,910
that’s a stream—its falling waters tumble down in giant loops to make short the steep descent.
BLESSED BOYS (heard as if speaking from within PATER SERAPHICUS). That is a tremendous sight, but this place, it is too gloomy,	11,915
makes us quake with fear and dread. Kindly let us leave, good sir!
PATER SERAPHICUS. Rise to higher spheres above, growing imperceptibly as God’s pure sustaining presence	11,920
always works to make you stronger. Absolute where skies are boundless, it is this which feeds all spirits:
eternal love’s epiphany that flowers as beatitude.	11,925
BLESSED BOYS (circling the highest summits).
Let us join hands to begin a gay round; let’s dance and let’s sing and feel pious besides! With such godly instruction	11,930
there’s no need to be hesitant, and soon we’ll behold Him we revere.
ANGELS (hovering in the upper sky with the immortal part of FAUST). This worthy member of the spirit world is rescued from the devil:	11,935
for him whose striving never ceases we can provide redemption; and if a higher love as well has shown an interest in him, the hosts of heaven come	11,940
and greet him with a cordial welcome.
YOUNGER ANGELS. All those roses, given us by penitents whose love is saintly, helped us win our victory and fulfill our lofty mission,	11,945
helped us seize this priceless soul. When they fell, the wicked faltered, when they hit, the devils fled. Spirits used to hellish torment felt the pangs of love instead;	11,950
even the old Master-Devil suffered agony all over. Hallelujah! We have won!
MORE-PERFECT ANGELS.
This remainder of earth, it’s distasteful to bear it;	11,955
even cremated, it would still be impure. When a strong spirit has taken the elements and made them its own,	11,960
angels can’t separate two natures conjoined in one single entity— only Eternal Love can disunite them.	11,965
YOUNGER ANGELS. Close to us here,
I suddenly sense spirit-life stirring as mists near the mountain-top. The clouds, now transparent,	11,970
reveal Blessed Boys, all lively and active; free of earth’s pressures they’ve formed a circle and now are enjoying	11,975
the upper world’s beauty, the freshness of spring. – As his start toward perfection let him who has come be their companion!	11,980
BLESSED BOYS. We’re glad to receive
this chrysalid entity, since it’s you angels who give us the surety. Let’s pull off the floss	11,985
still clinging to him! Filled with life’s sacredness he’s handsome and tall.
DOCTOR MARIANUS (in the highest and neatest cell).
The view here is vast, the spirit exalted.	11,990
There I see women floating past upwards— I can tell by the glory that she at the center of their wreath of stars	11,995
is heaven’s High Queen.
(In ecstasy.) Sovereign mistress of the world,
let me, in the azure of the heaven’s canopy, contemplate your secrets!	12,000
Sanction that which stirs man’s heart to earnest tenderness and bears it aloft to you in love’s sacred rapture.     When you give august commands,	12,005
nothing daunts our courage; when we know the peace you give, passion soon is quiet— Virgin, pure in the best sense;
venerated Mother;	12,010
one coequal of the gods; Queen we have elected!
Nebulous cloudlets dancing around her are penitent women—	12,015
delicate creatures, down at her knees breathing the pureness, anxious for mercy.
You whom none may ever touch	12,020
always gladly suffer those who’re easily seduced to confide in you.     Hard indeed it is to save those swept away by weakness—	12,025
how can they, desire’s slaves, burst their bonds unaided? All too quickly feet give way on a slippery slope! Who resists a welcoming look,	12,030
is deaf to words that flatter?
The MATER GLORIOSA now floats past.
PENITENT WOMEN (in chorus).
You who soar upward to eternity’s kingdoms, o peerless Being, fountain of mercy,	12,035
give ear to our prayers.
MAGNA PECCATRIX [Luke, 7, 36].
By the love that shed the tears— which the Pharisee despised— to be ointment for the feet of your son, whom God transfigured;	12,040
by that box of alabaster with its overflowing fragrance and the hair that wiped and dried the sacred limbs so tenderly –
MULIER SAMARITANA [John 4].
By the well to which of old	12,045
the flocks of Abraham were driven and the waterpot allowed to refresh our Savior’s lips; by the pure, abundant waters that since then spring up from it	12,050
and in everlasting brightness overflow and flood the universe –
MARIA AEGYPTICA [Acta Sanctorum]. By that holiest of places, where our Lord has been entombed, and the arm that from its door	12,055
thrust me back with silent warning; by the forty years that I devoted to true penance in the desert and the peaceful farewell message that I wrote down in the sand –	12,060
THE THREE PENITENTS (together).
You who let come near to you women who have greatly sinned, and augment the gains of penance in eternity forever, grant unto this good soul also—	12,065
one who lost her head but once, unaware that she did wrong— as is fitting, your forgiveness!
A PENITENT alias GRETCHEN (clinging to the MATER GLORIOSA).
Deign, O Deign, you who are peerless,	12,070
you who are radiant, to look down on my joy— the love of my youth, no longer unhappy, has now returned!	12,075
BLESSED BOYS (circling closer).
Already he has grown bigger than we, and will reward our loving care with love still greater: as children we were separated	12,080
from all of life’s spheres; but this man has gained learning, he’ll be our teacher.
THE PENITENT (GRETCHEN). Amid this host of lofty spirits our novice is uncertain he exists,	12,085
but when he senses there is new life here, he soon will be the peer of any angel. See him work loose from all the bonds that once enveloped him on earth! See how his early, youthful vigor	12,090
shows to advantage in ethereal raiment! Grant me permission to instruct him— he still is dazzled by the strange new light.
MATER GLORIOSA. Come, rise to higher spheres— Sensing your presence, he will follow!	12,095
DOCTOR MARIANUS (prostrate, in adoration).
Look up to salvation’s eyes, tender penitents, so that you may gratefully be reborn for heaven! – May all nobler spirits be	12,100
eager for thy service; Virgin, Mother, Queen, and Goddess, keep us in your grace!
CHORUS MYSTICUS. All that is transitory
is only a symbol;	12,105
what seems unachievable here is seen done; what’s indescribable here becomes fact; Woman, eternally,	12,110
shows us the way.

[Finis.]