Translated by John R. Williams
DEDICATION
Once more I sense uncertain shapes appearing,
Dimly perceived in days of youth long past.
Now in my heart I feel the moment nearing
When I can hold those phantom figures fast.
5
The haze and mist that swallowed them is clearing,
They gather round me, bodied forth at last.
Within me now a youthful passion surges
As from a magic spell their throng emerges.
They bring back scenes of youthful jubilation,
10
And with them many well-loved shades appear;
A half-forgotten distant intimation
Of those in early times I held so dear.
The grief returns, once more the lamentation
Of life’s obscure and wayward course I hear
15
For those capricious fortune cruelly treated,
Who all too soon of joy and life were cheated.
They cannot hear the songs within these pages,
Those souls to whom I sang; I sing alone.
That friendly throng was scattered to the ages,
20
And those first echoes on the wind were blown.
My sorrow now the stranger’s mind engages,
Whose praise I cannot in my heart condone;
And some by whose applause my gifts were flattered,
If they still live, to the world’s ends are scattered.
25
And now I feel a long-forgotten yearning;
That solemn, quiet world calls me once more,
Its spirit music to my lips returning
Like the Aeolian harp’s uncertain chord.
I tremble, and my cheeks with tears are burning,
30
The stern heart softens, melted to its core.
What I possess now vanishes before me,
And what was lost alone has substance for me.
PRELUDE ON THE STAGE
DIRECTOR, POET, CLOWN
DIRECTOR. You two have stood beside me now
For years and shared my troubles all the way.
35
I’d like to have your views on how
To make our mark in Germany today.
I want to entertain the crowd out there—
They put up with an awful lot, you know.
The posts and boards are up, so let’s prepare
40
To give the audience a proper show.
They’re all agog and sitting patiently,
Something spectacular is what they want to see.
How to please the public—that’s the test,
But nowadays I find I’m in a fix;
45
I know they’re not accustomed to the best,
But they’ve all read so much they know the tricks.
How can we give them something fresh and new
That’s serious, but entertaining too?
I love to see a crowd of people pour
50
Into the theatre like rolling waves,
And painfully like new-born babes
Squeeze themselves through that narrow door;
At four o’clock, in broad daylight,
Breaking their necks to get a seat,
55
Pushing and shoving as they fight
Like starving beggars for a piece of meat.
And who can work this miracle? I say
The poet can: my friend, do it today!
POET. Don’t talk to me about the many-headed,
60
My spirit fails me at the very sight.
Preserve me from that motley mob, the dreaded
Rabble that puts poetry to flight.
The poet to the silent Muse is wedded,
In heavenly peace he finds his true delight,
Where love and friendship godlike forge and cherish
The blessings of the heart that never perish.
And what our hearts from deep within created
Or what our timid lips had sought to say,
No matter if it’s good or bad, is fated
70
To be forgotten in the present fray,
And only when the tide of time’s abated
Appears in its true form another day.
What glitters for the moment is but passing;
Posterity will value what is lasting.
75
CLOWN. I don’t want to hear about posterity!
And even if I did, what’s it to me?
It’s here and now they want to have some fun,
That’s what they like, what they’re entitled to.
That’s just the sort of thing a lad like me can do—
80
It’s what I’m best at, when all’s said and done.
If you can get across to them, then you can cope
With anything the audience throws at you,
And a full house will give you much more scope
To entertain them—and to move them, too.
85
So don’t be shy and write a proper play.
Let your imagination weave its magic spell,
Let sense and reason, love and passion have their say—
But let us have a bit of fun as well.
DIRECTOR. But most of all, put in a lot of action!
90
That’s how to get your audience satisfaction—
Don’t give them an excuse for getting bored.
They like to see things happen on the stage;
Just keep them happy, you’ll get your reward—
They’ll love you, you’ll be all the rage.
95
A lot of people like a lot of stuff
To choose from, and they have to be presented
With a spectacle that has enough
For everyone—then they’ll go home contented.
Let’s have a play that plays to every taste!
100
It’s easy to concoct a tasty stew.
Get busy with your scissors and your paste;
Don’t try to get it perfect—if you do,
The public will demolish it for you.
POET. You’ve no idea what it does to me
105
To prostitute my talents in this way;
You want the sort of rubbish you can see
In any West-End theatre every day.
DIRECTOR. I’m not offended by such taunts as these;
I want to put a show on that will run,
110
And I don’t really care much how it’s done.
The public isn’t difficult to please;
Just try to keep your audience in mind.
Some of them come here simply to unwind,
Some have just stuffed themselves with food;
115
And if they’ve read the papers, then you’ll find
They can be in a very nasty mood.
These people don’t want anything too arty,
They come because they’re curious to know
What’s on; the women think they’re at a party,
120
Parading around—it’s all part of the show.
Why are you poets all such dreamers, though?
Doesn’t a full house give you a big thrill?
Just take a close look at our patrons, and you’ll know
Some don’t appreciate us, others never will.
125
After the play they’ll trot off to some gambling den,
Look forward to a wild night with their floozies.
You needn’t look too far for inspiration, then—
I don’t know why you bother the poor Muses.
I tell you, give them lots and lots of action
130
And rivet their attention, that’s the way.
They only want a few hours of distraction—
You’ll never satisfy them anyway.
Now what’s the matter? Are we having a contraction?
POET. Oh, go and find yourself another slave!
135
You want the poet to betray his Muse?
The highest birthright nature ever gave
You’d have him wantonly abuse?
How does the poet move all people’s hearts?
Command the elements with all his arts?
140
It is the harmony that dwells within us
So that the whole world is reflected in us.
When nature’s spindle twists the thread of ages,
Indifferently she spins the endless strand,
And when the world’s discordant clamour rages
145
In dire confusion none can understand—
Who then enlivens that monotony
And makes it pulse with rhythmic motion?
Who summons every voice, united in devotion,
And blends them into glorious harmony?
150
Who makes the furious tempest rage and sing,
Gives solemn meaning to the sunset glow?
Who scatters all the lovely flowers of spring
At the beloved’s feet wherever she may go?
Who weaves the modest laurel leaves that crown
155
The heads of those whose deeds set them apart?
Preserves Olympus and the gods’ renown?
Man’s power, embodied in the poet’s art!
CLOWN. Why don’t you use them then, these splendid powers?
Let’s see them in this theatre of ours!
160
Approach your story like a love-affair;
You meet, you feel attracted, so you hang around,
And gradually you find you really care.
Of course, you’ll find it has its ups and downs;
There’s pain and pleasure, if you’re truly smitten—
165
Before you can turn round, you’ll have a novel written.
That’s the kind of play we ought to give—
The whole parade of life that people live!
Plunge in and take it as it is, and you
Can offer something interesting and new.
170
Some vivid scenes, a measure of illusion,
A grain of truth and plenty of confusion,
That’s the surest way to mix a brew
To please them all—and teach them something, too.
Our finest youth will flock to see your play,
175
Expecting some momentous revelation;
Their melancholy minds will soak up what you say
And in your words they’ll find sweet consolation.
Arouse their feelings for them, and reveal
Their own emotions—that’s what will appeal.
180
They’re young enough to move to tears or laughter,
Excitement and illusion’s what they’re after.
You’ll never please the older ones, I know—
Impressionable minds will love it, though.
POET. Then give me back the time when I was young,
185
When all my life before me lay,
A constant stream of words and song
Burst from my lips with every passing day,
When clouds of glory hid the world from view,
And budding youth still found it all so new;
190
When flowers in thousands seemed to fill
The fields for me to gather them at will.
Though I had nothing, what I had was this:
The urge for truth, delight in make-believe.
Give me those passions back, let me retrieve
195
The keenest pangs of adolescent bliss,
Extremes of love and hate, of joy and pain—
Give me back my youth again!
CLOWN. Such youthful energy, my friend, you’ll find
Is needed in the frantic heat of war,
200
Or when some pretty girl might feel inclined
To take you in her arms and ask for more;
Or in the race before your weary eyes
You see the finish and the winner’s prize,
Or when the whirling dance is at an end
205
You spend the night carousing with a friend.
But if you’ve confidence enough to play
A graceful tune and let us hear your voice,
Or let your pleasant fancy stray
Towards a destination of your choice—
210
That is a task for the maturer man,
And we respect you for it all the more.
They say age makes us childish—but it can
Make truer children of us than before.
DIRECTOR. You’ve bandied words enough, now let me see
215
Some action from you both for once.
We could have spent the time more usefully
While you two were exchanging compliments.
What’s all this talk of inspiration in the end?
You can’t just sit and hope it might descend.
220
If you’re a poet, as you claim to be,
Get on with it and write some poetry.
You know exactly what we have to do—
To give them something with a kick in it,
So hurry up and make a decent brew.
225
Don’t leave it till tomorrow, stick at it—
Today will pass you by before you know.
You’ve got to grab your chance, or else it’s gone,
It doesn’t come round twice, so don’t be slow,
And once you’ve taken it, don’t let it go;
230
That’s the only way to get things done.
On German stages, everybody knows,
They like to try out anything that goes;
And so today let’s have some splendid scenery
And plenty of spectacular machinery.
235
We’ll have the sun and moon—use all the lights—
And lots of stars, as many as you want,
Fire, water, rocky mountain heights,
And birds and animals—just be extravagant.
This narrow stage is wide enough to gird about
240
The whole of God’s creation. Very well:
Go carefully but quickly—measure out
The way from heaven through the world to hell.
PROLOGUE IN HEAVEN
The LORD, the Heavenly Host, then MEPHISTOPHELES.
The three Archangels step forward.
RAPHAEL. With choirs of kindred spheres competing,
The sun intones its ancient sound,
245
And runs its thunderous course, completing
Its preordained diurnal round.
This vision none has comprehended,
Though angels quicken at the sight;
These high and wondrous works are splendid
250
As when the world first shone with light.
GABRIEL. The earth in majesty rotating
Spins on itself as swift as light,
Celestial radiance alternating
With dread impenetrable night.
255
In rocky depths the foaming ocean
Surges with elemental force,
Swept on by the eternal motion
That speeds the worlds upon their course.
MICHAEL. And mighty tempests rage unceasing
260
From sea to land, from land to sea,
A furious clash of power, releasing
A chain of vast causality.
Before the crash of rolling thunder
The flashing bolts blaze out the way;
265
But we, thy angels, watch with wonder
The peaceful progress of thy day.
ALL THREE. Thy vision none has comprehended,
Though angels quicken at the sight;
Thy mighty works, O Lord, are splendid
270
As when the world first shone with light.
MEPHISTO. Since, Lord, you deign to visit us once more
To find out how we manage our affairs,
And since you’ve often welcomed me before,
I’ve come to join your household staff upstairs.
275
I’m not much good at lofty words, I fear,
It doesn’t worry me if they all sneer.
Pathos from me would make you laugh—although
I know you gave up laughing long ago.
I can’t sing hymns about the universe,
280
I only see how people go from bad to worse.
He hasn’t changed, your little god on earth—
He’s still peculiar as the day you gave him birth.
He’d live a better life, at least,
If you’d not given him a glimpse of heaven’s light.
285
He calls it reason—which gives him the right
To be more bestial than any beast.
Saving your gracious presence, Sire, I’d say
He’s like a silly grasshopper in the hay.
He chirps and sings and flitters to and fro,
290
And chirps the same old song and jumps about;
If only he were satisfied with that—but no,
In every pile of filth he dips his snout.
THE LORD. Why are you telling me all this again?
Do you always come here to complain?
295
Could there be something good on earth that you’ve forgotten?
MEPHISTO. No, Lord! I’m pleased to say it’s still completely rotten.
I feel quite sorry for their miserable plight;
When it’s as bad as that, tormenting them’s not right.
THE LORD. Do you know Faust?
MEPHISTO. The Doctor?
THE LORD. Yes—my servant.
300
MEPHISTO. He serves you in a very curious way indeed.
It isn’t earthly nourishment he seems to need;
His fevered mind is in a constant ferment.
Half-conscious of his folly, in his pride
On all the joys of earth he wants to feed,
305
And pluck from heaven the very brightest star.
He searches high and low, and yet however far
He roams, his restless heart returns dissatisfied.
THE LORD. Though in confusion still he seeks his way,
Yet I will lead him to the light one day.
310
For in the budding sapling the gardener can see
The promise of the fruit upon the full-grown tree.
MEPHISTO. What would you wager? Will you challenge me
To win him from you? Give me your permission
To lead him down my path to his perdition?
315
THE LORD. While he’s on earth, while he is still alive,
Then you may tempt him—that is my condition.
For man will err as long as he can strive.
MEPHISTO. I take up your kind offer, Sire, most gratefully;
The dead are of no interest to me.
320
I like them fresh and full of life, well fed.
A corpse is very boring; I’m like a cat, you see—
It’s no fun once the mouse is dead.
THE LORD. Well then, it shall be left to you.
Entice this spirit from its primal source,
325
And drag him down, if you are able to,
Upon your own infernal course;
With shame you will confess to me one day,
A good man, though his instincts be obscure,
Is still quite conscious of the proper way.
330
MEPHISTO. So be it! And it won’t take long, I’m sure.
I have no doubts about my wager, none—
And I will come before you when it’s done,
Triumphant with the glory that I’ve won.
He shall eat dust, and on his belly I will make
335
Him go, like my old aunt, the celebrated snake.
THE LORD. I give you freedom to appear at will;
For you and for your kind I feel no hate.
Of all the spirits of denial and of ill,
Such rogues as you I can well tolerate.
340
For man’s activity can slacken all too fast,
He falls too soon into a slothful ease;
The Devil’s a companion who will tease
And spur him on, and work creatively at last.
But you, true sons of God, attend your duty:
345
Rejoice in rich creation’s living beauty!
The vital process that eternally informs
All things, embrace you with the bonds that love has wrought;
To what appears in evanescent forms
Give substance with the lasting power of thought.
Heaven closes, the Archangels disperse
350
MEPHISTO. I like to drop in on him if I can,
Just to keep things between us on the level.
It’s really decent of the Grand Old Man
To be so civil to the very Devil.
Night. In a high-vaulted narrow Gothic room
FAUST sits restlessly at his desk.
FAUST. Medicine, and Law, and Philosophy—
355
You’ve worked your way through every school,
Even, God help you, Theology,
And sweated at it like a fool.
Why labour at it any more?
You’re no wiser now than you were before.
360
You’re Master of Arts, and Doctor too,
And for ten years all you’ve been able to do
Is lead your students a fearful dance
Through a maze of error and ignorance.
And all this misery goes to show
365
There’s nothing we can ever know.
