Chapter II: Part 2

I am refreshed.... Thus long ago, in my most desolate hour, I was refreshed by draughts from the deep springs Of light. Beneath a pipal tree I sat In lost despair; and thither to me came A pilgrim; and he glanced into mine eyes With sight that read the sickness of my soul, And sat beside me, and in measured words Like far-off song told me this parable:

The Buddha came to where the sea Curled silver-white upon the land, And murmurs of infinity Breathed on the sand.

And there lay shells like rosy foam Borne from the caverns of the deep, Frail playthings drifted from the home Of timeless, tideless sleep.

And on the sand a Fisher stood, Drying his nets that late had seen The silent caverns of the flood And all the wastes between.

The Fisher lingered in his place With countenance of mild surprise, And looked upon the Buddha's face With dumb, uncomprehending eyes.

And Buddha spake: "Thy nets are drawn, Thy boat rocks idle on the sea, Thy day turns westward, and is gone.... Come thou with me."

The Fisher marvelled: "I must toil With nets and shells among the caves, To win the sea's unwilling spoil From the harsh waves."

And Buddha answered: "Cast no more Thy nets upon the troubled sea, Nor gather shells along the shore. Come thou with me.

"Thou drawest shells and curious flowers From out the blue untrodden caves. Thou seest the passing of the hours. Thou hearest the clamor of the waves.

"Thou openest the shell where lies The pearl more white than driven spray-- And trackless past thy vision flies Each passing day.

"But I will teach thee not to stir The shell nor flower in its sleep. For thou shalt roam the sepulchre That chasms all their native deep.

"And vain desire, like terror grown Deep in the chambers of thy breast, Shall be from thee forever flown, And thou shalt rest.

"No search for pearls shall blind thy thought, Nor waves, with clamorous harmonies. But in the silence where is naught Thou shalt behold the One that is.

"And where the days now speed like foam Across thy vision, there shall be For thee a vast eternal home-- An Infinite Sea."

The Fisher looked on Buddha dumb-- Looked deep into that tender gaze-- Those eyes within whose depths had come And gone the sorrows of all days.

He looked uncomprehendingly, And wearily he shook his head; And turned once more to drag the sea, Knowing not what the Buddha said.

FAUST

The cup again! The Holy One is faint.

OLDHAM

He speaks a miracle!...

THE HOLY ONE

And then I knew That pilgrim as a saint, whose lips revealed The glory of the Buddha. I beheld My life one poisoned network of desire And fleshly longing and pain-sowing hope-- The evil self seeking its happiness And shaping horror. And I cast away Myself, and cried: What am I but a dream, A wave within the sea, a passing cloud Upon the radiance of eternity? All yearning will I slay, and slay therewith The sorrow that succeeds it!...

So the lust Of life passed from me; so the narrow I Merged in the infinite, from hope set free-- Heritor of Nirvana's holy calm, Wherein the voices of the heart's unrest Are stifled, and the soul expands to clasp Joy, nothingness, eternity and peace.

FAUST

Peace.... Peace.... Like bells from upland monasteries You speak the word that summons us. But where In peace is room for all once-towering hopes-- Nay, even for the wrecked and prostrate monoliths That mark those fallen pylons?

THE HOLY ONE

Let the earth, Ravenous of her young, these too devour, And dust and nothingness engulf their shapes-- Vain burdens, bitter monuments.

FAUST

And where Shall I find deeps wherein without a sound I can extinguish my wild will that leaps Flamelike to meet the stars?

THE HOLY ONE

In that deep sea Hid in thy breast. Seek thou that tide of calm, For it lies there awaiting.

FAUST

Can it be That life's whole burden may be cast aside And named as nothing, and its memory Perish forever? In the summer nights, Comes there no stealing ecstasy to stir The old forgotten longings?

THE HOLY ONE

In the night And in the day, one ecstasy abides Ceaselessly with the heart that has put off Desire--one ecstasy of final calm. All other voices seem harsh clamorings.

