MEPHISTOPHELES:
I will bind myself here to serve you,
At your mere nod I shall not rest nor pause;
And when we meet again beyond this life,
You shall do the same for me.
FAUST:
That “beyond” concerns me little;
If you first smash this world to ruins,
Another may arise thereafter.
From this earth my joys well up,
This sun shines on my sufferings;
If I can only part from them,
Then let what will and can occur.
[…]
MEPHISTOPHELES:
In that spirit you may dare it.
Join with me; and in these days
You shall gladly see my arts.
I’ll give you what no human ever saw.
FAUST:
What would you, poor devil, give?
Was ever the human spirit, in its lofty striving,
Grasped by one of your kind?
Yet you have food that does not satisfy,
You have red gold that, without rest,
Like quicksilver runs through your hand,
A game no one ever wins,
[…]
Show me fruit that rots before it’s picked,
And trees that green themselves anew each day!
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Such a commission does not frighten me;
With such treasures I can serve.
But, good my friend, the time will also come
When we may calmly feast on something good.
FAUST:
If ever I lie content upon a bed of ease,
Then let that be the end of me at once!
If you can ever flatter me with lies
So that I am pleased with myself,
If you can deceive me with enjoyment—
That shall be my final day!
I offer you the wager!
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Agreed!
FAUST:
And hand to hand!
If ever I say to the passing moment:
“Stay! You are so beautiful!”
Then you may bind me in chains,
Then I will gladly perish!
Then let the death-bell toll,
Then you are free of your service,
The clock may stop, the hand may fall—
For me, time shall be no more!
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Think it through well—we shall not forget it.
[…]
FAUST:
You even demand something written, pedant?
Have you never known a man—nor a man’s word?
[…]
What do you want from me, evil spirit?
Bronze? Marble? Parchment? Paper?
Shall I write with stylus, chisel, quill?
I give you every choice.
[…]
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Blood is a very special fluid.
FAUST:
Have no fear that I will break this pact!
The striving of my whole strength
Is precisely what I promise.
[…]
Let us plunge into the roar of time,
Into the rolling stream of events!
There pain and pleasure,
Success and vexation
May alternate as they will;
Only through restless action does man prove himself.
MEPHISTOPHELES:
No limit and no goal are set for you.
If it pleases you, taste everywhere,
Snatch something even while fleeing;
May whatever delights you agree with you.
Only seize it—and don’t be dull!
[…]
MEPHISTOPHELES (in Faust’s long robe):
Despise but reason and knowledge,
Man’s highest powers;
Let illusion and magic works alone
Strengthen you through the spirit of lies—
Then I have you utterly.
[…]
I’ll drag him through wild living,
Through shallow insignificance;
He shall twitch, gape, and cling,
And before his greedy lips
Food and drink shall hover for his insatiability.
He will beg refreshment in vain;
And even had he not given himself to the devil,
He would still be bound to perish.
I will bind myself here to serve you,
At your mere nod I shall not rest nor pause;
And when we meet again beyond this life,
You shall do the same for me.
FAUST:
That “beyond” concerns me little;
If you first smash this world to ruins,
Another may arise thereafter.
From this earth my joys well up,
This sun shines on my sufferings;
If I can only part from them,
Then let what will and can occur.
[…]
MEPHISTOPHELES:
In that spirit you may dare it.
Join with me; and in these days
You shall gladly see my arts.
I’ll give you what no human ever saw.
FAUST:
What would you, poor devil, give?
Was ever the human spirit, in its lofty striving,
Grasped by one of your kind?
Yet you have food that does not satisfy,
You have red gold that, without rest,
Like quicksilver runs through your hand,
A game no one ever wins,
[…]
Show me fruit that rots before it’s picked,
And trees that green themselves anew each day!
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Such a commission does not frighten me;
With such treasures I can serve.
But, good my friend, the time will also come
When we may calmly feast on something good.
FAUST:
If ever I lie content upon a bed of ease,
Then let that be the end of me at once!
If you can ever flatter me with lies
So that I am pleased with myself,
If you can deceive me with enjoyment—
That shall be my final day!
I offer you the wager!
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Agreed!
FAUST:
And hand to hand!
If ever I say to the passing moment:
“Stay! You are so beautiful!”
Then you may bind me in chains,
Then I will gladly perish!
Then let the death-bell toll,
Then you are free of your service,
The clock may stop, the hand may fall—
For me, time shall be no more!
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Think it through well—we shall not forget it.
[…]
FAUST:
You even demand something written, pedant?
Have you never known a man—nor a man’s word?
[…]
What do you want from me, evil spirit?
Bronze? Marble? Parchment? Paper?
Shall I write with stylus, chisel, quill?
I give you every choice.
[…]
MEPHISTOPHELES:
Blood is a very special fluid.
FAUST:
Have no fear that I will break this pact!
The striving of my whole strength
Is precisely what I promise.
[…]
Let us plunge into the roar of time,
Into the rolling stream of events!
There pain and pleasure,
Success and vexation
May alternate as they will;
Only through restless action does man prove himself.
MEPHISTOPHELES:
No limit and no goal are set for you.
If it pleases you, taste everywhere,
Snatch something even while fleeing;
May whatever delights you agree with you.
Only seize it—and don’t be dull!
[…]
MEPHISTOPHELES (in Faust’s long robe):
Despise but reason and knowledge,
Man’s highest powers;
Let illusion and magic works alone
Strengthen you through the spirit of lies—
Then I have you utterly.
[…]
I’ll drag him through wild living,
Through shallow insignificance;
He shall twitch, gape, and cling,
And before his greedy lips
Food and drink shall hover for his insatiability.
He will beg refreshment in vain;
And even had he not given himself to the devil,
He would still be bound to perish.
