Dancer. Is this another company, With trumpets sounding-banners glittering ? No; 'tis the boreal lights I see; From marshes hear the booming bittern. Dancing-master. Devils-how they fling and jump- How they caper, cut, and shuffle! Fiddler. Hatred in every heart! the tone Of Orpheus' lyre, with charm celestial, Soothed brutes; to-night the bagpipe's drone Tames into peace the blind and bestial ! Dogmatist. Well, I'll maintain it-spite of sneer, I see a thousand devils here, Idealist. Imagination's power to-night Realist. Reality is torturing me; I'm wearied with this scene of wonder; Supernaturalist. Here, for my system, as I rove, Sceptic. Misled they follow fairy rays, That promise gold with gay delusion: And both increase to-night's confusion. Leader of the Band. Grasshopper among the bushes, Brown frog croaking from the rushes, Shrewd Fellows. Call us Sans-souci—for you know If on his feet he cannot go, Walks on his head, nor fears a toss over. Awkward Clumsy Creatures. Oh once, Heaven help us! we could dance; How pompously we then did swagger! 720 Will-o'-the-Wisps. From the sink and slough we come, Shine there sparks more gay or brighter? Falling Star. Rapidly I shot from high, With none to help me, none to carry. Heavy Bodies. Places-places-round go we— Spirits have substantial bodies. Puck. Like awkward elephants they thump 5700 The ground with clumsy hoofs and heavy, Ariel. If wings be yours-boon Nature's gift- Then follow Ariel-follow swift Your guide to yonder hill of roses. Orchestra [pianissimo]. Daylight !-the cloud-built stage -the wreaths Of vapour, where are they? On reed and rush the free air breathes, And sweeps the dream away. XXH GLOOMY DAY A PLAIN FAUST. MEPHISTOPHELES Faust. In misery-in despair-long wandering in wretchedness over the wide world; and now taken up-shut up in the prison as a malefactor—this gentle, unhappy creature -for horrid tortures. To this-and has it come to this? Treacherous, worthless Spirit! and this hast thou been concealing from me! Stand, there, stand ! Ay! roll the devil eyes furiously round in thy head-ay! stand and defy me with thy unsupportable presence. Taken upin distress irretrievable-given over to evil spirits-abandoned to-man-man that passes judgment, and is devoid of feeling; and all this, while you have been lulling and rocking me and deluding me among loathsome dissipations, and hiding from me her continually increasing wretchedness, and have left her to perish without help! Meph. She is not the first! Faust. Dog! abhorred monster! turn him, oh, thou infinite Spirit, turn the reptile again into his dog's shape, in which it was often his pleasure to scamper before me by night, to roll before the feet of the unthinking passerby, and as he fell to fasten on his shoulders. Turn him again into his darling shape, that he may crouch upon his belly before me in the sand, and that I may trample upon him with my foot-the outcast! Not the first! Misery -misery-by no human soul is it to be fathomed how more than one creature should have sunk into the depths of this distress-that the first should not have suffered enough in her agonising tortures to secure the atonement of all the rest before the eyes of the All-merciful! I feel marrow and life harrowed up by the misery of this one— only this one! thou art grinning calmly over the fate of thousands ! Meph. At our wits' end we are again, it would seem, already-just where you mortals find the overstrained faculties snap. Why seek our society, if you cannot go through with it? Think of flying, and yet art not proof against dizziness! Did we force ourselves upon thee? or thou thyself upon us? Faust. Show not thy thirsty teeth thus defyingly-I loathe thee. Great, glorious Spirit! thou who didst deign to appear to me, thou who knowest my very heart and soul; why hast thou chained me with this companion who feeds on mischief, and battens on destruction? Meph. Are you done? Faust. Save her, or woe to thee! the most horrible curse on thee for thousands of years. Meph. I cannot loosen the avenger's fetters-I cannot open his bolts. Save her! Who was it that threw her into ruin-I or thou? [FAUST looks wildly around Art thou grasping for the thunder? Well that it has 5 not been given to you wretched mortals! To dash to pieces one who stands in your way-however innocent— that is just the tyrant's way of rescuing himself in every perplexity. Faust. Take me thither-she shall be free! Meph. The danger to which you expose yourself-have you thought of that? The guilt of blood shed by your hand still lies on the town. Over the place where the murder was committed avenging spirits are hovering and watching for the returning murderer. Faust. That, too, and from thee? Murder and death of a world upon thee, monster ! Take me thither, I say, and set her at liberty. Meph. I will,—and all I can do I will. What that all is, listen till I tell you. Have I all power in heaven and on earth? I will cloud the gaoler's senses. Do you possess yourself of the keys, and carry her off with human hand. Meanwhile I watch; the magic horses are ready, and I take you away. This much I can do. Faust. Up and away! XXIV NIGHT OPEN PLAIN FAUST and MEPHISTOPHELES rushing along on Black Horses Faust. What are the figures near the gibbet doing? Weaving, 'twould seem! Meph. No-rather boiling, brewing Some filthy broth-mumbling some incantation. Faust. East they move, and west they move-now kneel, now bend down in prostration. Meph. Witches worshipping their master. Faust. They scatter something on the earth, and now seem pouring a libation They sprinkle something in the air. Meph. Forward! forward-faster! faster! 33% XXV DUNGEON Faust [with a bunch of keys and a lamp, before an iron wicket]. 'Tis many a day since I have trembled thus. Misery on misery heaped-a heavy burden, More than man can endure, has weighed me down. And is to die because she was deluded To die for that her brain was wild and frenzied. And thou dost hesitate to go to her! Dost fear to look upon that face again! |