gentlemen appear With devils here united.
Worldling
By pious people, it is true, No
medium is rejected; Conventicles, and not a
few, On Blocksberg are erected.
Dancer
Another
chorus now succeeds, Far off the drums are
beating. Be still! The
bitterns 'mong the reeds Their one note are repeating.
Dancing Master
Each twirls about and never stops, And as he can he fareth. The crooked
leaps, the
clumsy hops, Nor for appearance careth.
Fiddler
To take each other's life, I trow, Would
cordially delight them! As Orpheus'
lyre the beasts, so now The bagpipe doth unite them.
Dogmatist
My views, in spite of doubt and sneer, I hold with stout persistence, Inferring
from the devils here, The evil one's existence.
Idealist
My every sense rules Phantasy With sway quite too
potential; Sure I'm
demented if the I Alone is the essential.
Realist
This entity's a
dreadful bore, And cannot choose but vex me; The ground
beneath me ne'er before Thus totter'd to
perplex me.
Supernaturalist
Well pleased assembled here I view Of spirits this profusion; From devils,
touching angels too, I gather some conclusion.
Sceptic
The ignis fatuus they track out, And think they're near the treasure. Devil
alliterates with doubt, Here I abide with pleasure.
Leader of the Band
Frog and
cricket in the mosses, Confound your gasconading! Nose of fly and
gnat's proboscis; Most tuneful serenading!
The Knowing Ones
Sans - souci, so this host we greet, Their jovial
humour showing; There's now
no walking on our feet, So on our heads we're going.
The Awkward Ones
In seasons past we snatch'd, 'tis true, Some tit - bits by our
cunning; Our
shoes, alas, are now danced through, On our bare soles we're running.
Will - o' - the - Wisps
From marshy bogs we
sprang to light, Yet here behold us dancing; The gayest
gallants of the night, In glitt'ring rows advancing.
Shooting Star
With rapid
motion from on high, I shot in
starry splendour; Now
prostrate on
the grass I lie; Who aid will kindly render?
The Massive Ones
Room! wheel round! They're coming lo! Down sink the bending grasses.
Though spirits, yet their limbs, we know, Are huge
substantial masses.
Puck
Don't stamp so heavily, I pray; Like elephants you're treading! And 'mong the
elves be Puck to - day, The stoutest at the wedding!
Ariel
If nature boon, or subtle
sprite, Endow your soul with pinions; Then follow to
yon rosy
height, Through ether's calm dominions!
Orchestra (pianissimo)
Drifting cloud and misty wreathes Are fill'd with light elysian; O'er reed and
leaf the zephyr breathes So fades the fairy vision!
A Gloomy Day. A Plain
Faust and Mephistopheles
Faust
In
misery! despairing! long wandering pitifully on the face of the earth and
now imprisoned! This gentle
hapless creature, immured in the
dungeon as a
malefactor and reserved for
horrid tortures! That it should come to this! To
this! - Perfidious,
worthless spirit, and this thou hast concealed from me!
Stand! ay, stand! roll in
malicious rage thy fiendish eyes! Stand and brave me
with thine insupportable presence! Imprisoned! In
hopelessmisery! Delivered
over to the power of evil spirits and the judgment of unpitying humanity! And
me, the while, thou wert lulling with tasteless dissipations, concealing from me
her growing
anguish, and leaving her to
perish without help!
Mephistopheles
She is not the first.
Faust
Hound! Execrable monster! - Back with him, oh thou
infinite spirit! back with
the
reptile into his dog's shape, in which it was his wont to
scamper before me
at eventide, to roll before the feet of the
harmlesswanderer, and to
fasten on
his shoulders when he fell! Change him again into his favourite shape, that he
may
crouch on his belly before me in the dust,
whilst I spurn him with my foot,
the reprobate! - Not the first! - Woe! Woe! By no human soul is it
conceivable, that more than one human creature has ever sunk into a depth of
wretchedness like this, or that the first in her writhing death agony should not
have atoned in the sight of all - pardoning Heaven for the guilt of all the rest!
The
misery of this one pierces me to the very
marrow, and harrows up my
soul; thou art grinning
calmly over the doom of thousands!
Mephistopheles
Now we are once again at our wit's end, just where the reason of you mortals
snaps! Why dost thou seek our
fellowship, if thou canst not go through with
it? Wilt fly, and art not proof against dizziness? Did we force ourselves on
thee, or thou on us?
Faust
Cease thus to gnash thy ravenous fangs at me! I
loathe thee! - Great and
glorious spirit, thou who didst
vouchsafe to reveal thyself unto me, thou who
dost know my very heart and soul, why hast thou linked me with this base
associate, who feeds on
mischief and revels in destruction?
