See on our mimic forest fierce flames play,
And lapping here and there and everywhere,
Up to the raftered roof sharp fire-tongues play. 7450
In smouldering ashes, work of one black night,
Imperial splendour meets the morning light.
Plu. Fear thus far hath had its sway,
Now bring Help into the play.
See the holy staff we bring―
With it smite and smite the ground
Till it tremble, rock, and ring,
And obey the magic sound.
Hush the cool airs from beneath
A delicious fragrance breathe. 7460
Vapours of the valley, rise !
Float and flow into the skies!
Come, ye mists that from the plain
Loaded are with the soft rain;
Cloudy fog-streaks, be ye spread
O'er the fire-waves raging red;
Languid winds, from all sides blow,
Waft the soft dews sailing low,
That in upper air encamping,
Curl the cloudlets drizzling, damping; 7470
Hither come, ye moist ones, playing;
Fleecy folds come darkening, brightening,
Come, with gentle winds allaying
Calm the ire of the false fire
Into peaceful summer lightning,
Or faint sunset's watery glow!
When Spirits threaten is the hour
For Magic to assert its power.
The EMPEROR-His Court-FAUST and MEPHISTOPHELES, dressed becomingly in the usual Court dress of the day: both kneel. LORD HIGH STEWARD, GENERAL, TREASURER, PAGES, FEUDAL LORD, and COURT FOOL
Faust. Sire, pardon you of flames this magic show!
Emperor. Oh! that I often were deluded so! 7480
All of a sudden a new realm I trod,
Seemed of the world of fire the very God;
Coal-rocks, more black than night, for ever fed
Bright flamelets, bursting from that marble bed;
While here and there from seething gulfs would rise
A thousand flames that whirled into the skies,
Where, playing loose in air, they hung aloof,
Flickered and waved, and formed a vaulted roof;
Whence tongues of light, that intermingling crost,
Gave to the eye a dome, now seen, now lost. 7490
Between far fire-shafts, wreathed with curling flame,
Long lines of nations, onward moving, came
Toward me in wide rings streamed the pressing crowd-
My subjects all-and all to me in homage bowed.
And evermore some courtier's well-known face,
'Mong the strange visages that thronged the place,
Would catch my glance, and claim a moment's grace.
With thousand salamanders circled round,
I seemed the prince of that enchanted ground.
Meph. Thou art! The Elements owe thee allegiance! 7503 Fire thou hast, tested it-gave prompt obedience.
Throw thee into the boiling Ocean's waves,
And straightway all sea-spirits are thy slaves!
Here, too, in pride of conquest, shalt thou tread'
Triumphantly the ocean's pearl-strewn bed;
See billows ever round thee rise and fall,
And guard thee with their undulating wall.
The tender green waves, purple-tinged, are swelling
To form in the drear deep thy royal dwelling.
The billows do thee homage. Through the brine 75%
A palace moves with every step of thine.
The walls are happy in the magic gift
Of life, exulting as, with arrow-swift
To and fro gambollings, their place they shift.
And the sea-monsters float up from their caves,
To the mild lustre glimmering through the waves,
Throng to the light, till now unseen; but they
Fear to come nearer thee, and dart away:
And dragons, golden-scaled, their high crests rear,
And sharks, whose jaws gape wide, but cause no fear.752
Thou art a prince! but ne'er on Levée-day
Hast thou beheld so brilliant a display.
Beauty smiles on thee: the Nereidés
Come to the very windows, if you please,
Of the fresh-water palace in the seas-
The young ones, shy and rather curious fish,
The older, sober girls as one could wish.
Thetis has heard it-holds out hands and lips:
A second Peleus will the first eclipse;
-Then on Olympus height thy place to be! 7530
Emp. The realms of Air I'd rather leave to thee:
We are in no hurry to ascend that throne.
Meph. And Earth, great prince, already is thine own. Emp. Through what good fortune have I chanced upon This wonder of the Thousand Nights and One?
