B00ARI2G5C EBOK (22 page)

I see now I’m an idiot; I stand corrected;

A shallow simpleton, as I’ve long suspected.

THE GRADUATE
. I’m glad you now show such intelligence!

The first old man I’ve ever heard talk sense.

MEPHISTOPHELES
. I’ve searched for buried treasure in the ground,

And ugly dross was all the gold I found.

THE GRADUATE
. Admit it then: your skull, bereft of hair,

Is just as hollow as those skulls up there!

MEPHISTOPHELES
[
affably]
.

No doubt you are politer when you try.

6770

THE GRADUATE
. In German, sir, politeness is a lie.

MEPHISTOPHELES
[rolling his wheelchair nearer and nearer to the footlights and addressing the pit].

I’m being crowded out here, as you see;

Perhaps down there you might make room for me?

THE GRADUATE
. In dotage years, to keep up the pretence

Of being somebody, is sheer impertinence.

Man’s life lives in the blood: where does blood stir

More strongly than in youth? That, ancient sir,

Is the young living blood, blood that creates

A new life out of life as it pulsates.

Here all’s in movement, here’s where things get done;

6780

The weak fall down, the strong take over. We

Have conquered half the world, as all can see,

While you’ve been nodding, dreaming, meditating,

Making your plans, plotting and ruminating!

Old age is a cold fever, it’s an ague

That freezes, fancies that torment and plague you.

Once over thirty you’re as good as dead:

We’d do better to knock you on the head

At once, and finish you off straight away.

MEPHISTOPHELES
. So much for that; what can the Devil say?

6790

THE GRADUATE
. The Devil needs my permission to exist.

MEPHISTOPHELES
[
aside]
.

The Devil may yet give your young tail a twist.

THE GRADUATE
. This is youth’s noblest task! The world was not

There till I made it; it was I who brought

The sun out of the sea; the moon began to weave

Its changing circles when I gave it leave;

Mine was the morning’s various ornament,

The earth turned green and blossomed where I went,

The stars on that first night unfolded all

Their splendour at my beck and call.

6800

By me you were released from the constriction

Of limited and philistine reflection.

I for my part, free as the spirit bids,

Pursue my inner light whither it leads,

And in the special rapture of my mind

Follow the bright day, leave the dark behind. [
Exit
.]

MEPHISTOPHELES
. Fantastic crank! Go on your glorious way!—

How you would hate to know that nothing wise

And nothing foolish can be thought today

That’s not been thought for many centuries!—

6810

And yet, there’s no great harm in our young friend;

A few more years will bring about a change.

The fermentation may be rich and strange,

But the wine’s drinkable in the end.

[
To the younger spectators in the pit, who do not applaud
.]

My words appear to leave you cold;

But never mind, my dears, I pardon you.

Remember that the Devil’s old—

When you’re his age, you’ll understand him too.

[
in medieval style, with elaborate clumsy apparatus for fantastic purposes
.]

WAGNER
[
at his furnace]
.

That dreadful bell’s reverberation

Comes shuddering through the sooty walls.

6820

Too long my doubtful expectation

Has waited for what now befalls.

From blackness to illumination

The deep alembic now has passed,

And like a living coal at last

A fine carbuncular fire is glowing,

Into the dark its brilliance throwing:

An incandescent white shines through!

Let me succeed, just this once more!—

Oh God, who’s rattling at my door?

6830

MEPHISTOPHELES
[entering].

A well-meant greeting, sir, to you!

WAGNER
[
anxiously]
.

Greetings, by this hour’s ruling star!

[
sotto voce
] But hold your words and breath: I am not far

From a great work’s goal, now to be displayed.

MEPHISTOPHELES
[sotto voce].

What great work’s that?

WAGNER
[in
a whisper]
.

A man is being made.

MEPHISTOPHELES
.

A man? So you have locked an amorous pair

Up in your chimney-stack somehow?

WAGNER
.

Why, God forbid! That method’s out of fashion now:

Procreation’s sheer nonsense, we declare!

That tender point where life used to begin

6840

That gentle power springing from within,

Taking and giving, programmed to portray

Itself, to assimilate what came its way

From near or far—all that’s now null and void;

By animals, no doubt, it’s still enjoyed,

But man henceforth, being so highly gifted,

Must have an origin much more uplifted.

[
Turning to the furnace]
.

See how it gleams!—Now we may hope to see

Results. The ingredients—our manifold

Materia anthropica
, they are called—

6850

We mix in a retort most patiently,

With all due care, and so by perlutation

And proper double-distillation,

They quietly reach their consummation.

[
Turning to the furnace again]
.

It works! The moving mass is clarified,

And our conviction fortified:

These mysteries we thought only great Nature knew,

Our expertise now dares attempt them too!

Her way with living matter was to organize it,

And we have learnt to crystallize it.

6860

MEPHISTOPHELES
. When we live long, we learn a thing

Or two; nothing surprises any more.

I have, in my long years of wandering,

Seen crystallized humanity before.

WAGNER
[
who has been staring intently at the retort]
.

It flashes, swells and rises! One

More moment and it will be done.

Great plans seem mad at first, but one day we

Shall laugh at what is bred haphazardly;

And one day, too, some great brain will create

A brain designed to think and cerebrate!

6870

[
Gazing at the retort in delight
.]