Mephistopheles
Hast done?
Faust
Save her! - or woe to thee! The direst of curses on thee for thousands of
years!
Mephistopheles
I cannot loose the bands of the avenger, nor
withdraw his bolts. - Save her! -
Who was it plunged her into perdition? I or thou?
(Faust looks wildly around.)
Mephistopheles
Would'st grasp the
thunder? Well for you, poor mortals, that 'tis not yours to
wield! To smite to atoms the being however
innocent, who obstructs his path,
such is the tyrant's fashion of relieving himself in difficulties!
Faust
Convey me
thither! She shall be free!
Mephistopheles
And the danger to which thou dost
expose thyself? Know, the guilt of blood,
shed by thy hand, lies yet upon the town. Over the place where fell the
murdered one, avenging spirits hover and watch for the returning murderer.
Faust
This too from thee? The death and
downfall of a world be on thee, monster!
Conduct me
thither, I say, and set her free!
Mephistopheles
I will conduct thee. And what I can do, - hear! Have I all power in heaven
and upon earth! I'll cloud the senses of the warder, - do thou possess thyself
of the keys and lead her forth with human hand! I will keep watch! The magic
steeds are
waiting, I bear thee off. Thus much is in my power.
Faust
Up and away!
Night. Open Country
Faust. Mephistopheles
(Rushing along on black horses)
Faust
What weave they yonder round the Ravenstone?
Mephistopheles
I know not what they shape and brew.
Faust
They're soaring, swooping, bending, stooping.
Mephistopheles
A witche's pack.
Faust
They charm, they strew.
Mephistopheles
On! On!
Dungeon
Faust
(with a bunch of keys and a lamp before a small iron door)
A fear unwonted o'er my spirit falls; Man's concentrated woe o'erwhelms me
here! She dwells immur'd within these dripping walls; Her only
trespass a
delusion dear! Thou lingerest at the fatal door, Thou dread'st to see her face
once more? On! While thou dalliest, draws her death - hour near.
(He seizes the lock. Singing within.)
My mother, the harlot, She took me and slew! My father, the
scoundrel, Hath
eaten me too! My sweet little sister Hath all my bones laid, Where soft
breezes
whisper All in the cool shade!
Then became I a wood - bird, and sang on the spray, Fly away! little bird, fly
away! fly away!
Faust (opening the lock)
Ah! she forebodes not that her lover's near, The clanking chains, the rustling
straw, to hear.
(He enters.)
Dungeon Scene: Dungeon scene with Mephistopheles, Faust, and Margaret.
Lithograph by Eugene Delacroix.]
Margaret
(hiding her face in the bed of straw)
Woe! woe! they come! on bitter 'tis to die!
Faust (softly)
Hush! hush! be still! I come to set thee free!
Margaret
(throwing herself at his feet)
If thou art human, feel my
misery!
Faust
Thou wilt awake the jailor with thy cry!
(He grasps the chains to
unlock them.)
Margaret (on her knees)
Who, headsman, unto thee this power O'er me could give? Thou com'st for
me at
midnight - hour. Be
merciful, and let me live! Is morrow's dawn not time
enough? (She stands up.)
I'm still so young, so young And must so early die! Fair was I too, and that
was my undoing. My love is now afar, he then was nigh; Torn lies the garland,
the fair blossoms strew'd. Nay, seize me not with hand so rude! Spare me!
What harm have I e'er done to thee? Oh let me not in vain implore! I ne'er
have seen thee in my life before!
Faust
Can I
endure this bitter agony?
Margaret
I now am at thy mercy quite. Let me my babe but suckle once again! I
fondled it the live - long night; They took it from me but to give me pain, And
now, they say that I my child have slain. Gladness I ne'er again shall know.
Then they sing songs about me, - 'tis
wicked of the
throng An ancient ballad
endeth so; Who bade them thus apply the song?
Faust
(throwing himself on the ground)
A lover at thy feet bends low, To loose the bonds of wretchedness and woe.
Margaret
(throws herself beside him)
Oh, let us kneel and move the saints by prayer! Look! look! yon stairs below,
Under the
threshold there, Hell's flames are all aglow! Beneath the floor, With
hideous noise, The devils roar!
Faust (aloud)
Gretchen! Gretchen!
Margaret (listening)
That was my lov'd one's voice!
(She springs up, the chains fall off.)
Where is he? I heard him
calling me. Free am I! There's none shall
hinder me.
To his neck will I fly, On his bosom will lie! Gretchen, he called! - On yon
threshold he stood; Amidst all the howling of hell's fiery flood, The scoff and
the scorn of its
devilish crew, The tones of his voice, sweet and
loving, I
knew.
Faust