Oh yes, you’re brighter than all those relics,
Professors and Doctors, scribblers and clerics;
No doubts or scruples to trouble you,
Defying hell, and the Devil too.
370
But there’s no joy in self-delusion;
Your search for truth ends in confusion.
Don’t imagine your teaching will ever raise
The minds of men or change their ways.
And as for worldly wealth, you’ve none—
375
What honour or glory have you won?
A dog could stand this life no more.
And so I’ve turned to magic lore;
The spirit message of this art
Some secret knowledge might impart.
380
No longer shall I sweat to teach
What always lay beyond my reach;
I’ll know what makes the world revolve,
Its inner mysteries resolve,
No more in empty words I’ll deal—
385
Creation’s wellsprings I’ll reveal!
Sweet moonlight, shining full and clear
Why do you light my torture here?
How often have you seen me toil,
Burning last drops of midnight oil.
390
On books and papers as I read,
My friend, your mournful light you shed.
And walk the mountain-tops again,
Through moonlit meadows make my way,
395
In mountain caves with spirits play—
Released from learning’s musty cell,
Your healing dew would make me well!
But no, you’re stuck inside this lair,
In this accursed dungeon, where
400
The very light of heaven can pass
But dimly through the painted glass.
Immured behind a pile of books,
Motheaten, dusty, in the reek
Of papers stuffed in all these nooks—
405
This is the wisdom that you seek.
These jars and cases row on row,
Retorts and tubes and taps and gauges,
The useless junk of bygone ages—
This is the only world you know!
410
And still you wonder why this pain
Constricts your heart and hems it in,
Why agonies you can’t explain
Sap all life’s energies within?
When God created us, he founded
415
His living nature for our home;
But you sit in this gloom, surrounded
By mildewed skull and arid bone.
Escape into a wider sphere!
This book of secrets will provide
420
The magic writings of the Seer;
Let Nostradamus be your guide.
If nature helps us, we can seek
The paths the stars in heaven go;
Through her we have the power to know
425
How spirits unto spirits speak.
Your dusty learning can’t expound
The magic symbols written here.
The spirits hover close around:
Now answer me, if you can hear!
He opens the book and sees the Sign of the Macrocosm
430
Ah, what ecstatic joy at this great sight
I feel at once through all my senses flowing!
What vital happiness, what sheer delight
Through veins and nerves with youthful passion glowing.
Was it a god that wrote these signs for me?
435
The raging in my soul is stilled,
My empty heart with joy is filled,
And through some urgent mystery
All nature’s forces are revealed.
Am I a god? My mind’s so clear!
440
With mystic vision now I see concealed
In these pure symbols nature’s rich activity.
At last I grasp the wisdom of the Seer:
‘The spirit world is with us still,
Your mind is closed, your heart is dead.
445
Up, worldly scholar, drink your fill—
At heaven’s gate the dawn is red!’
He studies the Sign
How all into a wholeness weaves,
Each in the other moves and lives!
The powers of heaven ascending and descending,
450
And to each other golden vessels sending,
With fragrant blessings winging,
From heaven to earth their bounty bringing—
In harmony the universe is ringing!
Ah, what a vision! But a vision, and no more.
455
I do not feel the pulse of nature, nor
Feed at her breasts. The springs of life that nursed
All things, for which creation yearns,
To which the flagging spirit turns,
They flow, they suckle still, but I must thirst!
Disconsolately he turns the pages and sees the Sign of the Earth Spirit
460
I see more inspiration in this sign!
Earth Spirit, we are of a kind.
I feel new energies, my mind
Now glows as if from new-fermented wine.
Now I can dare to face the world again,
465
To share in all its joy and all its pain.
Into the eye of storms I’ll set my sail,
And in the grinding shipwreck I’ll not quail.
Clouds gather overhead,
The moon conceals its light!
470
The lamp burns low!
Mist swirls around! Red flashes flicker
About my head. A chill shiver
Blows down from the vault above
And grips me!
475
I feel your presence round me,
Great Spirit, you have found me—
Reveal yourself!
It tears my heart, my senses reel
And burn with passions new. I feel
480
My heart goes out to you, I have no fear;
If it should cost my life, you must appear!
He seizes the book and with mysterious words invokes the Sign of the Earth Spirit.
A red flame flickers, the Spirit appears in the flame.
SPIRIT. Who calls me?
FFAUST. [turning away] A dreadful shape I see!
SPIRIT. Your potent spells have brought me here;
You sought to draw me from my sphere,
And now—
485
FAUST. You are too terrible for me!
SPIRIT. With sighs you begged me to appear,
My voice you would hear and my face you would see;
Your mighty pleas have summoned me.
I’m here! But now—what piteous fear
490
Has seized you, superman? The soul that cried for me, where
Is it now? The heart that in itself could bear
A whole created world, and in its swollen pride
Puffed up, with us, the spirits, would have vied?
Where are you, Faust, whose voice reached to my sphere,
495
Who summoned all your powers to draw me here?
This is you? who scarcely felt my breath,
And quake as if you go to meet your death,
A frightened worm that twists and writhes!
FAUST. Creature of flame, to you I’ll not give in;
500
I, Faust, I am your equal, am your kin!
SPIRIT. In all life’s storms and surging tides
I ebb and flow
From birth to grave,
Weave to and fro,
505
An endless wave
Through all life’s glowing
Fabric flowing.
On time’s humming loom, as I toil at the treads,
For God’s living garment I fashion the threads.
FAUST. Industrious spirit, to the world’s furthest end
You rove; how close you seem to me!
SPIRIT. You match the spirit that you comprehend,
[vanishes
Not me!
FAUST. [shattered] Not you?
Who then?
I, made in God’s image,
No match for you?
A knock at the door
Oh death! It’s my assistant at the door.
To turn my highest bliss into despair,
520
Dissolve these teeming visions into air,
It only needs that plodding bore.
WAGNER in nightgown and nightcap, holding a lamp.
FAUST reluctantly turns to him.
WAGNER. Forgive me, but I heard your voice—
It sounded like a tragedy in Greek.
That is an art that I would learn by choice.
525
These days one has to know just how to speak
One’s lines; an actor, people often say, could teach
A parson in the art of how to preach.
FAUST. Why, surely—if the parson’s only acting,
And many times I daresay that’s the case.
530
WAGNER. But all this study I find so distracting;
One scarcely sees the world beyond this place,
And only from afar—so how can all our arts
Of eloquent persuasion guide men’s hearts?
FAUST. If you don’t feel, your words will not inspire;
535
Unless from deep within you speak sincere,
And with a charismatic fire
Compel the hearts of all who hear.
Oh, you can sit there glueing bits together
Or mixing cold leftovers in a stew,
540
Blowing at the ashes, wondering whether
There’s any fire left to warm your brew.
Yes—fools and children you’ll impress—
If that is really what you want to do;
But you will never know another’s heart, unless
545
You are prepared to give yours too.
WAGNER. A good delivery can help the speaker, though;
I feel there’s still so much I ought to know.
FAUST. Speak honestly, speak from the heart!
Your foolish tricks are all in vain!
550
Good sense and reason—they don’t need the art
Of eloquence to make their meaning plain.
If with sincerity you speak,
Why, then for words you need not seek.
The dazzling rhetoric a speaker spins,
555
The frills and flourishes with which he weaves
His spell, are all as barren as the frosty winds
That play among the arid autumn leaves.
WAGNER. Ah God, but art is long,
And short our life’s duration!
560
In all my critical deliberation
I often fear the way I chose was wrong.
How hard it is to get the method right
To follow learning to its very source;
Before we’re half-way through our course
565
We’ll surely die and never reach the light.
FAUST. The manuscripts, are they the sacred springs
From which one drink will slake your thirst for ever?
You’ll find no profit in these things
Unless your own heart flows with fresh endeavour.
570
WAGNER. Forgive me, but it’s such delight
To bring the spirit of the past to light,
To study all the thoughts of history’s wisest men—
And marvel at the progress we have made since then.
FAUST. Oh yes, we’ve reached the stars! And yet
575
The past, my friend, by which you set
Such store, is a book with seven seals to us.
It is a mirror that reveals to us
Only the minds of those who seek
This spirit of the past of which you speak.
580
Believe me, all you’ll find is bunk,
A lumber-room stuffed full of junk,
At best a blood-and-thunder play
From which most audiences would run away;
A catalogue of pompous commonplaces,
585
A puppet-play that’s full of empty phrases.
WAGNER. Yes—but the world! The human heart and mind!
We all seek knowledge, surely, in this sphere?
FAUST. Why, yes, however knowledge is defined.
But who will dare to speak the truth out clear?
590
The few who anything of truth have learned,
And foolishly did not keep truth concealed,
Their thoughts and visions to the common herd revealed,
Since time began we’ve crucified and burned.
But please, my friend, it’s deep into the night,
595
And I must sleep now—if I can.
WAGNER. I’d gladly stay much longer, for it’s such delight
Exchanging thoughts with such a learned man.
But then tomorrow, as it’s Easter Day,
I’ll put more questions to you if I may.
600
I’ve studied very hard, and yet, although
[exit
I know a lot, there’s so much more to know.
FAUST. [alone] How is it that his mind can take such pleasure,
Forever dabbling in these shallow terms.
He digs so avidly for hidden treasure,
605
And then rejoices when he digs up worms.
Why is it that this tiresome nuisance can
Dispel the throng of spirits gathered round me?
And yet for once I’m glad the wretched man
Came in and broke the magic spell that bound me.
610
His interruption saved me from despair
That threatened to destroy my shattered mind.
The mighty vision I confronted there
Showed me the pygmy stature of mankind.
And I myself, made in God’s image, thought
615
That I had glimpsed eternal truth’s reflection,
Exulting in the radiance of heaven, sought
To shed all earthly imperfection;
I, higher than Cherubim, imagined I was free
To surge through nature’s very veins, I vied
620
With gods in their creative power, and tried
To share their joy—I pay now for my pride!
That voice of thunder has annihilated me.
Your peer, great Spirit, I can never be.
Although my powers could summon you, I fear
625
I had no power to hold your presence here.
That moment was sublime beyond compare,
I felt myself so small and yet so great;
But cruelly you drove me back to share
Humanity’s obscure uncertain fate.
630
Who now will counsel me or warn me? Who?
Should I obey that urge that drives me on?
Not just our sorrows, everything we do
Confines the course our lives would freely run.
Against our spirit’s loftiest conception
635
Some foreign element continually conspires;
The good to which the soul on earth aspires,
The better part of it is vain deception.
The glorious feelings that life gave us, all emotion
Is numbed and coarsened in the world’s commotion.
640
Once our imagination boldly sought
To reach eternity; but now a tiny scope
Is all it needs. The swirling tide of time has brought
An end to all our joy and all our hope.
Deep in our hearts is lodged the worm of care,
645
It works its secret pain and worry there.
In ever-changing guises it appears,
Gnaws at our peace of mind and turns our joys to tears,
As house and home, as child and wife,
As fire or flood, as poison or as knife;
650
We tremble at the things that never harmed us yet,
And what we never lost we bitterly regret.
I am not like the gods! Too well I know
That I am like the snake that eats the dust,
That must for ever on its belly go
655
And by the feet of those who pass be crushed.
These drawers, these cluttered shelves that line the wall
Confining me inside this dismal cell,
This useless and motheaten bric-a-brac, and all
This junk surrounding me—is this not dust as well?
660
Shall I discover what I seek in here?
And should I read a thousand books to find
How men have agonized in vain, or hear
Of one or two to whom fate has been kind?
You empty skull, I see you grinning down;
665
Perhaps your brain, like mine, sought in confusion
The light of day, but in the gloomy twilight found
Your joyful urge for truth had ended in delusion.
Those instruments that hang there mocking me,
That cobwebbed tangle, clamps and pulleys, cogs and wheels—
670
With these I thought I could unlock the seals
That guard the door to nature’s mystery.
But it was barred; the veil that shrouds from sight
All nature’s secrets cannot be dispelled,
And what from your inquiring mind she has withheld
These screws and levers will not bring to light.
This rusty apparatus I’ve retained
Only because it’s from my father’s time;
The lamp that gutters on my desk has stained
This ancient parchment black with soot and grime.
680
Far better to have squandered what I had than stay
And struggle with the useless junk of yesterday!
What we inherit from our fathers should
Be ours to have and hold, to use it as we would,
Or else it is a millstone that we carry with us;
685
We can use only what the here and now will give us.
Why do my eyes turn to that place again?
Is it that phial that attracts me so?
Why do I sense a sudden lightening, as when
The darkness of the woods is bathed in moonlight’s glow?
690
I take you down with reverent devotion,
And welcome you, most precious, rarest potion!
In you I honour human skill and art;
Quintessence of all kindly opiates, austere
Tincture of subtlest poisons, play your part—
695
Do one last service for your master here!
I see you, and all pain is stilled at last;
I hold you, and my restless striving ceases.
The surging of my mind is ebbing fast,
Borne on fresh tides to ocean’s furthest reaches.
700
Here at my feet the shining waters stretch away,
And to a new shore beckons now a bright new day!
A chariot of fire descends on buoyant wings
And finds me ready! Soon I shall be free
To soar aloft to realms of higher things,
705
To other spheres of pure activity.
You who were as a worm, do you deserve such bliss,
Such radiant life, such godlike joy as this?
Yes, turn your back on earth, and resolutely go
Into a sunlight such as here you’ll never know!
710
Now you must dare to fling those portals wide,
The gates through which none willingly would go;
Now is the time to act, and by your action show
That man is fit to stand at the immortals’ side,
And not to quail before that gloomy cavern, where
715
Imagination damns itself to torment and despair;
Press on towards that passage from which none returns,
Around whose narrow mouth all hell-fire burns.
To make that awful journey freely I decide,
Although oblivion await me on the other side.
720
Come down, you glass of purest crystal bright!
Out of your ancient case I bring you to the light.
For all these years you lay forgotten here;
You sparkled at our fathers’ banquets long ago,
And brought those solemn gatherings good cheer
725
When as a loving-cup from hand to hand you’d go.
It was the drinker’s duty to convey in rhymes
The richly wrought engravings round the bowl,
Then in one draught to drain the cup—how you recall
For me those far-off youthful times!
730
Today I shall not pass you to a fellow-guest,
Nor try my wit against the figures round your rim;
This darker juice that fills you to the brim
Inebriates more swiftly than the rest.
I made it well, and choose it for this final test:
735
With all my heart I bring, as day is dawning,
My festive greeting to this solemn morning!
He sets the cup to his mouth. The sound of bells and a choir are heard.
CHOIR OF ANGELS. Christ is arisen!