The glass is struck into harmonious sound.

Ah, now it cannot fail! It clouds and clears:

And moving daintily around

A well-formed tiny little man appears.

What more do I, what more does the world need?

The secret is at last made known.

Now hear this music: it has grown

To a voice, and into speech, indeed!

THE HOMUNCULUS
*
[
in the retort, to
WAGNER]
.

Well, dad! It worked, you see! And how are you?

Come now, embrace me tenderly—but do

6880

Be careful, please, my glass must not be cracked.

That is the way things are, in fact:

For natural growth the world’s too small a place,

But art must be enclosed in its own space.

[
To
MEPHISTOPHELES.]

So you are here as well, my mocking cousin?

I am much obliged; the moment was well chosen.

Our good luck brings this timely call by you.

Since I exist, I must find things to do:

I’d like to set to work this very day,

And you know how to set me on my way.

6890

WAGNER
. Just one word, please! It’s so embarrassing,

The way I’m questioned on this sort of thing.

For instance: no one yet can understand

How soul and body seem to have been planned

To fit so perfectly and cling so tight

Yet each torments the other day and night.

Furthermore—

MEPHISTOPHELES
. Stop, stop! One should ask him rather

Why man and woman can’t endure each other.

My friend, you’ll never get such matters straight.

There’s work to do here: our small guest can’t wait.

6900

THE HOMUNCULUS
. What’s to be done?

MEPHISTOPHELES
[
pointing to a side-door]
.

A case for you to cure.

WAGNER
[
stillgazing into the retort]
.

You are a little darling, to be sure!

[
The side-door opens
,
FAUST
seen lying on the couch
.]

THE HOMUNCULUS
[
astonished]
.

Remarkable!—

[
The retort slips out of
WAGNER
’
S HANDS, HOVERS OVER
FAUST
and illuminates him
.]

Delightful place!—Clear streams

In a dense grove, and women making ready

To bathe; enchanting! Better still already!

But one shines brighter than them all, she seems

Descended from great heroes, gods perhaps.

She sets her foot in the translucent pool;

Life’s noble flame in her sweet body dips

Into the yielding crystal and grows cool.—

6910

But now, what flurry of quick wings, what whirring

Is this, in the smooth surface splashing, stirring?

The girls flee in alarm: the queen, calm-eyed,

Remains alone, but her heart fills with pride

And womanly contentment as she sees

The prince of swans come nestling to her knees,

Docile yet bold. He seems to like it there.—

And round them all at once has risen a veil

Of mist, thick-woven to conceal

The loves of this most charming pair.

6920

MEPHISTOPHELES
. What a strange tale! Your fantasies at least

Are out of all proportion to your size.

I can see nothing—

THE HOMUNCULUS
. Why should you! Your eyes

Are northern, steeped in medieval mist;

In that mad world of monks and armour-plated

Knights, naturally your vision’s obfuscated.

Dark ages are your proper habitat.

[
Looking round
.]

Black mouldering stones, arches in Gothic style

And absurd curlicues—how drab, how vile!

If he wakes up here, like as not

6930

He’ll drop dead on the very spot.

Nude women, swans and woodland streams

I saw in his prophetic dreams.

In this dank hole he’d have no future;

Neither would I, despite my unfastidious nature.

Away with him!

MEPHISTOPHELES
. I welcome this solution.

THE HOMUNCULUS
. Order a warrior to fight,

Or a young girl to dance all night,

And things soon reach their right conclusion.

And let me see—tonight is Classical

6940

Walpurgis Night, as I recall.

A lucky chance, I do declare!

He’ll be in his own element there.

MEPHISTOPHELES
. I know of no such date.

THE HOMUNCULUS
.          Indeed!

You’ll not have heard of it, you and your breed.

Romantic ghosts are all they know in hell:

A proper ghost is classical as well.
*

MEPHISTOPHELES
. But where do we go, where do we start exploring?

My ancient history colleagues are so boring.

THE HOMUNCULUS
. Satan, the north-west is your stamping-ground!

6950

But for this trip, south-eastward we are bound,

To the great plain where the Peneus flows;

Tree-lined, bush-lined its moist meandering goes.

Out to the mountain glens the lowlands rise,

And up there, old and new, Pharsalus
*
lies.

MEPHISTOPHELES
. Ugh! why do you remind me of those gory

Wars between slaves and tyrants? That old story,

How stale it is! Their battle is begun

All over again as soon as it is done;

They never guess they merely are the dupes

6960

Of Asmodeus
*
who really rules the troops.

They call it fighting for their liberty:

Slaves against slaves in fact, it seems to me.

THE HOMUNCULUS
.

Just let them squabble; men will never mend.

Each one asserts himself as best he can

From boyhood on, and so becomes a man.

The question here is how to cure our friend.

If you’ve a remedy, then try it now;

If not, leave it to me to find out how.

MEPHISTOPHELES
. My Blocksberg
*
magic might be what he’d need

6970

But pagan rules forbid me to proceed.

The Greeks were never much good anyway!

But you are charmed by their free sensuous play,

They lure mankind to many a sinful blessing;

The sins we sell are gloomy and depressing.

And so, what now?

THE HOMUNCULUS
. But you do like some sport,

I think; Thessalian witches
*
are the sort

Of thing that might appeal to you.

MEPHISTOPHELES
[
lustfully]
.