Mephistopheles

It’s the same as through my old window

In the grim and tangled north,

Really loathsome ghosts below,

I’m at home here: and there, of course.

Homunculus

See! There’s a tall one striding,

With gigantic steps, before us.

Mephistopheles

As if she were afraid, now: gliding

Through the air above, she saw us.

Homunculus

Let her stride! Right away,

Set the knight down there:

He’ll return to life again,

Once he breathes this mythic air.

Faust (As he touches the ground.)

Where is she?

Homunculus

We can’t say, I fear,

But you can probably enquire here.

Hurry now before it’s daylight,

Go and search, from fire to fire:

Who found his way to the Mothers’ side,

Won’t find this harder to survive.

Mephistopheles

On my own behalf too, I’m here:

But I don’t know anything better

Than each to seek, among the fires,

The adventure he desires.

Then, so that we can reunite,

Little one, shine your ringing light.

Homunculus

It shines like this, and rings.

(The glass shines and rings out powerfully.)

Now off to new and wondrous things!

Faust (Alone.)

Where is she? – But no further answer seek…

If this is not the soil she trod,

Nor the wave that bathed her foot,

It is the air that spoke her speech.

Here! By a miracle, on Hellenic land!

I feel, the earth, too, where I stand:

A fresh power glows in me, the Sleeper,

So I am Antaeus-like in nature.

And I find the strangest things lie here,

First let me search this Labyrinth of fire.

(He moves away.)

(On the Upper Peneus)

Mephistopheles (Looking around.)

And as I wander through these fires,

I feel myself a total stranger: in the event,

They’re mostly naked, a shirt here and there:

The Sphinx shameless, the Gryphon impudent:

And what’s more, curly-haired and winged,

Before, behind, in eyes, reflected things…

Of course, at heart, indecency’s my ideal,

But I find the Antique is a little too real.

One should control all with a modern mind,

Overlay it with fashions of assorted kinds….

Repulsive people! Yet still I have to meet them,

And, as a new guest too, correctly greet them…

Luck to you, fair ladies, and men, you wise grey ones!

A Gryphon (Snarling. For the gold-guarding Gryphons see Herodotus’ Histories.)

Not Grey ones! Gryphons! – No one likes the name

Of something grey. Every word rings

With what conditioned it: its origins:

Grey, grievous, grumpy, gruesome, gravely, grimly,

Similarly harmonious etymologically,

Disharmonise us.

Mephistopheles

And yet, without deviation,

You like the gryp in your proud name of Gryphon.

The Gryphon (Snarling continuously.)

Naturally! The relationship’s tried and tested:

It was often censured, but more often praised:

One grips maidens, money, gold,

To the gripper, Fortune’s never cold.

Giant Ants

You spoke of gold: we’ve collected lots of it,

In rocks and caves, secretly, we’ve crammed it:

The Arimaspi, discovered it all, one day,

They’re laughing now: they took it far away.

The Gryphon

We’ll soon make them confess.

The Arimaspi(For the Scythian race of the Arimaspi and their association with gold mining see Herodotus’ Histories)

But not on this night of public festival.

By morning we’ll have spent it all.

This time at least we’ll achieve success.

Mephistopheles (Sitting among the Sphinxes.)

How free, and easy, I feel here,

I understand you, one and all.

Sphinx

We breathe out spirit-tones, clear,

That for you become substantial.

Now name yourself, so we can know your fame.

Mephistopheles

Men choose to saddle me with a host of names…

Are there Britons here? They travel about so much,

Looking for battlefields, and ruined walls,

The dullest classical places, waterfalls:

Here’s a site that’s worth all their fuss.

They spoke of me too: in their Mysteries:

And portrayed me there as Old Iniquity.

A Sphinx

How so?

Mephistopheles

I don’t know why that should be.

A Sphinx

Perhaps you’ve knowledge of the stars?

What do you think of the present hour?

Mephistopheles (Gazing upwards.)

Star glides by star, the horned moon shines bright,

And I feel happy here, in this mournful site,

I warm myself on a lion skin: your right.

To have to take off, again: that would be hard:

Give us a riddle, or at least charades.

Sphinx

To express yourself, that would be a riddle.