Joy he has brought for us
Sin he has fought for us
740
Salvation sought for us
In his dark prison.
FAUST. What distant voices, what exalted singing
Now from my eager lips have snatched this cup away?
Are those deep-throated bells already ringing
745
The first glad message of the Easter Day?
You early choirs, you sing as once the angels sang
When from the dark night of the tomb there rang
Assurance of a covenant renewed that day.
CHOIR OF WOMEN. With fragrant lotion
750
Gently his limbs we dressed,
With true devotion
Laid our dear Lord to rest,
Clean linen round him
Binding with loving care.
755
Alas, we found him
No longer there.
CHOIR OF ANGELS. Christ is arisen!
Saviour who loves us best
Ever thy name be blessed
760
Who for us stood the test
In thy dark prison.
FAUST. You gentle, potent choirs of heaven, why do you seek
To visit me within this dusty cell?
I hear your message, but my faith is weak;
765
Go, on more tender minds to cast your spell
And work the miracles that faith loves well.
I do not dare to reach towards those spheres,
Your gracious gospel calls to me in vain;
And yet these sounds bring memories of early years
770
That call me back to life on earth again.
Then, in the solemn stillness of the sabbath day
I felt the loving kiss of heaven descend on me;
The pealing bells rang out the sacred mystery,
And with a fervent joy I knelt to pray.
775
I did not understand the joyful urge
That drove me out to wood and field and lane,
Or why I wept a thousand tears to feel the surge
Of life as if a world was born in me again.
Those songs would promise carefree childish play,
780
And herald the unfettered joys of spring;
The memories of childhood innocence they bring
From that last solemn step turn me away.
Sweet choirs of heaven, your hymns were not in vain;
My tears run free, I am restored to earth again!
785
CHOIR OF DISCIPLES. Though in the tomb he lay,
All was not ended;
Our loving Lord today
Heavenward ascended.
Now through his second birth
790
Glad transformation nears,
But we remain on earth
Still in this vale of tears.
We who were not reborn
Languish here comfortless;
795
We who were left to mourn
Envy his bliss!
CHOIR OF ANGELS. Christ is arisen
Out of corruption’s woe.
Now from your prison
Joyfully go,
Praises declaring
Loving and caring
Brotherhood sharing
His gospel bearing
805
Heaven’s joys preparing.
For you the Lord is near,
See, he is here!
OUTSIDE THE CITY GATE
All kinds of people walking out
SOME APPRENTICE TRADESMEN. Why are you going out that way?
OTHERS. We’re going to the hunting lodge today.
810
1ST GROUP. We’re going to walk as far as the mill.
APPRENT. The watergate’s a better bet.
2 APPRENT. The path’s no good, it’s far too wet.
2ND GROUP. Are you coming with us?
3 APPRENT. I don’t think I will.
4 APPRENT. Let’s go up to Bergdorf, there’s better beer
815
And prettier girls than you get down here.
They have good fights up there as well.
5 APPRENT. If I were you, I’d just go steady—
You’ve had two hidings there already;
I’d avoid the place like hell.
820
SERVANT GIRL. Oh come on! Let’s go back to town.
2ND SERVANT GIRL. I’m sure he’s waiting by that tree.
1ST GIRL. And anyway, it’s not much fun for me,
It’s you he always hangs around.
He’ll only ever dance with you—
825
There’s nothing much for me to do.
2ND GIRL. Oh, he won’t be the only one up there,
He said he’d bring that boy with curly hair.
STUDENT. My God, just watch those girls go by!
Come on, let’s give them both a try.
830
I like a pint and a damn good smoke, but still
There’s nothing like a housemaid dressed to kill.
A MIDDLE-CLASS GIRL. What is it with the boys around these parts?
There’s lots of nice girls, they could take their pick—
But they go chasing after those two tarts.
835
It really is enough to make you sick!
2 STUDENT. [to the first] Hey, not so fast! Look at the other two,
They’re really smart. I’ve seen that one before—
Yes, she’s the pretty one that lives next door.
I fancy her—the other one’s just right for you.
840
They’re in no hurry, leave it all to me;
They’ll let us go along with them, you’ll see.
1 STUDENT. Oh no, it’s boring when you have to be polite.
Come on, don’t let those two birds out of sight.
They’re much more fun; believe me, if you want to score,
845
These working girls know what their hands are for.
A CITIZEN. No, I don’t like our present Burgomaster,
Since he got in, he’s just been a disaster.
Whatever good has he done for the town?
Things go from bad to worse, and every day
850
There’s something else for which we have to pay.
He gives his orders—we just have to knuckle down.
A BEGGAR. [sings] Fair ladies and fine gentlemen
With rosy cheeks and pretty dress,
I beg you, spare a thought for them
855
That suffer hunger and distress.
You’re lucky if you have the choice
To help the poor, a Christian deed;
On Easter Day, when all rejoice,
Give charity to those in need!
860
2 CITIZEN. What I like best when I’m on holiday
Is talk about a bloody foreign war,
In Turkey or some country far away—
The din of battle and the cannon’s roar!
You sit at the window with a glass of beer,
865
And on the river watch the ships go by,
Then in the evening go home with a grateful sigh
And thank the Lord that things are peaceful here.
3 CITIZEN. Yes, neighbour, that’s the way I see it.
Just let them fight among themselves, I say,
870
And make a mess of things—so be it—
As long as we can go on in the same old way.
AN OLD WOMAN. [to the middle-class girls] Well now, young ladies! All dressed up today?
Why not, to make the young lads gawk at you!
But not so hoity-toity now, that’s not the way;
875
Just come to me, I’ll make your dreams come true.
1ST MIDDLE-CLASS GIRL. Agatha, come on! I don’t like to be seen
Talking to witches like her in the street.
But still, she showed me just last Hallowe’en
The boy I’d marry; he was really sweet.
880
THE OTHER. She showed me mine once in her crystal ball,
With all his cheeky friends—a soldier, I could swear.
But it’s no good, I’ve looked around them all,
I just can’t find him anywhere.
SOLDIERS. Castles with mighty
885
Ramparts and towers,
Girls proud and flighty
Force overpowers
And makes them ours!
Bold enterprises
890
Win the best prizes.
We stick together,
We’re always willing,
Whether it’s pleasure,
Whether it’s killing.
895
A girl or a castle,
Tough ones or tender,
After a tussle
They all surrender.
No one is bolder,
900
We take the prize—
And then the soldier
Says his goodbyes.
FAUST and WAGNER
FAUST. The ice has melted, the streams and rivers,
Released from the frozen hills, now bring
905
To the valleys the hopeful promise of spring.
Old winter, defeated, retreats and shivers
High in the desolate mountain snows,
And from his bitter exile blows
His icy blasts in feeble showers
910
That turn the green fields hoary white.
The sun will put his frost to flight,
And soon will paint the meadows bright.
All round us new life stirs and grows;
But now in the fields instead of flowers
915
A motley throng of people flows.
Here from this rise we can look down
And see them pouring in full spate
Through the dark and narrow gate
Out of the confines of the town.
920
They celebrate with one accord
The resurrection of the Lord,
For they themselves are now reborn;
Away from the workshops and counting-tables,
From narrow hovel and dismal room,
925
Out of the shadow of roofs and gables,
Out of the churches’ pious gloom,
Out from the squash of the streets they swarm,
All streaming out into the light,
Into the open countryside—
930
How eagerly they take their flight!
See, on the river far and wide
The painted boats go sailing past,
And packed with revellers they glide
Until they’re lost to sight at last.
935
You see the tiny figures crawl
Along the mountain tracks up there,
And hear the noisy village fair.
This is a paradise for all;
They all proclaim on every side
940
What joy it is to be alive!
WAGNER. Doctor, although it makes me very proud
To keep you company and hear your learned talk,
Alone I would not care to come and walk
With this uncouth and vulgar crowd.
945
Their shouting, fiddling, bowling and the rest,
It grates upon my ears, I have to say.
They rant and shriek as if they were possessed,
And take their pleasures in this raucous way.
PEASANTS under the linden tree, dancing and singing
The shepherd in his Sunday best
950
In coloured coat and ribbons dressed,
I’m really smart, he says, oh!
Around the linden tree the boys
And girls were dancing—what a noise!
Diddle dee! Diddle dee!
955
And fiddle-me diddle-me dee!
That’s how the fiddler plays, oh.
He joined the dance and in a while
He sees a girl, and with a smile
960
The lively lass she turns about
And says, stop that, you stupid lout!
Diddle dee! Diddle dee!
And fiddle-me diddle-me dee!
Just watch your cheeky ways, oh.
965
Then round and round the couple flew,
They danced and danced the whole night through—
Her skirts fly as she sways, oh!
They danced until they both got warm,
And lay together at the dawn.
970
Diddle dee! Diddle dee!
And fiddle-me diddle-me dee!
On her thigh his hand he lays, oh.
Now, don’t be so familiar, you!
I’m not so sure you love me true.
975
The girl it is that pays, oh.
But he coaxed her on, and very soon
From the linden tree you heard this tune:
Diddle dee! Diddle dee!
And fiddle-me diddle-me dee!
980
All shout and the fiddler plays, oh.
OLD PEASANT. Doctor, we be very proud
That such a learned man today
Should come and join our merry crowd.
We welcome you, and bid you stay,
985
And beg you, Sir, to be the first
To sample this, our finest cup.
We hope that as you drink it up
It will do more than quench your thirst;
May it as many drops contain
990
As years on earth to you remain.
FAUST. I thank you for your welcome here;
I drink, and wish you all good cheer.
The people gather round
OLD PEASANT. Indeed, it is a fitting thing
That you should be with us on this glad day,
995
For you have helped relieve our suffering
In former times on many a bad day.
There’s several of us be here still
Your father treated with devoted care
When fever raged, and with his healing skill
1000
Saved them from death, and saved us from despair.
And you yourself were then a young man, you
Would visit the plague-houses without fear,
Among the dead and dying all night through
You toiled, and lived to work among us here.
1005
Through all those many trials you endured,
And many of us with God’s help you cured.
ALL. Good health to a true and trusted friend,
May he be with us to the end!
FAUST. Give thanks to God in heaven above,
1010
Who helps and heals us with his love.
He walks on with WAGNER
WAGNER. What pleasure it must give you, Sir, to find
Such honour and respect among the crowd!
How happy is the man who is allowed
To use his talents in the service of mankind.
1015
The father shows you to his son,
They rush to see you, every one.
The music stops, the dance is done,
They crowd around you everywhere you go
And doff their caps with reverence—why,
1020
You’d almost think they’ll kneel as though
The Sacred Host were being carried by.
FAUST. We’ll walk a few steps further to that stone,
And then we’ll sit and rest awhile up there.
Here deep in thought I’ve often sat alone
1025
In agony of mind, with fasting and with prayer.
So rich in hope and strong in faith I thought
To force God’s will, and heaven I besought
With pleas and tears and pious abstinence
To put an end to that vile pestilence.
1030
How hollow in my ears their plaudits ring!
If you could read my inmost thoughts, you’d learn
How little son or father did to earn
The praises that these simple people sing.
My father was a decent man who strove
1035
To fathom holy nature’s secret lore;
His honest but eccentric efforts drove
Him to a science occult and obscure.
In the dark workshop of his trade
With his initiates he hid away,
And from some ancient formulae
Repellent and arcane concoctions made.
There in a warm solution he would wed
The lily to the lion, white to red,
Then both were forced with open flame
1045
Through narrow bridal chambers time and time again.
And if the glowing colours then revealed
The young queen in the phial deep inside,
That was the medicine—but the patients died,
And no one thought to wonder who was healed.
1050
And so with hellish brews and deadly skills
Among these valleys and these hills
We did more mischief than the plague could ever do.
I gave the poison to a thousand men who died;
Now to my shame I have to listen to
1055
The praises of the murderers sung far and wide.
WAGNER. How can you be disturbed by such a thought?
It’s quite enough for any honest man
To practise scrupulously as he can
The skills and disciplines he has been taught.
1060
As young men we respect our fathers’ guidance,
And from their teachings willingly we learn;
If then as grown men we extend their science,
Our sons will surely further it in turn.
FAUST. How fortunate are those who can still hope
1065
To rise above this sea of error all around!
For what we need to know is quite beyond our scope,
And useless all the knowledge we have found.
But with such dismal thoughts let us be done,
And marvel at the bounty that this evening yields!
1070
See how the glory of the setting sun
Touches the huts among the lush green fields.
It dips and sinks, completes its daily round,
And brings new life to lands still plunged in night.
If only I had wings to lift me from the ground,
1075
To soar and track it on its onward flight!
In everlasting sunset I would greet
The quiet world spread out beneath my feet,
The valleys hushed, the mountain summits glowing,
The silver streams to golden rivers flowing.
1080
For nothing then could check my godlike flight,
No rocky peaks or chasms interrupt my gaze,
And soon the ocean with its balmy bays
Reveals itself to the unfettered sight.
Again the fiery disk begins to sink,
1085
And with fresh energies I hurry on to drink
And quench my thirst in its eternal light,
The day before me, and behind me night,
The heavens above me, under me the waves!
A glorious vision, even as it fades.
1090
The sullen body’s burden always brings
To earth the impulse of our spirit’s wings.
Yet every creature’s by its nature led
To strive and climb beyond its earthly ties;
The lark pours out its shrilling descant overhead,
1095
Lost in the azure spaces of the skies;
On spreading wings the soaring eagle seeks
The solitude of fir-clad mountain peaks;
Towards its distant home the wandering crane
Flies onward over forest, lake and plain.
1100
WAGNER. I’ve often felt a certain restlessness,
But not an urge like that, I must confess.
You soon get tired of woods and fields and suchlike things,
And I would never envy birds their wings.
For I prefer more intellectual delights;
1105
From book to book, from page to page I go—
It helps me pass the bitter winter nights.
For as I read, I feel a warming glow;
And if I find a manuscript of any worth—
Why, then it’s like a very heaven on earth.
1110
FAUST. You only know that single urge; far better so—
That other impulse you should never seek to know.
Two souls are locked in conflict in my heart,
They fight to separate and pull apart.
The one clings stubbornly to worldly things,
1115
And craves the pleasures of our carnal appetites,
The other has an inborn urge to spread its wings,
Shake off the dust of earth and soar to loftier heights.
If there are hovering spirits that hold sway
In the sublunary regions of the sky,
1120
Oh, come down from the golden clouds and let me fly
With you to new adventures far away!
Or if I had a magic cloak at my command
To lift and take me to some distant land,
I’d not exchange it for a cloth of gold,
1125
For a king’s ransom, or for wealth untold!