If, like Scheherazadé, most prolific
Of story-tellers, you would every day
Give something new-oh! that were a specific
'Gainst dulness that I never could repay.
Be ready still with such delightful tales 7540
Of wonder when despondency prevails,
And cares upon the sinking spirit weigh—
Still cheer me when all else to cheer me fails.
Lord High Steward [steps hastily in]. May it please your Highness, I had never thought
That it at any time could be my lot
Such joyous tidings to communicate
As fill me now with rapture-every debt
Has been paid off, the usurers' claws are dulled,
My tortures-sharper than hell's torments-lulled.
There cannot be in heaven a happier man. 7550
General [follows hastily]. The army's paid whatever
had been due,
The soldiers to their colours pledged anew,
The merry Lanzknecht's got a large advance,
And girls and vintners bless the lucky chance.
Emp. You breathe more freely, and your careworn face Has actually assumed a cheerful grace;
And what a step!-why, I protest, you run!
Trea. [entering]. Ask these men, they will tell what they have done.
Faust. The Chancellor will please to state the case; It falls in with the duties of his place. 7560
Chan. [advancing slowly]. Who could have ever dreamed such happiness
Would come the days of my old age to bless.
Listen and look upon the heaven-sent leaf,
That into joy hath changed a people's grief.
[Reads]—“ To all whom it concerneth, and so forth :-
This note of hand, that purports to be worth
A thousand crowns, subjects to such demand
The boundless treasure buried in the land.
And furthermore, said treasure underground,
To pay said sum is, whensoever found, 7570
And wheresoever, firmly pledged and bound."
Emp. Audacity unheard of!-foul deceit !
Who signed the Emperor's name to such vile cheat?
What punishment can for such crime atone?
Trea. Forget you, Sire, the writing is your own?
This last night you were in the character
Of Pan: we saw the Chancellor prefer
The suit. He said, "A few strokes of your pen
Will bless the people over whom you reign.
Do make them happy on this festal night.” 7580
And then you did take up the pen and write.
No time was lost. A thousand artists plied,
A thousandfold the scroll was multiplied;
And that the good to every one might fall,
We stamped at once the series, one and all.
Tens-thirties-fifties-hundreds off we strike!
Never was anything that men so like:
Your city, mouldering and in despair,
Has caught new life, and joy is everywhere.
Long as your name was by the world held dear, 7590
Never did it so brightly shine as here-
The alphabet! what is it to this sign ?—
To this "hoc signo vinces " note of thine ?
Emp. For good gold, then, in Court and camp it passes, And for good gold is taken by the masses ?
I must permit it, though it does seem odd.
Lord High Steward. The papers flying everywhere abroad
Stop it oh yes!-the lightning flashes stop
At every banker's booth and money-shop,
For each leaf you can have (deducting still 7600
Some discount) gold and silver, if you will.
Then off with you to butcher and to baker,
Vintner, and such like-tailor, sausage-maker.
Half the world passes-wealth is such a blessing-
Its days in feasting—the other half in dressing.
Flaunting in their new clothes-show their new riches--
The mercer cuts away-the stitcher stitches-
And "Long live Cæsar!" blurt out, 'mid the ringing
Of plates of boiling, broiling, swearing, singing.
Meph. And he who walks alone the public ways, 7617 And fixes on the fairest there his gaze,
And sees her move, with bland attractiveness,
In all the splendour of imposing dress;
The peacock's proud plume shades one eye, the while
She smirks, and simpers by with meaning smile—
Methinks she sees, and seems to understand
The import of this little note of hand.
Aye! and it wins from her, as by a spell,
The favours that my lady has to sell.
When words are weak, and wit all out of joint, 720
'Tis this that brings a woman to the point:
Close in the bosom, hidden there from view,
It lies so nicely in a billet-doux.
The priest he now no purse or scrip need bear-
Devoutly folds it in his Book of Prayer.
The soldier moves more freely, at his loins
No longer carrying a weight of coins.
Pardon me, Sire; on such details to dwell,
No doubt seems trifling with the miracle.
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