MICHAEL.

And tempests in contention roar

From land to sea, from sea to land; And, raging, weave a chain of power Which girds the earth as with a band. A flashing desolation there

Flames before the thunder's way; But thy servants, Lord, revere

The gentle changes of thy day.

CHORUS OF THE THREE.

The Angels draw strength from thy glance,
Though no one comprehend thee may.
Thy world's unwithered countenance
Is bright as on creation's day.*

RAPHAEL.

The sun sounds, according to ancient custom,
In the song of emulation of his brother-spheres,
And its fore-written circle

Fulfils with a step of thunder.

Its countenance gives the Angels strength,

Though no one can fathom it.

The incredible high works

Are excellent as at the first day.

GABRIEL.

And swift, and inconceivably swift

The adornment of earth winds itself round,

And exchanges Paradise-clearness

With deep dreadful night.

The sea foams in broad waves

From its deep bottom up to the rocks,

And rocks and sea are torn on togetrer
In the eternal swift course of the spheres.
VOL. IV.

23

Enter MEPHISTOPHELES.

MEPHISTOPHELES.

As thou, O Lord, once more art kind enough
To interest thyself in our affairs,

And ask, "How goes it with you there below?"
And as indulgently at other times

Thou tookest not my visits in ill part,

Thou seest me here once more among thy house. hold.

Though I should scandalize this company,

You will excuse me if I do not talk

In the high style which they think fashionable:

MICHAEL.

And storms roar in emulation
From sea to land, from land to sea,
And make, raging, a chain
Of deepest operation round about.
There flames a flashing destruction
Before the path of the thunderbolt.
But thy servants, Lord, revere

The gentle alternations of thy day.

CHORUS.

Thy countenance gives the angels strength,
Though none can comprehend thee:

And all thy lofty works

Are excellent as at the first day.

Such is the literal translation of this astonishing Chorus: it is impossible to represent in another language the melody of the versification; even the volatile strength and delicacy of the ideas escape in the crucible of translation, and the eader is surprised to find a caput mortuuri.-Author's Note

My pathos certainly would make you laugh too,
Had you not long since given over laughing.
Nothing know I to say of suns and worlds;
I observe only how men plague themselves.
The little god o' the world keeps the same stamp,
As wonderful as on creation's day;

A little better would he live, hadst thou
Not given him a glimpse of Heaven's light
Which he calls reason, and employs it only
To live more beastily than any beast.
With reverence to your Lordship be it spoken,
He's like one of those long-legged grasshoppers
Who flits and jumps about, and sings for ever
The same old song i' the grass. There let him lie,
Burying his nose in every heap of dung.

THE LORD.

Have you no more to say? Do you come here
Always to scold, and cavil, and complain?
Seems nothing ever right to you on earth?

MEPHISTOPHELES.

No, Lord; I find all there, as ever, bad at best.
Even I am sorry for man's days of sorrow;
I could myself almost give up the pleasure
Of plaguing the poor things.

The Doctor?

THE LORD.

Knowest thou Faust?

MEPHISTOPHELES.

THE LORD.

Ay; my servant Faust.

MEPHISTOPHELES.

In truth

He serves you in a fashion quite his own,

And the fool's meat and drink are not of earth; His aspirations bear him on so far

That he is half aware of his own folly,

For he demands from Heaven its fairest star, And from the earth the highest joy it bears; Yet all things far, and all things near, are vain To calm the deep emotions of his breast.

THE LORD.

Though he now serves me in a cloud of error,
I will soon lead him forth to the clear day.
When trees look green, full well the gardener
knows

That fruits and blooms will deck the coming year.

MEPHISTOPHELES.

What will you bet?-now I am sure of winning-
Only observe you give me full permission
To lead him softly on my path.

THE LORD.

As long

As he shall live upon the earth, so long
Is nothing unto thee forbidden.-Man
Must err till he has ceased to struggle

MEPHISTOPHELES.

Thanks.

And that is all I ask; for willingly

I never make acquaintance with the dead.
The full fresh cheeks of youth are food for me,
And if a corpse knocks, I am not at home.

For I am like a cat-I like to play

A little with the mouse before I eat it.

THE LORD.

Well, well, it is permitted thee.

Draw thou

His spirit from its springs; as thou findst power
Seize him and lead him on thy downward path;
And stand ashamed when failure teaches thee
That a good man, even in his darkest longings,
Is well aware of the right way.

MEPHISTOPHELES.

Well and good.

I am not in much doubt about my bet,

And, if I lose, then 'tis your turn to crow;

Enjoy your triumph then with a full breast.
Ay; dust shall he devour, and that with pleasure,
Like my old paramour, the famous Snake.

THE LORD.

Pray come here when it suits you; for I never Had much dislike for people of

your sort.

And, among all the Spirits who rebelled,

The knave was ever the least tedious to me.