WAGNER. Do not invoke that too familiar swarm
Of demons that infest the atmosphere,
And bring from every quarter and in every form
The countless ills and perils that we fear!
1130
From the cold north the spirit hordes descend
With cutting teeth and arrow-pointed tongues;
And from the east a barren drought they send
That shreds and feeds upon our gasping lungs;
From southern deserts comes the heat that overpowers
1135
And sears us with its torrid glow;
The west brings us relief with drenching showers
That drown us and the crops just as they grow.
They listen well, on mischief always bent,
Obey our call, beguile us to believe
1140
They speak with angels’ tongues, as if from heaven sent
To serve us here—but only to deceive.
But come, let’s leave; the world is grey and still,
The mist is gathering and the air is chill.
At such times I appreciate my cosy room.
1145
You look amazed, why do you stop and stare?
Can you see something out there in the gloom?
FAUST. You see that black dog running through the stubble there?
WAGNER. That’s nothing odd; I noticed it a while ago.
FAUST. Look carefully! What kind of creature can it be?
1150
WAGNER. It’s just a poodle running to and fro
And picking up its master’s scent, it seems to me.
FAUST. It’s running circles round us; there, look back—
It’s getting closer to us all the time.
I seem to see a streak of red, a line
1155
Of fire marking out its track.
WAGNER. It’s just a stray black poodle that has found us;
I daresay it’s an optical illusion, have no care.
FAUST. It seems to me it’s weaving magic lines around us,
To draw us into some infernal snare.
1160
WAGNER. It doesn’t know us, so it feels unsure,
Because it was its master it was looking for.
FAUST. The circle’s getting smaller now, it’s coming near!
WAGNER. You see—a dog! There is no witchcraft here.
It growls and cowers, wags its tail, lies flat
1165
Upon its belly—every dog does that.
FAUST. Perhaps you’re right; then let it come with us.
WAGNER. It’s just a silly dog that wants some fun with us.
It stands and waits there every time we stop,
You speak to it, it begs and does its tricks.
1170
It’ll bring back anything you drop,
Jump in the river just to fetch some sticks.
FAUST. I see no evil spirit in it, sure enough;
It’s just a dog that’s trained to do its stuff.
WAGNER. There is no reason why a learned man
1175
Should not approve a well-trained poodle, too;
The students teach him everything they can,
Just as the students learn so much from you.
[tthey go in through the city gate
FAUST’S STUDY
FAUST enters with the poodle
FAUST. The fields and pastures now lie still,
And night its canopy has spread;
1180
The solemn darkness seems to fill
Our better soul with holy dread.
Our wilder impulses are stilled,
And all our hasty actions, when
The peaceful heart with love is filled
1185
For God and for our fellow men.
Be quiet, poodle! Stop running everywhere!
Why are you snuffling around the door?
Sit by the stove, Sir, over there—
I’ll put my best cushion on the floor.
1190
This running and jumping and sniffing about
Was all very well out there on the hill;
You’re welcome here, but I’ll turn you out
If you can’t settle down and just lie still.
When the friendly lamp burns bright
1195
Confined within this narrow cell,
The heart that knows itself aright
Can find enlightenment as well.
Then hope once more within us swells,
And reason speaks again, it seems;
1200
We long to seek the deepest wells
Of life, and drink from living streams.
Poodle, stop growling! These animal cries
Disturb the calm and reverent mood
That fills my mind in this solitude.
We know that men only mock and despise
What they don’t understand or never knew;
In the minds of most there is no place
For goodness, beauty, love or grace—
Do such things make dogs uneasy, too?
1210
But though my spirit wills it, still I cannot find
That true contentment and serenity of mind.
Why must we thirst and search in vain, and why
Must every source of hope run dry?
How often have I sought such consolation,
1215
How often have my efforts been in vain!
And so we look beyond this world again
And seek the witness of God’s revelation,
The truth that with majestic beauty shines
In the Evangelist’s most solemn lines.
1220
A reverent impulse now inspires me
To take the ancient text, and with sincerity
Translate the Holy Gospel of St John
Into my own beloved native tongue.
He opens a large volume and begins to write
I read: In the beginning was the Word. But here
1225
Already I must hesitate. The mere
Word for me has no such resonance;
I must translate it in a different sense.
Now, if the spirit guides me right, I ought
To say: In the beginning there was Thought.
1230
Consider well; the deeper truth escapes
The hasty pen. For is it thought that shapes
And drives creation at its very source?
Far better: In the beginning was the Force!
Yet something tells me even as I write
1235
That this is not the meaning that I need.
The spirit helps me, now I see the light,
I have it: In the beginning was the Deed!
If I’m to share this room with you,
Poodle, stop growling
1240
And stop your howling!
I won’t have such a hullabaloo,
So stop your fuss,
Or one of us
Will leave the house, and quickly, too.
1245
You don’t have to stay here, you know—
But what’s this apparition that I see?
Is it real or is it fantasy?
It can’t be natural, there’s magic in it—
1250
The poodle’s getting bigger by the minute!
It’s heaving and swelling violently—
That’s not a dog in front of me!
It’s like a hippopotamus in size,
With fearsome teeth and glowing eyes.
1255
What kind of spirit have I let in here?
But I know how to make your sort appear:
Solomon’s Key has just the spell
To exorcise this brood of hell.
SPIRITS. [in the passage outside]
There’s somebody trapped in there!
1260
Stay out, don’t follow him, beware!
It’s the old hell-hound, like a fox
Caught in a box!
Listen to me:
Fly high and low,
1265
Weave to and fro,
And he’ll soon be free.
Help him, don’t let him
Just sit there, they’ll get him!
He’s helped us before,
1270
Done us favours galore.
FAUST. First I’ll need the fourfold spell
To summon up this beast of hell:
Salamanders aglow,
Undines so fair,
1275
Sylphs of the air,
Kobolds below!
You represent
Each element,
Through your powers
1280
The gift is ours;
Spirits will fall
Under our thrall.
Vanish in the fiery glow,
Salamander!
1285
With the rippling waters flow,
Undine!
Like a glorious meteor blaze,
Show your helpful homely ways,
1290
Incubus! Incubus!
Be done, and show yourself to us!
None of the four
Dwells in the beast,
It leers and lies there just as before—
1295
I haven’t hurt it in the least.
But I can weave
A stronger spell.
My friend, I believe
You’re a minion of hell.
1300
This sign can quell
The hordes that dwell
In the pit beneath.
Ah! Now it’s bristling and showing its teeth.
Vile creature, it seems
1305
You know what it means:
The uncreated one,
Undesignated one,
Through all heavens glorified,
Infamously crucified.
1310
Now behind the stove it goes,
And like an elephant it grows.
It fills the room, it swirls and flows,
Like mist it seems to disappear.
It rises to the roof again—
1315
Now, at your master’s call, come here!
You see, my threats were not in vain—
I’ll singe your fur with holy flame!
Do not invite
The threefold glowing light,
1320
Do not invite
The most commanding spell of all!
MEPHISTOPHELES steps out from behind the stove as the mist clears, dressed as a travelling scholar
MEPHISTO. Why all the fuss? I’m here, Sir, at your call.
FAUST. So that was what the poodle had in it—
A travelling scholar! Well, I like your style.
MEPHISTO. Congratulations to you; I admit
You had me rather worried for a while.
FAUST. What is your name?
MEPHISTO. The question seems absurd
For someone who despises the mere word,
Who treats appearances as vain illusion
And seeks the truth in such remote seclusion.
FAUST. But with you gentlemen the name
And nature’s usually the same,
And we can often recognize
The Liar, the Destroyer, or the Lord of Flies.
Who are you, then?
1335
MEPHISTO. A part of that same power that would
Forever work for evil, yet forever creates good.
FAUST. And does this puzzle have some explanation?
MEPHISTO. I am the spirit of perpetual negation.
And that is only right; for all
1340
That’s made is fit to be destroyed.
Far better if it were an empty void!
So—everything that you would call
Destruction, sin, and all that’s meant
By evil, is my proper element.
1345
FAUST. You call yourself a part? You seem entire to me.
MEPHISTO. I’m telling you the simple truth. You see,
While man, that poor deluded soul,
Imagines he’s a perfect whole,
I am part of that part that at the first was one,
1350
Part of the darkness from which light has sprung,
Proud light, that now competes with Mother Night
For room and status, and disputes her ancient right.
But it will not succeed, because it clings
To stubborn matter, to corporeal things.
1355
It blazons forth their beauty to the eye,
But matter hinders its triumphant course;
It cannot last for ever, and perforce
When matter perishes, then light must die.
FAUST. Ah, now I see what you’re about; you fail
1360
To bring wholesale destruction to the universe,
And so you work your mischief on a smaller scale.
MEPHISTO. Indeed; but frankly, things just go from bad to worse.
This awkward world, this object, this obstruction,
Resists all my best efforts at destruction.
Whatever harm I do to it, it seems
Quite unaffected by my nihilistic schemes.
Flood, fire or earthquake, storm—whatever I can send
To ravage land or sea, they calm down in the end.
And that accursed brood of man and beast—
1370
That rabble I can’t cope with in the least.
I’ve buried millions in my time, but then
They breed and multiply—I have to start again!
So it goes on, it drives you to despair;
In water, in the earth and in the air,
1375
A dry, a moist, a cold or warm environment,
A thousand germinating seeds are sown.
If fire were not my native element,
There would be nothing left to call my own.
FAUST. I see; against the ever-living power
1380
That tends and nurtures all creation,
You rage in vain with all the sour
Malice of your cold negation.
Strange son of chaos! No, you ought
To change your strategy and start again.
1385
MEPHISTO. Indeed, I’ll give the matter careful thought,
And we’ll go into it more fully then.
But now, with your permission, may I go?
FAUST. I don’t see why you need my leave.
We’ve got to know each other—so
1390
Feel free to visit when you please.
There’s the door, and there’s the window—you
Could surely get out through the chimney, too?
MEPHISTO. Well—yes, there is a snag, I have to say;
There’s just one little obstacle in the way.
1395
That magic sign drawn on the floor—
FAUST. Is it the pentagram that keeps you in?
So tell me then, you son of hell and sin,
However did you get in through the door?
How could a demon let himself be fooled?
1400
MEPHISTO. Take a close look; it’s not perfectly ruled.
That corner pointing out into the street—
As you can see, the two lines don’t quite meet.
FAUST. Now that’s a very fortunate mistake!
I’ve caught the Devil, and he can’t escape—
1405
And quite by accident, it would appear.
MEPHISTO. The poodle didn’t notice when he came in here;
But now the situation’s changed, and so
The Devil could get in, but he can’t go.
FAUST. You could leave by the window, I’d have thought.
1410
MEPHISTO. Demons and spirits have their code; we may
Come in just as we please, but then we’re caught;
We have to leave the house by the same way.
FAUST. So hell has its own laws and regulations too?
That’s very good! So tell me—I dare say
1415
It’s possible to make a pact with you?
MEPHISTO. Indeed; if you negotiate with us,
You’ll find the offer tempting—and we never cheat.
But these things can’t be rushed, so we’ll discuss
The matter in more detail the next time we meet.
1420
For now, I would respectfully require
Your kind permission to retire.
FAUST. Come, stay a little longer; you can tell me
Something about the bargains you might sell me.
MEPHISTO. Please let me go—I’ll soon be back again,
1425
And you can ask me all about it then.
FAUST. I didn’t trick you into coming here, you know—
You got yourself into this snare.
It isn’t often that you get the Devil where
You want him—so you don’t just let him go.
1430
MEPHISTO. If that is what you wish, I will remain
And keep you company a while.
On one condition, though—that I can entertain
You with my talents in the proper style.
FAUST. Why, yes, of course, you must feel free;
1435
I hope you’ve something pleasant, though, to offer me.
MEPHISTO. My friend, in just one hour tonight
You’ll have more sensual pleasure and delight
Than in a year of everyday monotony.
What these airy spirits sing you,
1440
And the visions that they bring you
Are no empty magic dream.
Sweetest perfumes will beguile you,
All your senses ravish while you
Feast on fruits you’ve never seen.
1445
You’re here—you don’t have to rehearse your part;
Now, spirits of the air, show us your art!
SPIRITS. Let the dark ceiling
Over us vanish!
Blue sky revealing,
1450
Sweetly appealing
Comforting light!
Clouds we could banish,
Stars would be gleaming,
1450
Milder suns beaming
Through the dark night.
Spirit perfection,
Heaven’s reflection,
Gracefully swinging,
1460
Overhead winging.
Yearning affection
After them sighing;
Ribbons are flying,
Draperies streaming,
1465
Scattered like flowers
Garland the bowers.
See lovers dreaming,
Pledging together
Love that’s for ever.
1470
Green leaves surround them,
Tendrils wind round them,
Heavy grapes cluster,
Ripe for the treading,
Vats overflowing.
1475
Now the wine gushes,
Foaming in fountains
Through the rocks’ lustre
Trickling, it rushes
Down from the mountains
1480
Streaming and pouring,
Into lakes spreading,
Round the hills flowing,
Emerald glowing.
Birds above soaring
1485
Sunwards are streaming,
Effortless motion
Blissfully winging
Where in the gleaming
Waters of ocean
1490
Islands are dreaming,
Where we hear singing
Joyfully ringing,
Soft pipes are playing,
Dancers are straying
Through the fields gliding,
Stepping and swaying.
Some we see striding
Over the mountains,
Others are playing
1500
In the cool fountains,
Others are soaring,
All are adoring,
Stars high above us
Cherish and love us,
1505
Bless us with grace.
MEPHISTO. Well done, my gentle spirits of the air!
He’s sleeping like a babe without a care.
For this recital I am in your debt.
You’re not the man to hold the Devil yet!
1510
Now plunge him in an ocean of delight,
Entrance him with deluded fantasy.
But here I need a rodent’s teeth to bite
The magic charm around this door for me.
They’ll not take long to answer to my call—
1515
I can already hear one rustling in the wall.
The master of all rats and mice,
Of flies and frogs and bugs and lice,
Commands you to come forth and gnaw
That symbol chalked upon the floor.
1520
There, where I mark it with a drop
Of oil; ah, yes, he’s coming, hippety-hop!
Now, get to work! The point that’s holding me
Is on the edge, right at the top. Now then,
Another bite, and I’ll be free.
1525
So, Faust, dream on until we meet again!
FAUST. [waking] Have I been cheated then once more,
And has my throng of spirits vanished into air?
Did I only dream the Devil was there,
And was it just a poodle that I saw?
FAUST’S STUDY
FAUST and MEPHISTOPHELES
1530
FAUST. Who’s there? Come in! Now who the devil’s pestering me?
