AT
THE WELL AND BY THE CITY WALL
The
next two scenes from Faust show the deepening tragedy as Gretchen
realises
she is pregnant . Firstly the condemnation of society is shown in At
the Well and then her sense of inner guilt with her prayer in By the
City Wall.
Margaret (Gretchen) is not wholly innocent and certainly Faust isn't
but the worst deeds are done by Mephistopheles who poisons Margaret's
mother instead of giving her sleeping potion and continues to
engineer destruction.
Camilla Horn as Margaret (Gretchen) in silent German film of Faust ( directed- F.W. Murnau, 1926)
AT
THE WELL
GRETCHEN AND
LIESCHEN WITH JUGS
LIESCHEN
You’ve heard about
what Barb has done?
GRETCHEN
No, not a word. I’m
not much out of late.
LIESCHEN
Today that Sybil
told me straight
She’s finally been
taken in.
That comes from
having airs!
GRETCHEN
How’s
that?
LIESCHEN
It
stinks!
She’s feeding two
now when she eats and drinks.
GRETCHEN
Oh!
LIESCHEN
She had it coming
all along.
She hung upon that
fellow for so long!
Yes, she was ever
parading,
Off to the village
and to dancing,
She must be first
all of the time,
Forever treated so
to pastries and to wine;
So stuck up over
looking fine,
She was so brazen,
had no shame at all,
Accepting gifts to
let him call.
So they caressed and
carried on-
And now the little
flower has gone.
GRETCHEN
The poor, poor
thing!
LIESCHEN
What!
What pity can you feel?
When we were at the
spinning wheel,
Or when our mothers
kept us in at night,
She held he sweet,
sweet lover tight,
On door bench or in
darkened alleyway,
No hour seemed too
long that way.
So let her cringe in
sinner’s shirt,
And do her penance
in the church!
GRETCHEN
He will surely take
her for his wife!
LIESCHEN
He’d be a fool!
Quick lads have air
Enough for breathing
other where.
He’s gone already.
GRETCHEN
That is not fair!
LIESCHEN
If she gets him, let
her beware.
The boys will rip
her wreath from her,
And we’ll strew
chaff before her door!
SHE EXITS
GRETCHEN (GOING
HOME)
How I could boldly
scorn and rail
When some unlucky
girl would fail!
On others’ sins my
tongue would play;
I could not find
enough to say.
However black, I’d
paint it with a blacker brush,
Yet it was never
black enough.
I’d bless myself
and swell with pride,
Now I have naked sin
inside!
Yet- all that
brought me down to this,
God!
was so good! Oh, was just bliss!
BY THE CITY WALL
IN A RECESS IN A
WALL IS A DEVOTIONAL PICTURE OF THE MATER DOLOROSA, WITH A JUG OF
FLOWERS BEFORE IT.
GRETCHEN (PLACING
FRESH FLOWERS IN THE JUG)
Incline,
O grief-rich one,
Your gracious gaze
towards my distress!
With heart
sword-pierced
By thousand-fold
grief,
You look up to your
own Son’s death.
To the Father on
high
You gaze and each
sigh
Ascends for his and
your distress.
Who senses
The wrenches
Of pain deep in my
bones?
With fear my poor
heart’s turning;
Its trembling and
its yearning,
You know, just you
alone!
Wherever I am going,
Through all my
breast is flowing
What woe, what woe,
what woe!
At once in my own
keeping,
I weep, I weep, I’m
weeping;
My heart is broken
so.
The pot plants at my
window,
I wet with tears
like dew,
When early in the
morning,
I picked these
flowers for you.
When early sun was
slipping
Into my little room,
Already I was
sitting
Upon my bed in
gloom.
Help! save me from
this shame and death!
Incline,
O grief-rich one,
Your gracious gaze
towards my distress!
