END
OF FAUST PART ONE- Troubled day, Field, Dungeon.
After
the surreal scenes of Walpurgis night we are plunged back into the
full impact of the tragedy. Margaret has lost her reason and is in
prison awaiting execution. Nevertheless, it is Margaret who sees
through the illusions that have misled her, who recognises the true
nature of Mephistopheles and who is ultimately redeemed while Faust
at this point is still on the downward path.
Faust and Margaret in the Dungeon- Willy Pognay 1908
TROUBLED
DAY- FIELD
FAUST,
MEPHISTOPHELES
FAUST
In
misery! Despairing! Long and pitifully astray upon the earth and now
imprisoned! With terrible torments shut up like an evil-doer in a
dungeon, that beautiful, unhappy creature! Things have gone so far!
So far! Treacherous, vile, abominable spirit; this you have kept
secret from me! Just stand there, stand! In rage roll your devilish
eyes around in your head! Stand and defy me with your intolerable
presence! Shut away! In irretrievable misery! Given over to evil
spirits and judging, unfeeling humankind! While you lulled me with
insipid diversions you concealed her growing grief from me and left
her to perish helplessly!
MEPHISTOPHELES
She
is not the first.
FAUST
Dog!
Detestable monster and abomination! Transform him, You Infinite
Spirit! Transform this worm back into his canine shape. Change him
back to that in which he was pleased to trot before me during a
nightly break, rolling himself at the feet of the harmless wanderer
and clinging onto the shoulders of any who had fallen. Change him
back to his favourite shape so that he may crawl, cringing before me,
on the sand and there I may kick and trample him with my feet, Vile
outcast of all! Not the first! Grief! Oh, grief! Beyond the grasp of
the human soul to think that more than one creature has sunk to the
depths of such misery, that the first did not go through enough in
writhing death agony for all the others in the eyes of the
eternally-forgiving One! I’m stirred and agitated right through to
my very marrow, my life’s core, by the need and misery of this one
person- you grin, composed and calm, over the fate of thousands!
MEPHISTOPHELES
Now
here we are already, once more at our wit’s border, where your
human sense and understanding snap. Why did you form bonds of
companionship with us, if you cannot go through with it? Did we press
ourselves on you, or you on us?
FAUST
Don’t
snarl and bare your greedy teeth like that at me! It fills me with
disgust! Great and glorious Spirit, you who found me worthy enough to
appear before me, you who know my heart and know my soul, why chain
me to this infamous companion who gloats over grievous harm and
relishes destruction?
MEPHISTOPHELES
Are
you finished?
FAUST
Save
her! Or all grief be upon you! The most gruesome of curses be upon
you for thousands of years!
MEPHISTOPHELES
I
cannot loosen the avenger’s fetters, nor open his bolted bars. Save
her! Who was it who plunged her to destruction? I or you?
FAUST
LOOKS AROUND WILDLY
Are
you grasping after thunder? It’s well that it wasn’t given to you
miserable mortals! To smash to pieces the innocent objector, that is
the manner of the tyrant, that is his method for getting relief from
his embarrassment.
FAUST
Take
me to her! She shall be freed!
MEPHISTOPHELES
And
the danger to which you will expose yourself? Know that blood-guilt
from your hand still lies over the town. For over the places of
slayings hover avenging spirits that lurk waiting for the returning
murderer.
FAUST
That
too from you? The death and murder of a whole world fall on you, you
monster! Lead me to her, I say, and set her free!
MEPHISTOPHELES
I’ll
lead you there and as for the rest of what I can do- listen! Do you
think I have all the power of heaven and earth? I’ll surround the
gaoler’s senses with mist, then you seize hold of the keys and lead
her out by human hand! I'll stand watch! The enchanted horses are
ready... I carry you both away. That much can I do.
FAUST
Up
and away!
NIGHT
OPEN FIELD
FAUST
AND MEPHISTOPHELES STORM ACROSS ON BLACK HORSES
FAUST
What
are they weaving round the Ravenstone?
MEPHISTOPHELES
Don’t
know what they’re brewing and making?
FAUST
Floating
up, floating down, bending and bowing.
MEPHISTOPHELES
A
witches’ guild.
FAUST
They
strew and hallow.
MEPHISTOPHELES
Pass
by! Pass by!
DUNGEON
FAUST
(WITH A BUNCH OF KEYS AND A LAMP, BEFORE A SMALL IRON DOOR)
I
gasp with long-forgotten horror's breath,
I'm
seized by every human sorrowing.
She
lives behind dank walls and slime.
A
fair delusion her only crime!
You
hesitate to go within.
You
fear to see her once again!
Forward!