MEPHISTO. It’s me.
MEPHISTO. Just one more time, to make it three.
FAUST. Well, come in then!
MEPHISTO. And here I am, you see.
I hope we shall get on together, you and I;
I’ve come to cheer you up—that’s why
1535
I’m dressed up like an aristocrat
In a fine red coat with golden stitches,
A stiff silk cape on top of that,
A long sharp rapier in my breeches,
And a cockerel’s feather in my hat.
1540
Take my advice—if I were you,
I’d get an outfit like this too;
Then you’d be well equipped to see
Just how exciting life can be.
FAUST. In any costume I would still despair
1545
Of life, its misery and care.
I am too old to kindle youthful fire,
And yet too young to be beyond desire.
What has this world to offer me, what sort of choice?
You must forgo, renounce, abstain—
1550
That is the tedious refrain
That echoes in our ears, that dismal song.
Hour after hour we hear its croaking voice,
It mocks and follows us our whole life long.
Each morning when I wake, I wake with dread,
1555
With bitter tears I greet the day that brings
No promise and no hope of better things,
No wish fulfilled, not one, for hope is dead;
The day whose leering grimace only stifles
The faintest inkling of delight or joy.
1560
The warmest promptings of the heart it can destroy
With all its stubborn and capricious trifles.
And even when night falls, and on my bed
Fearful and uneasy I must lie, I find
No welcome rest to comfort me—instead
1565
Wild dreams will come to haunt my anxious mind.
The God who dwells within me and who fires
My inner self, my passionate desires,
The God who governs all my thoughts and deeds,
Is powerless to satisfy my outer needs.
1570
This weary life, this burden I detest;
I long for death to come and bring me rest.
MEPHISTO. Death is not always such a welcome guest.
FAUST. How happy is the blood-stained hero who
Meets death in furious battle face to face,
1575
The man who’s wildly danced the whole night through,
And finds death in a woman’s passionate embrace.
That night I saw the Spirit in the flame,
If only I had fallen lifeless at its feet!
MEPHISTO. And yet on Easter morning, all the same
1580
A certain potion didn’t taste so sweet.
FAUST. You have some talent as a spy, I see.
MEPHISTO. I don’t know everything; but much is known to me.
FAUST. That night I heard familiar voices call
To save me from my terrible confusion,
1585
And childhood memories, a sweet illusion
Of happiness long past held me in thrall.
But now I curse that power whose spell
Deludes our souls with its enticing wiles,
And with its false alluring tricks beguiles
1590
Us in this dreary cavern where we dwell.
I curse the self-conceit and pride,
The high opinions of the mind!
I curse appearances that blind
Our senses to the truth they hide!
1595
I curse the dreams of vain obsession,
Of reputation, fame or merit,
I curse our pride in all possession,
Of wife or child, and all that we inherit.
A curse on Mammon’s glittering treasures
1600
That spur ambition on to reckless things,
And on the sybaritic pleasures,
The luxury that his indulgence brings!
I curse the honeyed nectar of the grape,
The grace of love for which all creatures thirst,
1605
A curse on hope, a curse on faith—
Above all, patience be accursed!
CHORUS OF INVISIBLE SPIRITS. Alas! Alas!
You have destroyed
This lovely world!
1610
A demigod has smashed it,
His fist has dashed it
To pieces and hurled
Them into the void!
Ours is the duty
To gather the fragments and mourn
The lost beauty.
Great son of earth,
Give it new birth;
Let it be born
1620
More splendid still
Within your heart again.
And with fresh will
And vision then
New life begin;
1625
New songs we’ll sing
To ring it in!
MEPHISTO. My little creatures
Are wise little teachers.
They promise you action,
1630
Delight and distraction;
Leave this seclusion,
That withers body and mind;
Out in the world you’ll find
Life in rich profusion!
1635
Stop toying with this misery in your scholar’s den,
It’s like a vulture gnawing at your heart.
Even in the worst company you’ll find a part
To play among your fellow men.
But that’s not what I have in mind,
1640
Simply to mingle with the crowd;
I’m not so very grand, but if I were allowed
To keep you company, you’d find
That I could help you on your way.
I would be glad to travel by your side,
1645
Attend to everything you say,
Be your companion, be your guide,
Supply you with whatever you might crave—
In short, I’d be your servant, nay, your slave.
FAUST. And what would you want from me in return?
1650
MEPHISTO. There’s time enough for that, I should have thought.
FAUST. Oh no! The Devil’s not the altruistic sort.
You have to treat such offers with suspicion;
He’ll scarcely do you a good turn
Unless he’s going to get a fat commission.
1655
So tell me straight, then: what is your condition?
MEPHISTO. I undertake to serve you here most faithfully,
Fulfil your every wish in every way,
Provided you will do the same for me
When we meet over there one day.
1660
FAUST. It doesn’t worry me, your ‘over there’;
If you can manage to destroy
This world, the next can have its turn for all I care.
This world’s the source of all my joy,
This sun shines on my anguish and despair,
1665
And if I have to leave it all behind one day,
So be it—let it happen, come what may.
I am not curious in the least to know
That in a future life there will be hate or love,
Whether it’s in the regions up above,
1670
Or in the other places down below.
MEPHISTO. Then take a chance—what are you waiting for?
Sign up with me, and you can feast your eyes
On everything my talents can devise.
I’ll show you things no one has seen before.
1675
FAUST. Poor devil, what have you to offer me but lies?
The highest aspirations of the human mind,
Such things mean nothing to your kind.
Oh, yes—I’m sure you’ve food that never satisfies,
Or liquid gold that instantly will melt and run
1680
Like quicksilver between my fingers,
A game that no one’s ever won,
A girl who even while she lingers
In my arms, makes eyes at someone new;
Or meteoric fame, and honour too,
1685
That blazes once before it fades away.
Show me the fruit that rots before it’s ripe,
And trees that put out new leaves every day!
MEPHISTO. Of course I can provide you with that type
Of thing—you only have to say.
1690
But they soon pall, and then, my friend,
We look for something that will give more lasting pleasure.
FAUST. If I should ever choose a life of sloth or leisure,
Then let that moment be my end!
Or if you can beguile or flatter me
1695
Into a state of self-contented ease,
Delude me with delight or luxury—
That day shall be my last. These
Are my terms.
MEPHISTO. It’s done!
FAUST. So let it be:
If I should bid the passing moment stay, or try
To hold its fleeting beauty, then you may
Cast me in chains and carry me away,
For in that instant I will gladly die.
Then you can sound my death-knell, for you will
Have done your service and be free.
1705
Then let the hands upon the clock stand still,
For that will be the end of time for me!
MEPHISTO. Consider well; we don’t forget these things, you see.
FAUST. That is a right you are entitled to.
This is no frivolous adventure that I crave;
1710
If I succumb to lethargy, I’ll be a slave—
Whether to another, or to you.
MEPHISTO. I’ll serve you dutifully when you dine
At the graduation feast tonight.
There’s just one thing; if you would sign
1715
A document for me—I like to do things right.
FAUST. Why, how pedantic! Have you never heard
That you can take a man’s word as his bond?
It’s not enough to stake my fate here and beyond
Upon the honour of my spoken word?
1720
Life rushes past us on its headlong course—
Why should a promise have such binding force?
But in our hearts we all cling to that whim,
From such illusions we are never free;
An honest man will not regret his own integrity,
1725
Nor all the sacrifices that are asked of him.
But such a document, drawn up with stamps and seals—
That is a daunting spectre, for the word congeals
And freezes as it’s written by the pen;
Vellum and wax are all that matter then.
1730
Well, evil spirit, what is it to be?
Bronze, marble, parchment, paper—what you will.
Do I use a chisel, stylus or a quill?
The choice is yours, it’s all the same to me.
MEPHISTO. What an extraordinary display!
1735
Don’t let your rhetoric carry you away.
Any scrap of paper here will do, I think;
We’ll use a drop of blood instead of ink.
FAUST. If you think it will be of any use,
I’m willing to join in your comic act.
1740
MEPHISTO. Blood is a very special kind of juice.
FAUST. You needn’t fear that I will break this pact;
I undertake to strive with all my heart
And all my energy to play my part.
I was too swollen with conceit and pride;
1745
The mighty Spirit has rejected me,
And now I see my place is at your side.
All nature’s secrets are concealed from me,
The thread of thought is broken, for
Henceforth all knowledge I abhor.
1750
To satisfy my seething passions I’ll explore
The very depths of sensuality;
Reveal your wonders and your miracles to me
Behind impenetrable veils of mystery!
We’ll plunge into the headlong rush of time,
1755
Into the whirling turmoil of each day.
Let pain or joy, the monstrous, the sublime,
Success or failure, triumph or vexation
Follow each other as they may;
Such restless striving is our true vocation.
1760
MEPHISTO. There are no limits, no restrictions in your way;
Dip into everything and sample every dish,
Grasp every opportunity without delay,
Do as you please, take what you wish—
Just help yourself, and don’t be coy.
1765
FAUST. Listen: it’s not on happiness I’m bent.
I want a frenzied round of agonizing joy,
Of loving hate, of stimulating discontent.
Learning and knowledge now I leave behind;
I shall not flinch from suffering or despair,
1770
And in my inner self I wish to share
The whole experience of humankind,
To seek its heights, its depths, to know
Within my heart its joys and all its woe,
Identify myself with other men and blend
1775
My life with theirs, and like them perish in the end!
MEPHISTO. Believe me, many thousand years I’ve had to chew
That rancid stuff; that’s long enough to know
That from the cradle to the grave not even you
Could ever manage to digest such sour dough.
1780
You have the Devil’s word that such totality,
Such wholeness is for God alone, for he
Dwells in a realm of everlasting light,
While we were banished to the darkness down below—
And all you ever see is day and night.
FAUST. But that is what I want!
1785
MEPHISTO. Bravo!
There’s just one problem, I’d have thought,
For art is long, and life is short.
You haven’t got all that much time, and so
I think you’d better go and hire a poet,
1790
Who’d let his wild imagination go—
And he could soon provide, before you know it,
Every noble quality to your liking:
Bold as a lion,
Swift as a stallion,
1795
Passionate as an Italian,
Tough as a Viking.
He would teach you how to reconcile
High-minded generosity with subtle guile,
Or if you want to fall in love, he’d fashion
1800
A scheme for you to satisfy your youthful passion.
I’d like to meet a gentleman like that;
I’d call him ‘Mr Universe’ and raise my hat.
FAUST. What am I then, if it’s not possible to earn
The crown of human life for which I yearn
1805
With all my senses and with all my heart?
MEPHISTO. You are—just what you have been from the start.
Wear a full-bottomed wig and play the sage,
Put on high heels and strut about the stage—
You’re still the same, whichever way you act the part.
1810
FAUST. In vain it seems to me that I have strained
To grasp the riches of the human mind, for when
I pause to reckon what I might have gained,
I feel no new vitality within my breast,
I am no further in my futile quest—
1815
The infinite is still beyond my ken.
MEPHISTO. My dear Sir, that’s a very common view
Of things—but come now, we must try
To find a more imaginative plan for you,
Before life’s pleasures pass you by.
1820
Why, damnit man, your hands, your feet, your name,
Your head, your arse, are yours alone;
But all the other things we use and own—
Are they not ours just the same?
Look, it’s like this: suppose I can
1825
Afford six horses, then it’s just as though
Their strength were mine. I could put on a proper show—
I’d be what you might call a six-horse-power man.
So cheer up! Let your brooding be,
And come out into the wide world with me.
1830
A man who speculates like that, you know,
Is like a beast grazing on barren ground;
Some evil spirit leads it round and round,
While all about it lush green pastures grow.
FAUST. Where do we start?
MEPHISTO. We just leave, here and now.
1835
What kind of prison is this anyhow?
What sort of life is this for you,
Boring yourself—and all your students too?
Just let your paunchy colleagues do it,
It’s time to leave this treadmill, so go to it!
1840
In any case, you mustn’t talk too loud
About the best things that you know—it’s not allowed.
You’ve got a student here already at the door.
FAUST. I cannot possibly see him today.
MEPHISTO. Come, the poor lad’s been there an hour or more,
1845
He’ll be so disappointed. Don’t send him away;
Give me your cap and gown, I’ll see him for a while—
This sort of fancy dress is just my style.
[he dresses in Faust’s costume
I’ll use my wits and tell him something wise.
A quarter of an hour is all I need; meanwhile
1850
Go and prepare yourself for our great enterprise!
[Faust leaves
MEPHISTOPHELES in Faust’s long gown.
Reason and knowledge, the highest powers of humankind,
You have rejected, to oblivion consigned.
Now let the Prince of Lies confuse you,
With magic spells and fantasies delude you—
1855
And I will have you then once and for all.
For fate has given him a mind
So restless, so impetuous, so unconfined
That his impatient spirit, like a waterfall,
Pours headlong over all the pleasures life can give.
1860
I’ll plunge him into such distraction, he will live
A life so futile, so banal and trite,
He’ll flap and flutter like a bird stuck tight.
He is insatiable, and so I’ll tantalize
Him, dangle food and drink before his greedy eyes.
1865
In vain he’ll beg relief on bended knee,
And even if he hadn’t pledged himself to me,
He’d still be damned for all eternity!
STUDENT. I’ve recently arrived at College
In my earnest quest for knowledge;
1870
On you, Sir, with respect I call—
You are acclaimed by one and all.
MEPHISTO. Well, your politeness pleases me;
A man like other men you see.
You’ve had a good look round the place?
1875
STUDENT. Please take me on, if you’ve the space!
I’m young and eager, keen to please,
And I’ve enough to pay my fees.
My mother was sad to see me go,
But there’s so much that I want to know.
1880
MEPHISTO. Why, then you’ve come to the right door.
STUDENT. But to be frank, I’m not quite sure.
These rooms and walls, so gaunt and tall,
I just don’t like it here at all.
They hem you in, and you can see
1885
No green leaves, not a single tree.
The lecture halls are all so grim
I get confused, my mind goes dim.
MEPHISTO. You’ll soon get used to it, you know.
A baby’s often very slow
1890
To suckle at its mother’s breast,
But in the end it feeds with zest.
Just so at Wisdom’s breasts you will
Quite soon be glad to drink your fill.
STUDENT. I’ll feed from her with joy; but will you say
1895
Just what I have to do to find my way?
MEPHISTO. Well, first of all, it seems to me
You need to choose a Faculty.
STUDENT. I’d like to study every sphere
Of nature and learning while I’m here,
1900
And find out all there is to know
Of the heavens above and the earth below.
MEPHISTO. Well, yes, you’ve got the right idea;
But you must be careful how you go.
