MEPHISTOPHELES. The question is absurd,
Surely, in one who seeks to know
The inmost essence, not the outward show,
And has such deep contempt for the mere word. 1330
FAUST. Ah, with such gentlemen as you
The name often conveys the essence too,
Clearly enough; we say Lord of the Flies*
Destroyer, Liar—each most fittingly applies.
Well then, who are you?
MEPHISTOPHELES. Part of that Power which would
Do evil constantly, and constantly does good.
FAUST. This riddle has, no doubt, some explanation.
MEPHISTOPHELES. I am the spirit of perpetual negation;
And rightly so, for all things that exist
Deserve to perish, and would not be missed— 1340
Much better it would be if nothing were
Brought into being. Thus, what you men call
Destruction, sin, evil in short, is all
My sphere, the element I most prefer.
FAUST. You seem complete and whole, yet say you are a part?
MEPHISTOPHELES. I speak the modest truth, I use no art.
Let foolish little human souls
Delude themselves that they are wholes.
I am part of that part which once, when all began,
Was all there was; part of the Darkness before man 1350
Whence light was born, proud light, which now makes futile war
To wrest from Night, its mother, what before
Was hers, her ancient place and space. For light depends
On the corporeal worlds—matter that sends
Visible light out, stops light in its stride
And by reflected light is beautified.
So, light will not last long, I fear;
Matter shall be destroyed, and light shall disappear.
FAUST. Well! now I know your high vocation:
Failing that grand annihilation 1360
You try it on a smaller scale.
MEPHISTOPHELES. And frankly, I must own, here too I fail.
The Something, this coarse world, this mess,
Stands in the way of Nothingness,
And despite all I’ve undertaken,
This solid lump cannot be shaken—
Storms, earthquakes, fire and flood assail the land
And sea, yet firmly as before they stand!
And as for that damned stuff, the brood of beasts and men,
That too is indestructible, I’ve found; 1370
I’ve buried millions—they’re no sooner underground
Than new fresh blood will circulate again.
So it goes on; it drives me mad. The earth,
The air, the water, all give birth:
It germinates a thousandfold,
In dry or wet, in hot or cold!
Fire is still mine, that element alone—
Without it, I could call no place my own.
FAUST. And so the ever-stirring, wholesome energy
Of life is your arch-enemy; 1380
So in cold rage you raise in vain
Your clenched satanic fist. Why, you
Strange son of chaos! think again,
And look for something else to do!
MEPHISTOPHELES. On such a point there’s much to say;
We’ll talk again another day.
This time I’ll take my leave—if, by your leave, I may.
FAUST. Why not? We are acquainted now,
And you are welcome to come back
And visit me some time, somehow. 1390
Here is the window, there’s the door;
I even have a chimney-stack.
MEPHISTOPHELES. I must confess that on the floor,
Across your threshold, you have put
A certain obstacle—a witch’s foot—*
FAUST. You mean, that pentagram I drew
Hinders a gentleman from hell?
Then how did you get in? Well, well!
How did I fool a sprite like you?
MEPHISTOPHELES. It’s not well drawn; look closely, sir! 1400
One of the outside angles—there,
You see? the lines do not quite meet.
FAUST. How curious! how very neat!
And so you are my prisoner.
A lucky chance, I do declare!
MEPHISTOPHELES, The poodle skipped in without noticing,
But now it’s quite another thing:
The Devil can’t skip out again.
FAUST. Why don’t you use the window, then?
MEPHISTOPHELES. Devils and spirits have a law, as you 1410
may know:
They must use the same route to come and go.
We enter as we please; leaving, we have no choice.
FAUST. So even hell has laws? Good; in that case
One might conclude a pact with you
Gentlemen, and a guaranteed one too?
MEPHISTOPHELES. Whatever is promised, you shall have your due,
There’ll be no quibbling, no tergiversation.
But that all needs mature consideration;
We shall discuss it by and by.
Meanwhile I must most earnestly 1420
Repeat my plea to be released.
FAUST. Come, stay a little while at least,
To edify me with your conversation.
MEPHISTOPHELES. Excuse me now: I soon will reappear
And tell you anything you wish to hear.
FAUST. I did not pursue you, you know;
You put your own head in the noose.
Don’t catch the Devil and let go,
They say—it’s harder when he’s on the loose.
MEPHISTOPHELES. Very well, if you wish, I will remain 1430
And help you while the time away;
But I insist you let me entertain
You with my arts in a befitting way.
FAUST. Certainly, you are welcome to do so;
But you must make it an amusing show.
MEPHISTOPHELES. My friend, you shall in this one night,
In this one hour, know greater sensuous delight
Than in a whole monotonous year!