Try for once tosolve your own inner muddle:

‘Needed by the good man and the sinful,

To the first a breastplate in ascetic swordplay,

A wild friend for the other, to show the way,

And both amusing Zeus with their display.’

The First Gryphon (Snarling.)

I don’t like him!

The Second Gryphon (Snarling more fiercely.)

What’s he after?

Both Gryphons

The nasty thing, he’s not been heard of here!

Mephistopheles (Nastily)

Perhaps you think a guest’s nails can’t claw

Every bit as sharply as those talons of yours?

Just try it, then!

A Sphinx (Gently.)

You’ll only stay until,

You leave our company, yourself, as you will:

In your own land everything worked for you,

But this if I’m not wrong’s too much for you.

Mephistopheles

Looked at above, you’re rather appetising,

But lower down the creature’s somewhat frightening.

A Sphinx

False one, you’ll do bitter penance,

These claws of ours are sound and good:

You with your withered horse’s hoof,

Aren’t comfortable in our presence.

(The Sirens start to sing, above them.)

What are those birds shaking

The poplar branches by the stream?

A Sphinx

Take care! The song they’re making

Conquered the best there’s ever been.

The Sirens

Ah, why should you choose to live

Amongst amazing ugliness!

Listen, we flock to you, ah yes,

With tuneful sounds, in excess,

That Sirens ought to give.

The Sphinxes (Mocking them.)

Make them fly down here to us!

Their falcon-claws, so hideous,

They’ve hidden in the leaves:

They’ll fall on you, cruelly, you see

If you choose to hear them sigh.

The Sirens

Away with hate! Away with envy!

We gather purest ecstasies,

Scattered through the sky!

On the earth, or on the sea,

With the happiest gestures, we

Greet men who wander by.

Mephistopheles

This is news of the sweetest,

Here from lyre and chest,

One note twines round another.

But this warbling’s lost on me:

It crawls into my ear, you see,

Yet my heart feels nothing, here.

The Sphinxes

Don’t talk of hearts! That’s idle:

A leather bag would do as well,

To match that face you wear.

Faust (Approaching.)

Marvellous! Gazing’s enough for me,

At grand repulsiveness, and solidity:

I suspect I’ll find good fortune shortly:

Where will this serious gazing take me?

(He points at the Sphinxes.)

Once Oedipus stood in front of them:

(He points at the Sirens.)

Ulysses writhed in ropes for them:

(He points to the Ants.)

They gathered a mighty treasure.

(He points to the Gryphons.)

They guarded it in fullest measure.

I feel new power flowing through me:

Mighty these forms: of mighty memory.

Mephistopheles

Once you’d have run from things like these,

But now they look good to you:

When a man seeks his beloved, he’s

Ready to meet monsters too.

Faust (To the Sphinxes.)

You female forms, tell me then,

Have any of you seen Helen?

The Sphinxes

None of us lasted till her day,

Hercules the last did slay.

You can ask Chiron, anyway:

He gallops round in this spirit night:

When he stops for you, you might.

The Sirens

You will not fail at all!…

How Ulysses lingered with us,

Not hurrying scornfully by us,

He’d many times recall:

All will be shown you,

If you make your journey to

Our fields, in the green sea.

A Sphinx

Don’t let yourself be deceived.

Instead of Ulysses self-bonded,

We bind with good advice. On!

When you reach noble Chiron,

You’ll find it’s as I promised.

(Faust wanders off.)

Mephistopheles (In a temper.)

What croaks by me on beating wing,

So quick that one can’t see a thing.

And one behind the other, flying?

Even a hunter would weary of these.

A Sphinx

That storm, like the winds of winter, here,

Hercule’s arrows could scarce get near:

They are the swift Stymphalides,

And their croaked greetings are well-meant,

The vulture-beaked, and goose-webbed.

They’d gladly appear in our place,

As a closely-related race.

Mephistopheles (As if intimidated.)

Something else is having a hissing fit.

Sphinx

Don’t be worried about those either!

They’re the heads of the Lernaean Hydra,

Lopped from the trunk, but think they’re it.

But, what’s the matter, now then?

Why all the restless movements?

Where are you going? He’s gone!…

I see that Chorus over there, that one,

Has turned your head. You’ll get nowhere,

Go on: greet every sweet face there!