Weak wavering advances death.
HE
SEIZES THE LOCK. SOUND OF SINGING FROM WITHIN
My
mother, the whore,
Took
life from me!
My
father, the rogue,
Has
eaten me!
My
small sister alone
Has
buried my bones
Down
in a cool, cool place.
I've
changed into a beautiful bird;
Fly
away, fly apace!
FAUST
(UNLOCKING)
She
doesn’t dream her love can hear the raw,
Rough
clink of chains, the rustling of the straw.
HE
ENTERS
MARGARET
(HIDING ON HER PALLET)
Oh!
They are coming. Bitter death!
FAUST
(SOFTLY)
Ssh!
Ssh! I’ve come to set you free.
MARGARET
( TURNING OVER TO FACE HIM)
If
you are human, feel my misery!
FAUST
Your
cries will rouse the night guards from their rest.
HE
SEIZES THE CHAINS TO UNLOCK THEM
MARGARET
(ON HER KNEES)
Who
gave you, hangman, heavy
Power
over me!
At
midnight now you’re taking me already.
Have
mercy, let me live, let be!
Is
dawn not soon enough for you to come?
SHE
STANDS UP
I’m
still so young, so young!
Yet
I must die!
I
once was beautiful, and that was my
Downfall.
My friend, once near, is far off now;
The
wreath lies ripped and scattered are the flowers.
Don’t
grip as strongly as you do!
Spare
me! What have I done to you?
Don’t
let me plead and beg in vain;
I
do not even know your name!
FAUST
How
shall I bear this grief, this pain!
MARGARET
I
am now wholly in your power.
Just
let me feed my child first now.
All
night heart-close I held it, then
To
grieve me they took it away;
I
murdered it- that’s what they say.
I
never shall have joy again.
They
sing these songs about me! It’s wicked that they do!
An
old folk tale has such an end,
Who
says that it is true?
FAUST
(CASTING HIMSELF DOWN)
A
lover lies here at your feet,
To
break the chains of pain and grief.
MARGARET
Oh,
let us kneel, and call on holy ones on high!
See!
under these stone steps, close by,
Beneath
this threshold, swell
Legions
from hell!
There
evil’s king,
With
fear-filling fury,
Makes
a hideous din!
FAUST
(LOUDLY)
Gretchen!
Gretchen!
MARGARET
(ATTENTIVE)
That
was the voice of my friend.
SHE
LEAPS UP. THE CHAINS FALL OFF
Where
is he? I heard him call! I’m free!
And
none shall keep him now from me.
I’ll
hang upon his neck, and I…
Close
on his breast I’ll lie!
Gretchen!
he called me from the threshold stone-
Through
all of hell’s howling and clattering storm,
Through
all of the fury of devilish scorn,
I
knew his sweet and loving tone.
FAUST
I’m
here!
MARGARET
You’re here! O
say it once again!
SEIZING
HIM
He
is! He is! Where is my fear and pain?
Where
is the fear of prison? The chains?
You’ve
come! Come to rescue me!
And
I am free!-
Again
I see the street where I
Saw
you at first, at first while passing by,
And
the cheerful garden too,
Where
I and Martha walked with you.
FAUST
(PUSHING TOWARD THE DOOR)
Come
on! Come on!
MARGARET
Stay
here! Stay here!
For
I am happiest while you are near!
CARESSING
HIM
FAUST
Hurry!
Fly!
If
you don’t fly
We
will pay dearly for all this!
MARGARET
What!
You can no longer kiss?
My
friend, so short a time gone missing,
To
so unlearn your kissing?
Why
do I fear to hang upon your neck? Once it would be
That
from your words, your glance, would spread
A
whole, fair heaven overhead-
You
kissed as if you’d smother me.
Kiss
me now!
Then
I’ll kiss you!
SHE
EMBRACES HIM
Ah
me! Your lips are cold-
Are
mute.
Where
is your love,
My
love?
Who
broke love’s hold?
FAUST
Come!
Follow me! My love, be brave again!
I’ll
fill your heart with a thousand times more flame!
Just
follow me! That’s all I beg of you!
MARGARET
And
is it you? And is it really you?
FAUST
It’s
truly me! Come on!
MARGARET
You
loose my chains,
You
take me in your arms again.
But
why do you not shrink from me?
Do
you not know, my friend, whom you are setting free?
FAUST
Come!
Already night yields up its power!
MARGARET
I
have killed my mother. I have drowned
My
child. Wasn’t it to be
A
gift, a gift to you and me?
You
too.- It’s you! I scarce believe it yet.
Give
me your hand! It’s not a dream!
Your
dearest hand!- Ah! but it is wet!