STUDENT. I’ll do my best, I promise you—
1905
Although of course I have to say
I’d like some fun and freedom too,
Whenever there’s a holiday.
MEPHISTO. Use your time well, for time so quickly passes.
A little discipline will help you with your classes;
And so, young friend, my pedagogic
Judgement is, you start with Logic.
For there your mind is trained aright;
It’s clamped in Spanish boots so tight
That henceforth with a clearer head
1915
The wary path of thought you’ll tread,
And not like Jack o’ Lantern go
Hopping and flickering to and fro.
For here with rigour you’ll be taught
That things you’d never given a thought,
1920
Like eating, drinking and running free,
Must be done in order: one, two, three!
The mind, however, needs more room;
It’s like a master-weaver’s loom.
A thousand warps move as he treads,
1925
The shuttle flies, and to and fro
The fibres into patterns flow—
One stamp combines a thousand threads.
Send for a philosopher, and he
Will prove to you that it must be:
1930
The first is thus, the second so,
Ergo: the third and fourth we know.
If first and second were not here,
Then third and fourth would disappear.
The students love it, I believe—
1935
But none of them have learned to weave.
To know what nature is about,
First you must drive the spirit out;
And when you’ve pulled it all apart,
What’s missing is the vital spark.
1940
‘Nature’s knack!’ the chemists cheer—
But that just means they’ve no idea.
STUDENT. I’m not quite sure I follow you.
MEPHISTO. Don’t fret, my boy, you’ll still get through
When you’ve learned the tricks and when you’re able
1945
To simplify things and give them a label.
STUDENT. I’m afraid I’ve simply lost the thread;
It’s like a mill-wheel grinding in my head.
MEPHISTO. And after Logic, what should you do?
Ah! Metaphysics is the thing for you;
1950
You’ll learn without the slightest trouble
Stuff that would make your brain-cells bubble.
For notions that won’t fit inside your head,
You’ll find a splendid word instead.
But this first term, whatever you read,
1955
A strict routine is what you need.
Five hours a day—it’s not a lot,
Be in the classroom on the dot;
Prepare the texts at home with care,
And study all the details there—
1960
You’ll know without even having to look
He’s reading straight out of the book.
But write it all down, concentrating
As if it were the Holy Ghost dictating!
STUDENT. I’m sure that’s very good advice,
1965
And you won’t have to tell me twice;
If you’ve got it down in black and white,
You can take it home to read at night.
MEPHISTO. But now you must choose a Faculty!
STUDENT. I don’t think Law is quite the thing for me.
1970
MEPHISTO. I can’t say that I blame you, for the Law,
Believe me, is a monumental bore.
Those dreary statutes, rights and cases,
Like a congenital disease are handed on
Through generations from the father to the son.
1975
They spread like germs to other places,
Turn sense to nonsense, bad to worse;
If you inherit them, your heritage is a curse.
The human rights that you were born with, though—
Those are the rights that you will never know.
1980
STUDENT. All that you say confirms my previous view.
How fortunate I am to be advised by you!
I rather think Theology’s the course for me.
MEPHISTO. I’m not too sure that that’s the way
You ought to choose, for in that discipline, you see,
1985
It is so easy to be led astray.
The subtle poison it contains is so refined,
The antidote is difficult to find.
It’s best if you have only ever heard
One teacher, and then take him at his word.
1990
In other words, words are the things to hold to,
And if you swallow everything he’s told you,
Then you will never doubt that what he says is true.
STUDENT. But surely words must have some meaning too!
MEPHISTO. Perhaps—don’t let that worry you a bit;
1995
For even if the meaning’s problematic,
Then you can always find a word for it.
With words you can be so dogmatic,
With words you can be systematic.
You can believe in words, with words all can be proved;
2000
Not one iota from a word may be removed.
STUDENT. Forgive me if I pester, you’re so kind.
But I would much appreciate your view
Of whether Medicine is the thing to do,
For it’s a course I also have in mind.
2005
Three years can very soon be past,
And one must learn it all so fast.
They say the course is very tough;
With your advice I’d cope, I know.
MEPHISTO. [aside] I’m tired of all this academic stuff;
2010
Now let the Devil have a go.
[aloud] It’s not too hard to learn a Doctor’s skill;
You study till there’s nothing left to know,
And in the end you let things go
According to God’s will.
2015
But all that science doesn’t get you very far;
We all learn willy-nilly what we can—
But if you learn to seize your chance, you are
The up-and-coming man.
You’re well-built, a good-looking chap,
2020
You’ve got a saucy manner, too;
Self-confidence, that’s the secret, that
Will give your patients confidence in you.
The women are the ones to make for;
They’re always ready to complain
2025
About a little pain—
I’m sure you know the remedy they ache for.
And if they think you understand,
You’ll have them eating from your hand.
There’s nothing like a Doctor’s title for
2030
Persuading them they really can respect you,
And in your first examination you’ll explore
Places that others would take years to get to.
You take her hand to check the pulse is steady,
Look deep into her eyes, and then be ready
2035
To slip your arm around her slender waist,
Just to make sure she’s not too tightly laced.
STUDENT. That sounds much better! That makes sense to me.
MEPHISTO. Listen, my friend: the golden tree
Of life is green, all theory is grey.
2040
STUDENT. I never dreamed I’d learn so much today!
I’d like to come along another day
To hear more of your wisdom, if I may.
MEPHISTO. What I can do, it shall be gladly done.
STUDENT. Just one thing more; and I’ll be gone.
2045
I’ve got my album here; please could you say
Some words to help me on my way.
[he writes and hands back the book
MEPHISTO. Of course.
STUDENT. [reading] Eritis sicut Deus scientes bonum et malum.
He shuts the book reverently and takes his leave.
MEPHISTO. ‘You’ll be like God’; my aunt, the serpent, was quite right.
2050
Just heed her words, and one day you’ll get such a fright!
FAUST. [enters] Now where do we go?
MEPHISTO. Wherever you like; just come with me.
We’ll see the small world first, and then the wider scene.
Pleasure and profit await you, sights you’ve never seen—
For my beginner’s course there’s no tuition fee!
2055
FAUST. With this long beard I shall stick out a mile,
I haven’t got the confidence or style.
This crazy scheme of yours won’t work at all,
I never was at ease with other men;
In company I always feel so small
2060
And so inadequate—you’ll have to think again.
MEPHISTO. My dear friend, that will come in time;
Self-confidence is all you need, and you’ll be fine.
FAUST. And how do we travel, how do we get away?
You’ve got a coach and horses out there, I daresay.
2065
MEPHISTO. We simply spread our cloaks, and they will bear
Us up as we sail gently through the air.
Just one thing, though—we mustn’t carry too much weight,
That makes it difficult to navigate.
Some flame for hot air, which I shall provide,
2070
Will give us lift-off. Spread your arms out wide;
We’ve shed our ballast, and the sky is clear—
Congratulations on your new career!
AUERBACH’S CELLAR IN LEIPZIG
Drinkers carousing
FROSCH. Come on, drink up, let’s have a ball!
What’s the matter with you all?
I’ve never seen such po-faced gits—
You’d get on anybody’s tits.
BRANDER. Well, you’re not much fun, anyway—
No laughs or filthy jokes today.
FROSCH. [tips a glass of wine over his head]
You asked for it!
BRANDER. You bloody swine!
2080
FROSCH. Well, it was your idea, not mine!
SIEBEL. Whoever quarrels gets thrown out!
Let’s have a sing-song, drink and shout!
Holla la la la!
ALTMAYER. God, what an awful din!
Give me some cotton wool, or pack it in.
2085
SIEBEL. When the deep bass voices start to sing,
The echoes make the vaulting ring.
FROSCH. Yes—if you make any trouble, you’re out on the street!
Ah! Tra la! Tra la la!
ALTMAYER. Ah! Tra la la!
FROSCH. We’re all in tune, now watch the beat.
2090
[sings] To the Holy Roman Empire—but whatever,
I ask you, holds the dear old thing together?
BRANDER. Urgh! What a rotten song! That’s political blether!
You should thank God every night, and every morning, too,
That the Holy Roman Empire’s nothing to do with you!
2095
I pity the poor sod who’s got to be
Emperor or Chancellor, that’s not the job for me.
Still, someone’s got to be the boss round here;
We’ll have a drinking contest, wine or beer—
The last one standing who can hold a glass
2100
Will be the Pope, and we’ll all kiss his arse.
FROSCH. [sings] Oh nightingale, fly to my love,
A thousand kisses for my turtle dove.
SIEBEL. Not for mine there ain’t, don’t give me all that crap!
FROSCH. A thousand kisses—just you shut your trap!
2105
[sings] Open up! The coast is clear.
Open up! Your lover’s here.
Slide the bolt when morning’s near.
SIEBEL. Yes, go on, tell us all about her, sing her praises!
One day the laugh will be on you.
2110
She led me on, the bitch—you’ll get the treatment too.
I’d give her a hobgoblin, she can go to blazes
Or meet him at the crossroads—he’d know what to do.
A randy goat who’s been up on the Brocken could
Give her a galloping for all I care.
2115
A normal decent bloke is much too good
For her, the little tart. It’s just not fair.
I’ll smash her window with a brick before
I send her any kisses, that’s for sure.
BRANDER. [banging on the table] Now then! Now then! Just let it be!
2120
I know a thing or two, you’ll all agree.
Some people here appear, unless I’m wrong,
To be in love, and so it falls to me
To serenade these lovers with a song.
So here’s a new one I’ve just written for us—
2125
And you can all join in and sing the chorus.
[he sings] In a cellar once there was a rat
Who lived off lard and butter.
She grew and grew, she got as fat
As Doctor Martin Luther.
2130
The cook put poison down the drain,
And soon she felt an awful pain—
As if love’s dart had stuck her!
CHORUS. [exuberantly]
As if love’s dart had stuck her!
BRANDER. She twitched as if she’d had a fit
2135
And drank from every puddle,
She chewed and scratched and gnawed and bit,
Her wits were in a muddle.
She jumped till she could jump no more,
And very soon lay at death’s door—
2140
As if love’s dart had stuck her!
CHORUS. As if love’s dart had stuck her!
BRANDER. In panic then at break of day
She ran into the kitchen,
And by the fireside she lay
2145
In agony a-twitchin’.
The cook just laughed and said ‘Oh my,
That rat is surely going to die—
As if love’s dart had stuck her.’
CHORUS. As if love’s dart had stuck her!
2150
SIEBEL. Whatever are you laughing at?
Well, I don’t think it’s very nice
To go and poison that poor rat.
BRANDER. I take it you’re quite fond of rats and mice?
ALTMAYER. Poor Siebel here, he’s getting bald and fat,
And love has made him suffer terribly.
He’s gone all soft, and so that rat
Reminds him of himself, you see.
FAUST and MEPHISTOPHELES
MEPHISTO. It’s most important you should be
In entertaining company,
2160
And see the common folk at play;
For this lot, every day’s a holiday.
They’re pretty witless, but they have their fun;
They drink a lot, and like small cats they run
In circles chasing their own tails—and then
2165
Next day they have a hangover again.
As long as their credit with the landlord’s good,
They’re quite a happy little brotherhood.
BRANDER. These two are on a journey of some kind—
There’s something odd about the way they’re dressed.
2170
I’ll bet they’ve just arrived in town today.
FROSCH. You’re right, they’ve come to Leipzig, it’s the best!
They call it Little Paris, ’cause we’re so refined.
SIEBEL. They’re strangers—but what sort of folk are they?
FROSCH. Leave it to me! We’ll have a drop to drink,
2175
And I’ll soon worm it out of them, you’ll see—
Easy as pulling milk-teeth, I should think.
They look like aristocrats to me,
They’ve got that surly stuck-up sort of look.
BRANDER. Get on! They’re cheapjacks from the fair!
ALTMAYER. Maybe.
2180
FROSCH. Just watch me, I’ll soon have them on the hook!
MEPHISTO. [to Faust] These people never know the Devil’s in the place,
Even when they’re looking at him face to face.
FAUST. Good evening, gentlemen!
SIEBEL. The same to you.
[aside, looking askance at MEPHISTOPHELES]
That fellow’s got a limp—look at his shoe.
2185
MEPHISTO. We’ll join you at your table, if we may.
If we can’t get a decent drink, at least we can
Enjoy your conversation, anyway.
ALTMAYER. You seem to be a very choosy man.
FROSCH. When you left Rippach, was it late at night?
2190
You’ll have had supper with old Hans there, right?
MEPHISTO. No, we didn’t call on him today,
But when we saw him last, he had a lot to say
About his cousins who live over here,
And told us we should wish them all good cheer.
[he bows to Frosch
ALTMAYER. [aside] So much for you—he knows the joke!
2195
SIEBEL. He’s pretty fly!
FROSCH. Just wait a bit, I’ll have him by and by.
MEPHISTO. I thought I heard—correct me if I’m wrong—
Some well-trained voices raised in song.
It must be fine to hear the echoes ring
2200
Around this splendid vaulting when you sing.
FROSCH. I suppose you think you’re quite a virtuoso?
MEPHISTO. Oh no! I love it, but my voice is only so-so.
ALTMAYER. Give us a song!
MEPHISTO. I’ll give you three or four.
SIEBEL. But let’s have one we haven’t heard before!
2205
MEPHISTO. We’ve just come from abroad, we haven’t been back long—
From Spain, the lovely land of wine and song.
[sings] Once upon a time there was a king,
Who had a great big flea—
FROSCH. Did you hear what he said? A great big flea!
2210
I wouldn’t ask a flea to live with me!
MEPHISTO. [sings] Once upon a time there was a king,
Who had a great big flea.
He loved him more than anything,
More than a son did he.
2215
He said to his tailor, listen to me—
Get busy with tucks and stitches;
Just measure him up and make my flea
A pair of silken breeches!
BRANDER. You’d better tell the tailor, too—
2220
Just measure him good and proper,
’cause if there’s any creases, you
Will surely get the chopper!
MEPHISTO. So soon that flea was kitted out,
In finest velvet dressed,
2225
With silks and ribbons fitted out,
And medals on his chest.
They gave him a knighthood, called him Sir—
He really was a swell;
And all of his relations were
2230
Created peers as well.
The court was in a dreadful stew,
They weren’t allowed to fight ’em;
The Queen and all her ladies, too—
The fleas knew where to bite ’em!
2235
They itched and scratched, but not a man
Could harm the little blighters.
But we can catch ’em if we can,
And squash ’em when they bite us!
CHORUS. [exuberantly]
But we can catch ’em if we can,
2240
And squash ’em when they bite us!
