them often beyond his ken; Will the dog snarl at them like men?
But ah! Despite my will, it stands confessed, Contentment welleth up no

longer in my breast. Yet wherefore must the stream, alas, so soon be dry,
That we once more athirst should lie? Full oft this sad experience hath been

mine; Nathless the want admits of compensation; For things above the earth
we learn to pine, Our spirits yearn for revelation, Which nowhere burns with

purer beauty blent, Than here in the New Testament. To ope the ancient text
an impulse strong Impels me, and its sacred lore, With honest purpose to

explore, And render into my love German tongue.
(He opens a volume, and applies himself to it.)

'Tis writ, "In the beginning was the Word!" I pause, perplex'd! Who now will
help afford? I cannot the mere Word so highly prize; I must translate it

otherwise, If by the spirit guided as I read. "In the beginning was the Sense!"
Take heed, The import of this primal sentence weigh, Lest thy too hasty pen

be led astray! Is force creative then of Sense the dower? "In the beginning
was the Power!" Thus should it stand: yet, while the line I trace, A something

warns me, once more to efface. The spirit aids! from anxious scruples freed, I
write, "In the beginning was the Deed!"

Am I with thee my room to share, Poodle, thy barking now forbear, Forbear
thy howling! Comrade so noisy, ever growling, I cannot suffer here to dwell.

One or the other, mark me well, Forthwith must leave the cell. I'm loath the
guest - right to withhold; The door's ajar, the passage clear; But what must

now mine eyes behold! Are nature's laws suspended here? Real is it, or a
phantom show? In length and breadth how doth my poodle grow! He lifts

himself with threat'ning mien, In likeness of a dog no longer seen! What
spectre have I harbour'd thus! Huge as a hippopotamus, With fiery eye,

terrific tooth! Ah! now I know thee, sure enough! For such a base, half -
hellish brood, The key of Solomon is good.

Spirits (without)
Captur'd there within is one! Stay without and follow none! Like a fox in iron

snare, Hell's old lynx is quaking there,
But take heed! Hover round, above, below,

To and fro, Then from durance is he freed! Can ye aid him, spirits all, Leave
him not in mortal thrall! Many a time and oft hath he Served us, when at

liberty.
Faust

The monster to confront, at first, The spell of Four must be rehears'd;
Salamander shall kindle, Writhe nymph of the wave, In air sylph shall dwindle,

And Kobold shall slave.
Who doth ignore The primal Four, Nor knows aright Their use and might,

O'er spirits will he Ne'er master be!
Vanish in the fiery glow, Salamander! Rushingly together flow. Undine!

Shimmer in the meteor's gleam, Sylphide! Hither bring thine homely aid,
Incubus! Incubus! Step forth! I do adjure thee thus! None of the Four Lurks

in the beast: He grins at me, untroubled as before; I have not hurt him in the
least. A spell of fear Thou now shalt hear. Art thou, comrade fell, Fugitive

from Hell? See then this sign, Before which incline The murky troops of Hell!
With bristling hair now doth the creature swell.

Canst thou, reprobate, Read the uncreate, Unspeakable, diffused Throughout
the heavenlysphere, Shamefully abused, Transpierced with nail and spear!

Behind the stove, tam'd by my spells, Like an elephant he swells; Wholly now
he fills the room, He into mist will melt away. Ascend not to the ceiling!

Come, Thyself at the master's feet now lay! Thou seest that mine is no idle
threat. With holy fire I will scorch thee yet! Wait not the might That lies in the

triple - glowing light! Wait not the might Of all my arts in fullest measure!
Mephistopheles

(As the mist sinks, comes forward from behind the stove, in the dress of a
travelling scholar) Why all this uproar? What's the master's pleasure?

Faust
This then the kernel of the brute! A traveling scholar? Why I needs must

smile.
Mephistopheles

Your learnedreverencehumbly I salute! You've made me swelter in a pretty
style.

Faust
Thy name?

Mephistopheles
The question trifling seems from one, Who it appears the Word doth rate so

low; Who, undeluded by mere outward show, To Being's depths would
penetrate alone.

Faust
With gentlemen like you indeed The inwardessence from the name we read,

As all too plainly it doth appear, When Beelzebub, Destroyer, Liar, meets the
ear. Who then art thou?

Mephistopheles
Part of that power which still Produceth good, whilst ever scheming ill.

Faust
What hiddenmystery in this riddle lies?

Mephistopheles
The spirit I, which evermore denies! And justly; for whate'er to light is brought

Deserves again to be reduced to naught; Then better 'twere that naught should
be. Thus all the elements which ye Destruction, Sin, or briefly, Evil, name, As

my peculiar element I claim.
Faust

Thou nam'st thyself a part, and yet a whole I see.
Mephistopheles

The modest truth I speak to thee. Though folly's microcosm, man, it seems,
Himself to be a perfect whole esteems: Part of the part am I, which at the first

was all, A part of darkness, which gave birth to light, Proud light, who now
his mother would enthrall, Contesting space and ancient rank with night. Yet

he succeedeth not, for struggle as he will, To forms material he adhereth still;
From them he streameth, them he maketh fair, And still the progress of his

beams they check; And so, I trust, when comes the final wreck, Light will, ere
long, the doom of matter share.

Faust
Thy worthy avocation now I guess! Wholesale annihilation won't prevail, So

thou'rt beginning on a smaller scale.
Mephistopheles

And, to say truth, as yet with small success. Oppos'd to naught, this clumsy
world, The something - it subsisteth still; Not yet is it to ruin hurl'd, Despite

the efforts of my will. Tempests and earthquakes, fire and flood, I've tried;
Yet land and ocean still unchang'd abide! And then of humankind and beasts,

the accursed brood, Neither o'er them can I extend my sway. What countless
myriads have I swept away! Yet ever circulates the fresh young blood. It is

enough to drive me to despair! As in the earth, in water, and in air, A
thousand germs burst forth spontaneously; In moisture, drought, heat, cold,

they still appear! Had I not flame selected as my sphere Nothing apart had
been reversed for me.

Faust
So thou with thy cold devil's fist Still clench'd in malice impotent Dost the

creative power resist, The active, the beneficent! Henceforth some other task
essay, Of Chaos thou the wondrous son!

Mephistopheles
We will consider what you say, And talk about it more anon! For this time

have I leave to go?
Faust

Why thou shouldst ask, I cannot see. Since thee I now have learned to know,
At thy good pleasure, visit me. Here is the window, here the door, The

chimney, too, may serve thy need.
Mephistopheles

I must confess, my stepping o'er Thy threshold a slight hindrance doth
impede; The wizard - foot doth me retain.

Faust
The pentagram thy peace doth mar? To me, thou son of hell, explain, How

camest thou in, if this thine exit bar? Could such a spirit aught ensnare?
Mephistopheles

Observe it well, it is not drawn with care, One of the angles, that which points
without, Is, as thou seest, not quite closed.

Faust
Chance hath the matter happily dispos'd! So thou my captive art? No doubt!

By accident thou thus art caught!
Mephistopheles

In sprang the dog, indeed, observing naught; Things now assume another
shape, The devil's in the house and can't escape.

Faust
Why through the window not withdraw?

Mephistopheles
For ghosts and for the devil 'tis a law. Where they stole in, there they must