Delicate spirits now will bring
You visions, and will charm your ear 1440
With song; theirs is no empty conjuring.
Your palate also shall be sated,
Your nostrils sweetly stimulated,
Your sense of touch exhilarated.
We are all ready, all are in
Our places—come, at once, begin!
SPIRITS. Vanish, you darkling
Vaults there above us!
Now let the sweeter
Blue of the ether 1450
Gaze in and love us!
Are not the darkling
Clouds disappearing?
Starlight is sparkling,
Suns of a gentler
Brightness appearing.
Children of light dance
Past in their radiance,
Swaying, inclining,
Hovering, shining: 1460
Passionate yearning
Follows them burning.
And their long vesture
Streams out and flutters,
Streams out and covers
Arbour and pasture,
Where lovers ponder
As they surrender
Each to each other.
Arbour and bower, 1470
Full fruit and flower!
Vines shed their burden
Into the winepress
Rich with their ripeness;
Wines foam unending
In streams descending,
Through precious gleaming
Stones they are streaming,
Leaving behind them
Heights that confined them, 1480
Pleasantly winding
Round the surrounding
Hills and their verdure,
To lakes expanding.
Birds drink their pleasure,
Soaring to sunlight,
Flying to far bright
Islands that shimmer,
Trembling, enticing,
Where the waves glimmer, 1490
Where echo answers
Songs of rejoicing
Shouted in chorus,
Where we see dancers
Leaping before us
Out over green fields;
Over the green hills
Some of them climbing,
Some of them over
Lake-waters swimming, 1500
Some of them hover;
All seeking life, each
Seeking a distant star
Where love and beauty are
Far beyond speech.
MEPHISTOPHELES. He sleeps! Well done, my airy cherubim!
How soon your lullaby enchanted him!
This concert puts me in your debt.
Faust, you are not the man to hold the Devil yet!
Go on deluding him with sweet dream-shapes, 1510
Plunge him into a sea where he escapes
Reality. As for this threshold, I know how
To split the spell: I need a rat’s tooth now.
No need to conjure in this place for long!
I hear them scuttling, soon they’ll hear my song.
The master of all rats and mice,
All flies and frogs and bugs and lice,
Commands you to poke forth your snout
And gnaw this floor to let me out!
I’ll smear it for you with some drops 1520
Of oil. Aha! see, out he hops!
Now set to work. The point where I was stuck
Is at the front here. What a piece of luck!
One little bite more and it’s done.—
Now, Faust, until we meet again, dream on!
FAUST [waking]. Have I been twice deluded in one day?
The spirit-orgy vanishes: it seems
I merely saw the Devil in my dreams,
And had a dog that ran away!
7. FAUST’S STUDY (II)* [F.I./FRA/UR
FAUST. A knock? Come in!—Who is this bothering me 1530
Again?
MEPHISTOPHELES. I’m back!
FAUST. Come in!
MEPHISTOPHELES. You must say it three
Times over.
FAUST. Well, come in!
MEPHISTOPHELES [entering]. Well done!
I think we’re going to get on
Together, you and I. To cheer
You up, I’ve come dressed as a cavalier:
In scarlet, with gold trimmings, cloak
Of good stiff silk, and in my hat
The usual cock’s feather; take
A fine long pointed rapier,
And one’s complete. So, my dear sir, 1540
Be ruled by me and do just that:
Wear clothes like mine, strike out, be free,
And learn what the good life can be.
FAUST. The earth’s a prison—one can’t get away
From it, whatever clothes one wears.
I’m still too young to lack desires,
Not young enough now for mere play.
What satisfaction can life hold?
Do without, do without! That old
Command pursues us down the years 1550
Endlessly echoing in our ears—
The same old hoarse repeated song
Heard hour by hour our whole life long!
With each new dawn I wake aghast,
My eyes with bitter tears are filled
To think that when this day has passed
I’ll not have had one single wish fulfilled,
That even my presentiments of joy
Will die of nagging scruples, and life’s mess
Of trivial impediments destroy 1560
My active soul’s creativeness.
When the night falls, I seek my bed
With anxious fears, with many a sigh,
But find no peace: with sights of dread
Wild dreams torment me as I lie.
And though a god lives in my heart,
Though all my powers waken at his word,
Though he can move my every inmost part—
Yet nothing in the outer world is stirred.
Thus by existence tortured and oppressed 1570
I crave for death, I long for rest.
MEPHISTOPHELES. And yet death never is a wholly welcome guest.
FAUST. Happy the man whom glorious death has crowned
With bloodstained victor’s laurels, happy he
Whose sudden sweet surcease is found
In some girl’s arms, after wild revelry!