FROSCH. Bravo! Bravo! Very fine!
SIEBEL. That’s how to deal with fleas, it never fails!
BRANDER. You squash ’em in between your fingernails!
ALTMAYER. Here’s to freedom! Here’s to wine!
2245
MEPHISTO. I’d gladly drink a toast to freedom—but I fear
I just can’t drink the wine you get round here.
SIEBEL. Don’t let us hear that kind of talk again!
MEPHISTO. Well, if I didn’t think the landlord would complain,
I’d offer our respected guests a choice selection
2250
Of some of the best wines in our collection.
SIEBEL. Don’t worry about that, I’ll see to him.
FROSCH. If you provide us with a drop of the right stuff,
We’ll be quite happy; but you must give us enough.
I like a glass that’s full right to the brim,
2255
And then I can appreciate it properly.
ALTMAYER. [aside] These guys are Rhinelanders, if you ask me.
MEPHISTO. Fetch me a gimlet!
BRANDER. Now what’s all this for?
I suppose you left your barrels just outside the door?
ALTMAYER. The landlord’s tools are in a basket over there.
MEPHISTOPHELES takes the gimlet
2260
MEPHISTO. [to Frosch] Well, what can I offer you then, Sir?
FROSCH. What do you mean? What wines have you got? Where?
MEPHISTO. It’s up to you—just say which you prefer.
ALTMAYER. [to Frosch] Licking your lips already then, you greedy swine?
FROSCH. Well, my choice would be something from the Rhine.
2265
The fatherland produces the best wine.
MEPHISTOPHELES bores a hole in the table where FROSCH is sitting
MEPHISTO. We need some stoppers—get some wax here, quick!
ALTMAYER. Oh God, it’s just another conjuring trick.
MEPHISTO. [to Brander] And you?
BRANDER. Champagne, if it’s not too much trouble—
And nice and fizzy, ’cause I like to see it bubble!
MEPHISTOPHELES bores a hole. Someone has meanwhile made the wax stoppers and plugs the holes.
2270
BRANDER. You must admit sometimes, I know it’s sad,
But foreign stuff is really not that bad.
Us Germans just can’t stand the Frogs, but then
We like to drink their wine now and again.
SIEBEL. [as Mephistopheles approaches him]
I must say, I don’t like my wine too dry.
2275
Have you got something nice and sweet to try?
MEPHISTO. [bores a hole] I’ve just the thing for you—a good Tokay!
ALTMAYER. Now gentlemen, be honest, look me in the eye;
Don’t play your tricks on us, we’re not so dumb.
MEPHISTO. Play tricks on such distinguished guests? Oh, come!
2280
I wouldn’t dream of taking such a liberty.
But tell me, quick, what can I offer you?
I’m sure you’d like a taste of something, too.
ALTMAYER. Oh, anything is good enough for me.
MEPHISTO. [with mysterious gestures]
Luscious fruit the grapevine bears,
2285
Curly horns the billy-goat wears;
Juice comes from the wooden vine—
A wooden table can give us wine.
Just believe, and you will see
Nature’s deepest mystery!
2290
Now draw the plugs and let it pour!
They draw the plugs, and the chosen wine flows into each glass.
ALL. Fountains of wine! There’s wine galore!
MEPHISTO. Be careful! Not a drop must fall upon the floor!
They drink again and again
ALL. [sing] We’re all as pissed as cannibals,
And happy as pigs in clover!
2295
MEPHISTO. Man is born free—and how he loves his liberty!
FAUST. I want to go, there’s nothing here for me.
MEPHISTO. Just watch a while, and you will see
A demonstration of man’s bestiality.
SIEBEL. [drinks clumsily, the wine spills on the floor and turns to flame] Help! I’m on fire! Help! These are flames from hell!
MEPHISTO. [addressing the flame]
2300
Down, friendly element! Obey my spell.
[to the drinkers] That was just a little taste of purgatory.
SIEBEL. What’s going on here? Nobody does that to me!
You don’t know how unfriendly I can be.
FROSCH. Don’t try that one on us again!
2305
ALTMAYER. We need to get this bloke outside, and quick.
SIEBEL. You have the cheek to walk in here, and then
You try to scare us with that stupid trick!
MEPHISTO. Quiet, you old wine-tub!
SIEBEL. You beanpole!
He’s trying to insult us now as well!
2310
Just wait, we’ll kick you right back down to hell.
ALTMAYER. [pulls one of the plugs out of the table; a flame shoots up at him]
Help! I’m burning!
SIEBEL. Sorcery! Don’t let him
Scarper, he’s an outlaw, he’s fair game. Let’s get him!
They draw their knives and advance on MEPHISTOPHELES
MEPHISTO. [with a solemn gesture]
Confuse the eye, deceive the ear,
Make a different scene appear.
2315
Be there and here!
They stand amazed and look at each other
ALTMAYER. Where am I? What a lovely place!
FROSCH. Vineyards! I’m seeing things!
SIEBEL. Grapes right in front of your face!
BRANDER. Underneath the leaves here I can see
A luscious bunch of grapes, and all for me!
He takes hold of Siebel’s nose. The others do the same to each other and raise their knives.
2320
MEPHISTO. [as above] Illusion, let them be! I hope that shows
The lot of you you don’t mess with the Devil!
He disappears with FAUST; the drinkers let each other go.
SIEBEL. What is it?
ALTMAYER. Eh?
FROSCH. Is that your nose?
BRANDER. [to Siebel] And I’ve got yours! This isn’t on the level.
ALTMAYER. I felt a shock, and then I seemed to freeze.
2325
Get me a chair, I feel weak in the knees.
FROSCH. But what the hell was going on just then?
SIEBEL. Where is he? If I see that bloke again
He won’t perform his tricks here any more.
ALTMAYER. I saw him ride out of the door
2330
Astride a barrel—well, that’s what I thought I saw.
I just can’t move my feet, they feel like lead.
[turning to the table]
D’you think there’s any more wine left in there?
SIEBEL. It was a trick. We’ve all been fooled. Let’s go to bed.
FROSCH. But I did drink some wine, I swear.
2335
BRANDER. And what about those grapes we saw?
ALTMAYER. And people say they don’t believe in magic any more!
A WITCH’S KITCHEN
A low hearth with a large cauldron on the fire. In the steam rising from it various shapes can be seen. A female monkey sits by the cauldron and skims it, taking care not to let it boil over. The male monkey sits and warms himself by the fire with his young ones. The walls and ceiling are decorated with the weird paraphernalia of witchcraft.
FAUST and MEPHISTOPHELES
FAUST. These magic spells and tricks of yours repel me!
You think I’ll find recuperation, then,
Here in this bedlam, in this witch’s den?
2340
You think an ancient crone can tell me
How I’m going to shed some thirty years,
Or brew some potion that will make me young again?
But you have nothing else to offer, it appears,
And you have only raised my hopes in vain.
2345
Is there no natural remedy, has no great mind
Devised an elixir to meet my need?
MEPHISTO. My friend, this ranting isn’t very clever.
There is a natural way to make you young, indeed—
But that’s another story altogether,
2350
From a mysterious book of a quite different kind.
FAUST. Well, tell me then.
MEPHISTO. The other way is cheap,
It needs no medicine and no magic. You just go
Out into the fields, you dig and hoe,
And plough and harrow, sow and reap;
2355
You keep yourself and all your thoughts confined
Within the limits of your small domain,
Take nourishment of the most frugal kind,
Live as a beast among your beasts, and don’t disdain
To fertilize the land you work with your own dung.
2360
That’s the best way, believe me—you will find
You’ll live for eighty years, and still be young!
FAUST. I’m just not used to it, I couldn’t stand
A narrow life like that, it’s not for me—
And I could never work upon the land.
2365
MEPHISTO. Then you must take the witch’s remedy!
FAUST. But does it have to be this ancient crone?
Why can’t you brew a potion of your own?
MEPHISTO. You don’t think I’ve got that much time to spare!
I’ve rather more important things to do, indeed.
2370
It’s not just skill and knowledge that you need,
But time and patience, and a lot of care.
The spirit must ferment for many years until
The mixture is mature and powerful enough,
And then it’s ready to distil.
2375
The witches can do all that tedious stuff—
The Devil hasn’t got the knack, although
The Devil taught them everything they know.
[he sees the animals
Look, what a charming family!
This is the servant, that’s the maid, I see.
2380
[to the animals] And your dear mistress, where is she?
ANIMALS. Can’t see you,
Gone to a do
Up the chimney-flue!
MEPHISTO. Out gallivanting! How long will she be?
2385
ANIMALS. As long as it takes to warm a paw.
MEPHISTO. [to Faust] How do you like this pretty pair?
FAUST. The most repulsive animals I ever saw!
MEPHISTO. Oh come, my friend, that’s hardly fair;
I like their lively repartee.
2390
[to the animals] So tell me, little imps from hell,
What have you got in that foul brew?
ANIMALS. We’re cooking watery beggars’ stew.
MEPHISTO. You’ll have a lot of customers—I hope they like the smell.
MALE MONKEY. [approaches Mephistopheles ingratiatingly]
Let’s throw the dice,
2395
It would be nice
To have a pot
I’d have a lot
Of sense again.
2400
MEPHISTO. How happy would this little monkey be
To have a winning ticket on the lottery!
Meanwhile the young monkeys roll a large ball around.
THE MALE MONKEY. The world’s so small,
It’s like a ball,
Up and down
2405
It rolls around.
It gleams like brass,
It’s brittle as glass.
It shines like tin,
It’s hollow within.
2410
I live, but you,
My son, beware
The danger there;
You must die too.
It’s made of clay,
2415
It’ll break one day.
MEPHISTO. And what’s this sieve?
THE MALE MONKEY. [takes down the sieve]
If you’re a thief, it’ll give
You away.
He runs to the female monkey and makes her look through it.
Look through the sieve!
2420
It’s my belief he’s a thief,
But his name you mustn’t say.
MEPHISTO. [approaching the fire] And what’s in this pan?
THE TWO ANIMALS. That’s a pot,
You silly clot!
2425
He can’t tell a pot from a pan!
MEPHISTO. You cheeky pair!
THE MALE MONKEY. Here, take this fan
And sit in the chair!
He makes MEPHISTOPHELES sit down. FAUST has meanwhile been standing in front of a mirror, moving towards it and stepping away again.
FAUST. What is this heavenly vision that I see
2430
Reflected in the magic glass in front of me?
Oh Love, lend me your wings to spread them wide
And fly me swiftly to her side!
Alas, when I approach her, when I dare
To reach out to that lovely vision there,
2435
The image blurs and fades into the air!
How is it possible, can any woman be
So beautiful, her shape so heavenly?
Shall I find anything on earth so fair?
In this recumbent body do I see
2440
The very essence of all paradisal bliss?
MEPHISTO. Of course—if God toils for six days without a break
And then congratulates himself, you’d think he’d make
A sight worth looking at like this.
Well, go ahead and feast your eyes. I can provide
2445
A sweetheart for you just like her,
And you shall have her—or, if you prefer,
You might be glad to take her as your bride!
FAUST continues to gaze into the mirror.
MEPHISTOPHELES lounges in his chair and plays with the fan.
MEPHISTO. I sit here like a monarch on his throne;
I’ve got my sceptre, but no crown to call my own.
THE ANIMALS have meanwhile been up to all sorts of strange antics.
They bring MEPHISTOPHELES a crown with loud screeches.
2450
Oh Sir, if you could,
Please mend the crown
With sweat and blood.
They fumble and drop the crown. It breaks in two, and they dance round with the pieces.
You clumsy clown!
We chatter and curse
2455
And speak in verse.
FAUST. [looking at the mirror]
I’m driven to distraction at this sight!
MEPHISTO. [pointing to the animals]
I must admit, my own head feels unsteady, too.
ANIMALS. If we get it right
Why, then we might
2460
Think just like you!
FAUST. [as above] My heart’s on fire, I just can’t stay
In here. Come on, let’s get away!
MEPHISTO. [as above] You’ve got to hand it to the little beast—
He’s quite a poet, and his verses rhyme, at least.
The cauldron, which the She-Monkey has neglected, starts to boil over; a great flame shoots up the chimney. THE WITCH comes tumbling down through the flames, screaming horribly.
2465
WITCH. Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!
A curse on you, you bloody sow!
You let the cauldron boil, you’ve burnt me now!
[she sees Faust and Mephistopheles
You stupid cow!
So who are you?
2470
And you as well?
Where did you two
Get in here, how?
I’ll shrivel you
With fire from hell!
She thrusts the ladle into the cauldron and sprays flame at FAUST, MEPHISTOPHELES and the animals. The animals whimper.
MEPHISTO. [takes the other end of the fan and lashes out at the pots and glasses]
2475
Take that, and that!
I’ll spill your brew
And smash your glasses flat!
You carrion, you old bat,
I’ll call the tune for you
2480
To whistle to.
[THE WITCH retreats in fury and terror]
You skeleton, you gargoyle, can’t you recognize
Your lord and master right before your eyes?
Why should I stop, why not smash you to bits as well,
Thrash you and your demon monkeys back to hell?
2485
Doesn’t the red doublet call for more respect?
And can’t you see my face, you loathsome dame?
You see this cockerel’s feather? Do you expect
Me to announce myself by name?
WITCH. Oh Sir, forgive my rude reception, pray,
2490
I didn’t see your cloven hoof at all—
And your two ravens, where are they?
MEPHISTO. Well, this time we’ll forget our little brawl.
It’s been some time now since I went away.
We haven’t seen each other for a while,
2495
And these days fashions change from year to year—
Even the Devil has to change his style.
Your northern Gothic Devil’s out of date, I fear,
I just can’t wear a tail or horns round here.
But I can’t go without my foot, I wish I could—
2500
It doesn’t do my reputation any good.
And so for years, as many young men do,
I’ve worn a fashionably built-up shoe.
WITCH. [dancing] I’m all of a dither, I could throw a fit—
Squire Satan here! That’s really made my day.
2505
MEPHISTO. That name’s not to be mentioned, by the way.
WITCH. Why? What the devil’s wrong with it?
MEPHISTO. It only comes in fairy stories nowadays.
But even so, humanity’s no better off—
The Evil One has gone, they’ve kept their evil ways.
2510
Just call me Baron, that will do for me—
I move in the best circles now, I’m quite a toff;
I think you know my noble pedigree,
I’ve got a coat of arms as well—this is my crest!
[he makes an obscene gesture
WITCH. [laughs immoderately]
Ha Ha! Ha Ha! Yes, that’s what you do best!
2515
You’re still the same rogue that you always were.
MEPHISTO. [to Faust] Just take a note of this, my friend, and you
Will know the way to deal with crones like her.