They’re Lamiae, the lustful girls,

With smiling lips, impudent curls,

The race of Satyrs all delight in:

With them a cloven foot’s the very thing.

Mephistopheles

Will you stay here? So I can find you again.

Sphinx

Yes! Mix with the flighty rabble.

In Egypt, we were accustomed, you know,

To rule for a thousand years or so.

And if you respect our location,

We’ll regulate the days of Moon and Sun.

We’ll sit in front of the Pyramids,

To pass judgement on the nations:

With changeless faces, there, amid

War and peace, and inundations.

(On the Lower Peneus.)

(The river-god, surrounded by nymphs and tributary streams.)

Peneus

Stir, you reed-beds, whispering, flowing!

Sigh softly, slender rushes, bowing,

Lightly, willow-bushes, rustling,

Lisp, you poplar-branches trembling,

Through the broken dream!…..

Dreadful premonitions wake me,

Secret quivering, now, shakes me,

In my peaceful wandering stream.

Faust (Approaching the river.)

If I heard true, as I believe:

From behind the tangled leaves

Of these shrubs and branches,

Came sounds of human voices.

Then the fount seemed to chatter,

And the breeze filled with laughter.

The Nymphs (To Faust.)

Just to lie here, now,

For you would be best,

Reviving your wearied

Body with coolness,

Enjoy here forever

Your fugitive rest:

Murmuring, trickling,

We’ll whisper, and bless.

Faust

I’m awake! O let them linger there

Those images without compare,

As they reached my sight.

I’m moved so marvellously!

Is it dream? Or is it memory?

Once before, I knew this delight.

The waters creep through the freshness,

The softly swaying bushes’ thickness,

Without rushing, barely trickling:

A hundred founts from all sides press,

And gather to the purest brightness,

Fill the pool’s shallow ring.

Glowing limbs of young girls are

Reflected by the liquid mirror,

And added to the eye’s delight!

Companionably, bathing joyfully,

Swimming boldly, wading shyly,

Crying out, at last, in watery fight.

This sight’s enough to renew

My eyes with gazing at the view,

But ever wider vision strains.

My glance cuts sharply through the cover,

Rich foliage, green wealth, around her,

Serves to hide the noble queen.

Marvellous! The swans approaching:

From the bays, come softly swimming,

Majestically pure their movement.

Floating calm, in sweet society,

But how proudly, self-delightedly,

Head and neck are lifted, bent…..

One shines out above all others,

Boasting boldly of his favours,

Sailing swiftly in their race:

His ruffled plumage swelling,

Wave-like, on the wave he’s stirring,

He hastens to the sacred place…

The others swimming here and there,

With their smooth shining feathers,

Soon meet in fine contention,

Drive away the frightened maidens,

Not thinking of their service, then

But only of their own protection.

The Nymphs

Sisters, bend and set you ears

To the river-banks’ green turf:

If I hear rightly, coming near,

That’s the sound of hooves on earth.

If I only knew who that message might

Be bringing, swiftly, to the Night!

Faust

To me, the ground seems ringing, too

Echoing to some swift stallion’s hoof.

There, gaze, my eyes!

Good luck, is nigh,

Will it come to me as well?

O, wonder without parallel!

A rider trots towards us, now,

Gifted, shines with spirit and power

Grafted to a snow-white horse…

I know him too, I can’t be wrong,

It’s Philyra’s famous son! –

Halt, Chiron! Halt! Hear my discourse…

Chiron (The Centaur.)

What then? What is it?

Faust

Delay a moment!

Chiron

I never rest.

Faust

Well, take me with you, then!

Chiron

Mount! And I can question you, at leisure:

Where are you going? You’re by the river,

I’ll carry you through the flood, with pleasure.

Faust (Mounting his back.)

Wherever you wish. My thanks forever…

You, the great man, the noble teacher,

Famed for educating the race of heroes,

That splendid company of the Argonauts,

And all who edified the Poets’ thoughts.

Chiron

All that in its proper place!

As Mentor, even Pallas wasn’t rated:

In the end they do things their own way,

As if they’d none of them been educated.

Faust

The doctor who can name the plants,

And roots, profoundly, understands:

Who heals the sick, and soothes the wound,

Here, strong in mind and body, have I found!