Wipe
it clean now!- Clean! - it seems
It’s
blood.
Oh
God! What have you done!
Put
up your sword, put up,
I
beg you- please!
FAUST
Oh!
Let what now has gone be gone,
You’re
killing me.
MARGARET
No!
you must live! I shall
Describe
to you the graves.
And
you must tend them all,
Tomorrow,
right away;
So
give the best place to my mother,
And
right beside her lay my brother;
Me,
a bit to the side,
Not
too far aside!-
No
one else will lie by me!
Nestling
by you once would be
A
sweet and gracious happiness.
But
that’s now something I can’t do;
Seems
I must force myself on you,
As
if pushed back. Nonetheless,
It’s
you- so good, so pious is your gaze.
FAUST
You
feel it’s so- then come, oh, come!
MARGARET
Out
there?
FAUST
Into
free air.
MARGARET
If there’s the
grave,
If
death’s in wait- then come will you!
From
here to an everlasting bed of rest
And
further- not one step!
You’re
going? O Heinrich, would I could go too!
FAUST
You
can! Just will it so! The door is free.
MARGARET
I may not go; no hope is left for me.
They’d track me down. What use is it to flee?
To have to beg is agony,
And with a guilty heart as well!
To roam strange realms is misery,
And they’d still catch me- I can tell!
FAUST
I’ll stay by you.|
|
MARGARET
Go quickly! Quick, I pray!
Save your poor child! Away!
Just stay on the track
That runs by the brook,
Across the small bridge
And into the forest,
Left, where the planks still reach
Into the pond.
Quickly, grab on!
It wants to surface,
Still struggles- see!
Save it! Save it!
FAUST
Grip onto your sanity!
It’s but one step, and you are free!
MARGARET
I may not go; no hope is left for me.
They’d track me down. What use is it to flee?
To have to beg is agony,
And with a guilty heart as well!
To roam strange realms is misery,
And they’d still catch me- I can tell!
FAUST
I’ll stay by you.|
|
MARGARET
Go quickly! Quick, I pray!
Save your poor child! Away!
Just stay on the track
That runs by the brook,
Across the small bridge
And into the forest,
Left, where the planks still reach
Into the pond.
Quickly, grab on!
It wants to surface,
Still struggles- see!
Save it! Save it!
FAUST
Grip onto your sanity!
It’s but one step, and you are free!
MARGARET
If
only we were past the mountain! Alone,
My
mother sits there on a stone-
An
icy grip seizes my hair!
My
mother sits there on a stone;
Her
head is wagging there-
She
doesn’t wave, she doesn’t beckon, her head is heavy for
She
slept so long, she wakes no more.
She
slept so that we would have our bliss.
They
were such times of happiness!
FAUST
No
word, no pleading is enough,
So
I must dare to bear you off.
MARGARET
No,
leave me, leave! I'll not put up with force!
Don’t
grip like murder; for it's true:
I
have done all the rest for love of you.
FAUST
The
day dawns! Love! my love!
MARGARET
Day!
Yes, day is dawning. The last day dawns in gray!
It
was to be my wedding day!
Tell
no one you’ve already been with Gretchen.
My
wreath- oh grief!
But
what is done is done!
We’ll
yet meet once
But
not to dance.
No
noise is heard, although crowds throng.
Square,
street, and alley
Cannot
hold the rally.
They
break the wand, the bell has rung,
They
seize and bind me! I’m led
Already
to the block. It’s time.
And
each neck feels the dread
Of
that sharp blade that's drawn for mine.
Mute
lies the world like the grave!
FAUST
Oh,
would I’d never been born!
MEPHISTOPHELES
(APPEARING OUTSIDE)
Up!
Or you’re lost; be warned.
This
stalling and chattering! Needless wavering!
My
horses are shivering,
The
sky is flushed with light.
MARGARET
What
rose from the ground to my sight?
Him!
Him! Oh, send him off!
Oh,
why is he in this holy spot?
He
wants me!
FAUST
You shall live!
MARGARET
Judgement
of God! To You I give myself!
MEPHISTOPHELES
Come!
Come! I’ll leave you both forever lost.
MARGARET
Thine
am I, Father! Save me now!
Your
angels! Your holy host,
Cluster
around me, guard me with your power!
Heinrich!
I fear for you.
MEPHISTOPHELES
She
is condemned!
VOICES
(FROM ABOVE)
She
is saved!
MEPHISTOPHELES
(TO FAUST)
Come
here to me!
(HE
VANISHES WITH FAUST)
VOICE
(FROM WITHIN, DYING AWAY)
Heinrich!
Heinrich!
THE
END OF PART ONE
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