WITCH. Now tell me, gentlemen, what can I do?
MEPHISTO. We want a glassful of your special brew—
2520
But one that’s been a long time on the shelf.
Its strength increases with the years, I know.
WITCH. Of course! Here’s one I brewed up long ago,
I often take a drop of it myself.
It doesn’t smell at all bad, I assure you—
2525
I’d be delighted to mix up a cupful for you.
[aside to Mephistopheles]
But if he’s not prepared, this stuff could fuck him up;
A single drop could kill him on the spot.
MEPHISTO. Well, he’s a friend of mine, I need to buck him up,
So let him have the very best you’ve got.
2530
Now draw your circle, say your magic spell,
Give him a proper dose and make him well!
THE WITCH with weird gestures draws a circle and puts strange objects in it. Meanwhile the glasses start ringing and the cauldron makes a musical sound. Finally she brings a large book, makes the monkeys stand in the circle, and uses one of them as a lectern. The others hold torches. She beckons FAUST to her.
FAUST. [to Mephistopheles] Oh no, what is this rabid stuff?
These signs and gestures are absurd!
I hate this crazy ritual, I’ve heard
2535
It all before, I know it well enough.
MEPHISTO. Don’t take it all so seriously! You know
It’s not for real, it’s just for show.
She needs some mumbo-jumbo, as all doctors do,
To make her potion work—it’s nothing new.
He pushes FAUST into the circle. THE WITCH begins to recite solemnly from the book.
2540
WITCH. So hear me, then!
From one make ten,
And let two be,
The same with three—
You’re rich, you see!
2545
The four is nix,
From five and six
The witch can mix
A seven and eight,
That’s got it straight!
2550
From nine make one,
And ten is none.
That’s the witches’ one-times-one!
FAUST. The old woman’s raving now, she’s had a fit.
MEPHISTO. There’s plenty more of it to go,
2555
The whole damn book is full of it.
I’ve wasted time on it myself, so I should know.
I’ve always found that you can fox
A wise man or a fool with paradox.
It’s an old trick, but it works all the same,
2560
And every age has tried time and again
To spread not truth, but error and obscurity,
By making three of one and one of three.
And so the fools can preach and teach quite undisturbed—
Who wants to argue with them? Let them wander on;
2565
Most men believe that when they hear a simple word,
There must be some great meaning there to ponder on.
WITCH. [still reading] The mystery
Of alchemy
From all the world is hidden.
2570
But if it’s sought
Without a thought,
Then it will come unbidden!
FAUST. What is this nonsense that she’s spouting for us?
She’s giving me a headache with her blether.
2575
It’s like a hundred thousand idiots in chorus
All gibbering and chattering together.
MEPHISTO. Enough, most excellent of Sibyls, stop!
Just bring your potion over here, and please
Be sure to fill the bowl right to the top.
2580
The stuff won’t hurt him, let him drink his fill,
For he’s a man with several degrees—
He’s drunk a lot before and not been ill.
THE WITCH with much ceremonial pours the liquid into a bowl; as FAUST sets it to his lips, a gentle flame rises from it.
MEPHISTO. Down with it, quickly! Come on, drink the brew,
And that will make your heart feel young again.
2585
If you rub shoulders with the Devil, then
A little bit of fire shouldn’t worry you.
THE WITCH breaks the circle. FAUST steps out of it.
MEPHISTO. You must keep moving now, so off we go!
WITCH. I hope my little mouthful puts you right!
MEPHISTO. [to the Witch] I owe you one for this; just let me know—
2590
I’ll see you at the next Walpurgis Night.
WITCH. Here’s a song for you; you sing it twice a day—
It heightens the effect enormously, they say.
MEPHISTO. [to Faust] Come on now, quickly, you must move about;
You’ve got to sweat the potion out
2595
So it works through your system all the way.
Then you’ll be able to appreciate your leisure,
And all the more intensely feel the pleasure
When Cupid stirs you up and lights your fire.
FAUST. Let me look in that mirror just once more!
2600
That lovely woman’s all that I desire.
MEPHISTO. No, leave that phantom, and I promise you’ll enjoy
A real woman as you never have before.
[aside] A drop of that stuff in your guts, my boy,
And every woman looks like Helen of Troy.
A STREET
FAUST. MARGARETA walks by.
2605
FAUST. Fair lady, you are all alone;
May I take your arm and see you home?
MARGARETA. I’m not a lady, nor am I fair,
And I can find my own way there.
[she pulls herself away and goes
FAUST. That girl is just so lovely, she
2610
Has really captivated me.
Demure and virtuous, you can tell—
But with an impish look as well.
And such red lips and cheeks so bright,
How could you ever forget that sight!
2615
The bashful look she had just now,
It touched my heart, I can’t say how.
She sent me packing, and quite right—
But that’s what gave me such delight!
MEPHISTOPHELES enters
FAUST. I’ve got to have that girl, d’you hear?
MEPHISTO. Which one?
2620
FAUST. The one that just went by.
MEPHISTO. But she came straight from church! I fear
The priest just gave her the all clear.
I listened to them on the sly;
She’s just too innocent, I guess—
2625
She had nothing whatever to confess.
I can’t touch her, she’s far too pure.
FAUST. But she’s over fourteen, that’s for sure.
MEPHISTO. My, what a lecher we’ve become!
He thinks he can pick them one by one.
2630
His head’s so turned by his conceit
He thinks they’ll all fall at his feet.
It’s not as simple as all that.
FAUST. Yes, you can preach and you can scoff,
But spare me all that moral chat,
2635
And just you listen carefully:
If you can’t get that girl for me,
And by tonight, I tell you, we
Are finished, and the deal is off.
MEPHISTO. Be reasonable, you randy beast.
2640
I’ll need a good two weeks at least
To sniff around and see what’s what.
FAUST. I don’t need you to show the way;
I wouldn’t take more than a day
To bed a little girl like that.
2645
MEPHISTO. You’re getting a bit French, my friend!
Why are you so impatient, though?
You mustn’t rush these things, you know—
You’ll get your pleasure in the end.
Take time to talk her round to it,
2650
Impress her, flatter her a bit.
Soften her up with little advances—
That’s how Italians get their chances.
FAUST. I can do without all that.
MEPHISTO. But seriously, I tell you flat,
2655
You can’t just have that girl today;
You’ve got to plan, prepare the way.
You’ll never get in there by force—
We’ll think of a more subtle course.
FAUST. Get me something of hers to keep,
2660
Show me where she lies asleep,
Get me a scarf that’s touched her breast,
A garter, anything she’s possessed!
MEPHISTO. Well, I’ll do everything I can
To help you on your lovesick way.
2665
We’ll not waste time; I have a plan
To take you to her room today.
FAUST. And shall I see her? Have her?
MEPHISTO. No.
Tonight she’s at a neighbour’s, so
For a few minutes you can go
2670
And breathe the atmosphere at leisure,
And dream about your future pleasure.
FAUST. Can we go now?
MEPHISTO. No, I’ll say when.
[exit
FAUST. Get me a present for her, then.
MEPHISTO. A present, already? Good! That’s what I like to see!
2675
I know a place where there might be
Some buried treasure to be found.
[exit
I’ll go and take a look around.
EVENING
A small, tidy room
MARGARETA. [plaiting and tying up her hair]
I wonder who that man could be
Who stopped today and spoke to me.
2680
A handsome gentleman he was,
A nobleman, I’m sure, because
[exit
And he was very forward, too.
Enter MEPHISTOPHELES and FAUST
MEPHISTO. You can come in now, the coast is clear.
2685
FAUST. [after a pause] Just leave me for a moment here.
MEPHISTO. [prying around]
[exit
Tidier than most girls are, it would appear.
FAUST. [gazing around him] The gentle light of evening falls
Into this sanctuary. Within these walls
Love’s pangs clutch at your heart, but you
2690
Must still your cravings with hope’s meagre dew.
This peaceful homestead seems to breathe
A sense of order and content.
Such poverty is wealth indeed,
And there is bliss in such imprisonment!
He throws himself into the leather chair by the bed.
2695
How many generations has this seat
Borne through all the years of joy and care!
Her forebears sat upon this very chair,
A throng of children playing at their feet.
Perhaps my love, when Christmastime was near,
2700
With pious thanks and childish cheeks so sweet
Would kiss the feeble hand that rested here.
Dear child, I sense your presence all around me,
Integrity and order everywhere.
The traces of your daily tasks surround me;
2705
The table that you set with loving care,
The sand you scattered on the flagstones there.
One touch of your dear hand, and in a trice
This humble dwelling is a paradise.
And here! [he raises the curtain round the bed]
Ah, what a shiver of delight!
2710
Here I could sit for hours and dwell
On dreaming nature’s magic spell
That fashioned that angelic sight.
As she lay here, the glowing surge
Of life pulsed in her gentle breast,
2715
And here a pure creative urge
God’s image on the child impressed.
And you! What brought you to her door?
What do you want? Why is your heart so sore?
What feelings hold you in their sway?
2720
Ah Faust, poor fool, I fear you’ve lost your way.
Is there some magic spell around me?
I lusted for her, and I find
A dream of love comes to confound me.
Are we the playthings of a breath of wind?
2725
And what if she should come while you are here?
You’d answer for your recklessness, and all
Your bold bravado would just disappear—
Abject and sighing at her feet you’d fall.
MEPHISTO. Quickly! She just came through the gate.
2730
FAUST. I’ll never come back here again. Let’s go!
MEPHISTO. Here is a box of jewels—just feel its weight;
I got it from—well, from a place I know.
Put it in this cupboard here; I swear
She’ll fall into a faint, your little dove.
2735
The finery I put in there
Was meant to win another woman’s love—
But then, they’re all just kids at heart.
FAUST. I don’t know if I should.
MEPHISTO. Oh please, don’t start!
D’you want to keep it for yourself? Then,
2740
Lecherous Sir, I beg of you,
Think what you really want to do,
And please don’t waste my time again.
I hope you’re not a miser, too!
I rack my brains and toil away—
[he puts the casket in the cupboard and locks it up again]
2745
Now, come with me!
So you can have your wicked way
With that sweet child, and all I see
Is the sort of miserable expression
You wear before you give a lesson,
2750
As if physics and metaphysics too
Were standing there in front of you.
[exeunt
Come on!
MARGARETA with a lamp
[she opens the window
It feels so close and stuffy here,
And yet outside it’s not so warm.
2755
I don’t know why, I feel so queer—
I wish my mother were at home.
You silly girl, you’re shivering—
You really are a timid thing!
[she sings as she undresses]
There was a king in Thule, he
2760
Was faithful to the grave.
To him his dying lady
A golden goblet gave.
He would drink from no other,
It was his dearest prize;
2765
Remembering his lover
The tears would fill his eyes.
And on his death-bed lying,
To his beloved son
He left his lands, but dying
2770
He gave the cup to none.
And many a faithful vassal
And knight sat by his knee
In his ancestral castle
Beside the northern sea.
2775
One last time he drank up then,
His cheeks with wine aglow,
And hurled the sacred cup then
Into the waves below.
He watched it falling, sinking
2780
Beneath the ocean deep;
Then he had done with drinking—
His eyes were closed in sleep.
She opens the cupboard to put her clothes away, and sees the casket.
Whoever put that casket there?
I locked the cupboard up, I swear.
2785
That’s very strange! What can it be?
Perhaps it was left as surety,
And mother lent some money for it.
And here’s a ribbon with a key—
Well, really, I can’t just ignore it.
2790
But what is this? Ah, glory be!
I’ve never seen such jewels before.
All this expensive finery
Was made for some great lady, that’s for sure.
I wonder how they’d look on me?
2795
But who can it belong to, though?
She tries on some jewels and stands in front of the mirror.
I’d love to have these earrings—oh,
What a different girl you are!
But youth and beauty, what’s it worth?
It’s not your fortune on this earth;
2800
It doesn’t get you very far.
They flatter you and call you pretty,
But it’s gold they crave,
For gold they slave—
And poverty they pity!
AN AVENUE
FAUST pacing up and down, deep in thought, then MEPHISTOPHELES
2805
MEPHISTO. By all frustrated love! By all hell’s fires, and worse!
I wish I knew more dreadful things by which to curse!
FAUST. What is it now? What’s biting you today?
I never saw a face as black as yours.
MEPHISTO. I’d go to the Devil right away—
2810
That is, if I weren’t one myself, of course.
FAUST. Has something happened to disturb your mind?
This snarling and spitting suits you well, I find.
MEPHISTO. That box of jewels I got for Margaret—
A bloody priest has snaffled it!
2815
Her mother found the jewels last night—
They gave her quite a nasty fright;
That woman smells brimstone a mile away,
She’s forever kneeling down to pray.
She only needs to sniff a chair
2820
To tell the Devil’s been sitting there.
As for our jewels, well, that’s clear—
She knows there’s something fishy here.
‘Gretchen’, she says, ‘ill-gotten gold
Corrupts the heart, ensnares the soul.
2825
The Blessed Virgin must have this hoard,
And manna from heaven be our reward.’
Poor little Gretchen nearly weeps—
She thought her gift horse was for keeps,
And whoever put it in her drawer
2830
Can’t be all that bad, for sure.
Her mother summons up the priest;
He’d hardly heard her out, the beast,
When he began his peroration:
‘A Christian act! For there’s no question
2835
That victory lies in abnegation.
The Church has an excellent digestion;
It’s gobbled up countries by the score,
But still has room for a little more.
Only the Holy Church, dear ladies,
2840
Can properly digest the Devil’s wages.’
FAUST. That’s the way it is, it’s true—
But Jews and kings can do it too.
MEPHISTO. He raked those rings and bangles in
As if they were just bits of tin;
2845
He packed them up and took them away
As if this happened every day.
‘Heaven will surely reward you,’ he sighed—
And they, of course, were greatly edified.
FAUST. And Gretchen?
MEPHISTO. She’s unhappy, too;
2850
Doesn’t know what she ought to do.
Thinks of her jewels night and day—
But even more, who put them in her way.
FAUST. The darling girl! It’s such a shame.
Well, go and get more of the same;
2855
The first ones weren’t much, anyway.
MEPHISTO. Oh yes, to you it’s just child’s play!
FAUST. Now listen, do exactly what I say:
Get to know her neighbour, act the pimp—
I never knew the Devil was such a wimp.
2860
And get more jewels—do it now, today!
MEPHISTO. Your slightest wish is my command, my lord.
[exit Faust
That lovesick fool’s completely lost his wits;
Just in case his girlfriend might get bored,
He’d blow the sun, the moon and all the stars to bits.
[exit