And I, who saw that mighty Spirit’s power,
Why did I not expire with joy in that same hour!
MEPHISTOPHELES. And yet, in that same night, someone who mixed a brown
Elixir did not drink it down. 1580
FAUST. You seem to like eavesdropping.
MEPHISTOPHELES. I am not
Omniscient, but I know a lot.
FAUST. In that great turmoil and distress
Sweet well-known echoing notes deceived
My ear, old childhood joys relieved
My homesick heart—this I confess.
But now I curse all flattering spells
That tempt our souls with consolation,
All that beguilingly compels
Us to endure earth’s tribulation! 1590
A curse first on the high pretences
Of our own intellectual pride!
A curse on our deluded senses
That keep life’s surface beautified!
A curse upon our dreams of fame,
Of honour and a lasting name!
A curse upon vain property,
On wife and child and husbandry!
A curse on mammon, when his gold
Lures us to rash heroic deeds, 1600
Or when his easeful arms enfold
Us softly, pampering all our needs!
I curse the nectar of the grape,
I curse love’s sweet transcendent call,
My curse on faith! My curse on hope!
My curse on patience above all!
CHORUS OF INVISIBLE SPIRITS. Alas, alas,
You have destroyed
The beautiful world!
At a blow of your clenched fist 1610
It falls, struck down
By a demigod, it disappears.
We carry its fragments, with our tears
We mourn
The beauty that is lost.
Mightiest
Of the sons of earth,
Let it be built anew
More splendidly, let it come to birth 1620
Again, within you:
Begin new
Ways of living,
With your mind clear,
New light receiving,
New music to hear.
MEPHISTOPHELES. My little sprites
Are performing their rites:
Full of wise exhortations
And invitations 1630
To worlds unknown
Of living and doing.
Why sit here alone,
They say, stifling and stewing?
Stop playing with your misery,
That gnaws your vitals like some carrion-bird!
Even the worst human society
Where you feel human, is to be preferred!
I don’t of course propose that we
Should merely mingle with the common herd; 1640
I’m not exactly a grandee,
But if you’d fancy getting through
Your life in partnership with me,
I shall with pleasure, without more ado,
Wholly devote myself to you.
You shall have my company,
And if you are satisfied,
I shall be your servant, always at your side!
FAUST. And what i
s your reward for this to be?
MEPHISTOPHELES. Long years will pass till we need 1650
think of that.
FAUST. No, no! The Devil has his tit-for-tat;
He is an egoist, he’ll not work for free,
Merely to benefit humanity.
State your conditions, make them plain and clear!
Servants like you can cost one dear.
MEPHISTOPHELES. In this world I will bind myself to cater
For all your whims, to serve and wait on you;
When we meet in the next world, some time later,
Wages in the same kind will then fall due.*
FAUST. The next world? Well, that’s no great matter; 1660
Here is a world for you to shatter—
Smash this one first, then let the next be born!
Out of this earth all my contentment springs,
This sun shines on my sufferings;
First wean me from all earthly things—
What happens then’s not my concern.
That’s something I’ve no wish to hear:
Whether there’s hatred still or love
In that remote supernal sphere,
And who’s below and who’s above. 1670
MEPHISTOPHELES. Why, in that case, be bold and dare!
Bind yourself to me, begin life anew:
You soon will see what I can do.
No man has ever known a spectacle so rare.
FAUST. Poor devil! What can you offer to me?
A mind like yours, how can it comprehend
A human spirit’s high activity?
But have you food that leaves one still unsatisfied,
Quicksilver-gold that breaks up in
One’s very hands? Can you provide 1680
A game that I can never win,
Procure a girl whose roving eye
Invites the next man even as I lie
In her embrace? A meteoric fame
That fades as quickly as it came?
Show me the fruit that rots before it’s plucked
And trees that change their foliage every day!
MEPHISTOPHELES. I shall perform as you instruct;
All these delights I can purvey.
But there are times in life, my friend, 1690
When one enjoys mere quiet satisfaction.
FAUST. If ever I lie down in sloth and base inaction,
Then let that moment be my end!
If by your false cajolery
You lull me into self-sufficiency,
If any pleasure you can give
Deludes me, let me cease to live!
I offer you this wager!
MEPHISTOPHELES. Done!
FAUST. And done again!
If ever to the moment I shall say:
Beautiful moment, do not pass away! 1700
Then you may forge your chains to bind me,
Then I will put my life behind me,
Then let them hear my death-knell toll,
Then from your labours you’ll be free,
The clock may stop, the clock-hands fall,
And time come to an end for me!