Faust speaks of his romantic relationship to nature and the Earth Spirit. However, Mephistopheles (in a somewhat sarcastic manner) leads him back to his relationship with Margaret.
WOOD
AND CAVE
FAUST
(ALONE)
Exalted
Spirit, You gave me, gave me all,
All
that I asked. For it was not in vain
You
turned your countenance towards me in fire.
You
gave me nature’s splendour for my kingdom
And
power to enjoy and feel her. Not
Just
giving that cold wonder of one visit,
But
vision down into her depths of heart,
Shown
like the heart of some true friend. Before me
You
lead the endless lines of living beings
And
teach me to appreciate and know
My
brothers in still bushes, air and water.
And
when the storm roars, rattling through the forest,
And
a giant fir, in crashing, strips and crushes
The
trunks and branches of its neighbours, its fall
Resounding
dull and hollow from the hill,
Then
you lead me to some safe cave and draw
Me
to myself and in my inner life
Reveal
profound and hidden wonders. And when
Before
my sight the pure moon arises,
Soft-soothing
me, the silver shapes of past
Generations
float up from rock walls, moist bushes,
And
soften the stern joys of contemplation.
Oh,
now I feel how nothing perfect’s given
To
humankind. You gave me this delight,
That
brings me near and nearer to the Gods,
And
yet you gave me a companion whom
I
can no longer do without, though his
Cold
impudence shrinks me in my own eyes,
Untiringly
he fans wild fire in
My
heart for her fair image. So I stagger
From
desire to enjoyment, and in the midst
Of
that enjoyment, languish for desire.
MEPHISTOPHELES
Have
you not led this life for long enough?
How
can it please you still? Although
It
may be good some time to taste life rough;
You
must then reap where new things grow.
FAUST
I
wish that you had more to do
Than
plague me on this God-good day.
MEPHISTOPHELES
Now!
Now! I’d happily leave you;
That
isn’t, in earnest- what you meant to say.
In
truth, your friendship: graceless, gruff and crazied,
Would
be but little loss to me.
All
day my hands are full! What you will praise,
What
you will not, can never quite be gauged
From
changes in your Lordship's physiognomy.
FAUST
That’s
just about his right, true tone.
He
wants my deepest thanks for boring me.
MEPHISTOPHELES
Poor
earth son, what was life alone
Without
my useful company?
For
whole long times I’ve cured you of that
Vague
claptrap called Imagination;
Already
you’d have strolled, if not
For
me, right off this globe’s creation.
Why
do you perch like some hoot owl in gloom
In
rock ravine and cavern tomb?
What
nourishment do you slurp up from dripping stone
And
soggy moss, in this frog home?
A
fair and pleasant pastime that!
The
doctor’s in your system yet.
FAUST
Do
you intuit what new life-giving power
I
find from wandering in wilderness ?
Oh
yes, could you but guess it now,
You’re
fiend enough to envy me my bliss.
MEPHISTOPHELES
A
super-earthly joy, that’s true!
To
lie on mountains in the night and dew,
And
earth and heaven joyously embrace
And
swell yourself to seeming godlike grace,
And
gropingly divine earth’s core, with zest
Feel
all creation’s six days in your breast,
Soon
into all, with love’s bliss overflowing now,
Quite
gone’s the son of earth’s creation,
And
then the lofty intuition-
WITH A GESTURE
Concludes-
I may not say just how.
FAUST
Shame
on you!
MEPHISTOPHELES
You won’t hear of that,
it’s plain.
Of
course, you have the right to cry- for shame.
One
cannot name with pure ears about
What
chaste and pure hearts can’t do without.
Just
to the point- I’m granting you the pleasure
Of
having self-delusions in some measure;
But
you won’t work this longer here.
Indeed
once more you’re losing track,
If
you wait on you’ll be ground back
By
madness, horror or by fear.
Enough!
Your sweet love sits at home distraught,
To
her all’s cramped and troubled too.
She
can’t keep you out of her thought,
She’s
filled with overpowering love for you.
Your
wild love flooded through her at the start,
Like
some small stream that’s swelled with melting snow.
You
poured it out into her heart,
And
now again your stream is low.
Instead
of lording over the wood,
It
seems to me it would be good
If
our great sir were to reward
That
puppy when he’s so adored.
For
her, time’s pitifully long.
She
stands by the window, sees the clouds on high,
Over
the town wall, drift by.
If
I were but a bird!- so goes her song
Day
long and half the dark night long.
Sometimes
cheerful, mostly sad is she,
Sometimes
weeps most bitterly,
And
then again seems calm enough,
And
always in love.
FAUST
Serpent!
Snake!
MEPHISTOPHELES
(TO HIMSELF)
Good!
You take my bait!
FAUST
Swine!
Out of here with your pretences!
Don’t
talk of that most lovely girl!
Don’t
spark desire for her body’s pearl
Once
more before my reeling, half-crazed senses!
MEPHISTOPHELES
What
do you want? She thinks you have flown through,
And
that’s already half what’s true.
FAUST
I’m
near to her though I were far. I can
Forget
her never or lose her now.
I
envy even the holy body when
Her
lips touch on the sacred wafer’s power.
MEPHISTOPHELES
Well
put, my friend. I’ve often envied you
The
twins that browse beneath the roses’ dew.
FAUST
Be
gone, you pimp!
MEPHISTOPHELES
That’s
fine! You scold, I laugh. You see
The
god that fashioned lads and maids
Could
see at once the noblest of all trades:
Creating
opportunity.
Away
from here, this woeful gloom,
You’re
going to your loved one’s room,
In
no sense to your death.
FAUST
What’s
that divine delight within her charms?
When
I am warm within her arms
Shall
I not sense her mute distress?
Am
I not fugitive? The homeless one?
Inhuman-
lacking purpose, aim and peace?
A
roaring waterfall that rock to rock wild-lashing runs
Desire’s
rage right down to the abyss?
And
to one side is she, child-innocent,
In
her small hut on little alpine field,
All
homely deeds enfolding sense
Within
her little world, peace-sealed.
And
I, despised by gods,
Find
it not enough
To
seize upon the rocks
And
pound them into dust!
I
have to undermine her peace! Hell’s price
Is
paid, so you can have your sacrifice!
Fiend,
help me, shorten this fierce-fearing time!
What
must come, let it come right now!
Let
her fate fall together thus with mine,
And
she with me plunge to the final hour!
MEPHISTOPHELES
And
how you seethe again, you glow!
Be
off and comfort her, you dunce!
For
when a pinhead sees no way to go
He
thinks the end has come at once.
Long
life to all with bravery!
Indeed,
you show some somewhat devilish airs.
The
world’s own greatest absurdity
Must
be a devil who despairs.