OLDHAM

Ah, Holy One, lead me thy way of peace! For I am weary of my heart's vain wars. My life is as a desert, where desire Corrodes me ceaselessly. Instruct my soul To follow thee home to the gulfs of rest! That, in renouncement of this bitter will, It find at last deliverance it has sought.

THE HOLY ONE

My son, thou hast spoken; thou shalt come in time To that abode. The Buddha's light shall guide Both thee and me, poor seekers. Bide with me; And what I know, that shalt thou freely know, And my peace shall be thy peace....

SATAN

Faust, the gates
Admit one form already.

FAUST

Ah, the gates Are pearl and silver.... Would that there were space Within them for such fevered heart as mine-- That with the restlessness of stormy winds Beats on its barriers!

THE HOLY ONE

There is room for all Whose souls renounce the world and life and hope To gain that soundless silence.

OLDHAM

Faust, I feel, Transfused with light and glory, that deep peace Awaiting. There shall perish like a flame The passions which have seared my tortured soul All my life long. They die; and nothingness Like a cool flood sweeps over me. Ah, come Where never storm shall smite!

FAUST

I see the gates; I see the cool breast of the silvery flood Of refuge and oblivion.... Fare you well, Oldham, and light go with you! For I go, Alas, not with you....

OLDHAM

Faust, Faust, turn not back! I, who am casting all desires in dust, To one desire still cling: I long that joy Of such deliverance fill you as fills me On this first step of the sublime ascent.

FAUST

I see the light that waits you on the peak; And my heart follows you. But my stern soul Plucks me yet back with cold insistency I cannot master.... Go! If I could pray, My prayers should follow you. My visions shall; My love shall fold you. But I cannot come Where you shall go; I cannot cast aside All that I surely know--this pitiful And shattered mortal life, with its strange gleams And shadows--and embrace the icy void Where Being trembles on the final verge. To bid life cease--but linger as the moon Lingers in heaven--ah, that is horrible Beyond life's proper horrors!... Were my pain A single atom greater--were my soul A single breath more weary--I would come. But now I must confront the winds of heaven Still master of my destinies.... To the last, Not in such tomb-world can my spirit rest. No golden clouds that throng Nirvana's gates Shall tempt me there to enter and resign My right to strain beyond all gates that be.... But you I cannot counsel....

OLDHAM

Me the peace
Already laps with wavelets of the flood.

FAUST

The flood is sundering us.

OLDHAM

Farewell, farewell, Belovèd friend. I with the Holy One Henceforth am linked; and grief shall follow me In what should be your footsteps.

FAUST

Have no grief. In the vast deeps of life's salt bitter sea Perhaps awaits my anodyne, to heal Life's wounds....

OLDHAM

Farewell! I go to paradise.

[_Oldham and the Holy One move slowly away
together, pass through the colonnades, and
disappear into the forest. Faust follows with his
eyes their retreating figures._

SATAN

You do not know a paradise when you see it! Some day, when I have time, I'll start a school To give instruction to great minds like you-- Débutant!

FAUST

Ah, I had forgotten you....
Two men are worth a thousand devils still.

SATAN

I overrated you. Now get you gone Before I call the savagery that sleeps Here in the jungle to annihilate you For your unparalleled stupidity.

FAUST

Stupidity or no, I have one word Still to say to you, my malicious friend: To heel!

SATAN

What!

FAUST

Aye, to heel, I say! Crouch down And follow me, my hound and servitor From this hour forth!

SATAN

You have grown very witty.
Your wit, however, does not please me.

FAUST

Please you! There are few things that I desire less. To heel!

SATAN

What fiends possess you? Ah, I see! You are still thinking of that wager made, That jest of ours.

FAUST

I am still thinking of it.

SATAN

You do not mean that now you wish to claim That forfeit seriously?

FAUST

I mean quite that.

SATAN

What an amazing man you really are! For your own sake, I tried to offer you A splendid paradise; I brought you here At infinite cost and trouble; you have had An hour of insight and experience New and instructive to you; your best friend Has found eternal bliss: and now you turn, And just because your uttermost crazy whim Is not quite satisfied with what he grasped Thankfully, you revert, with sorry taste, To my old careless generous remarks. I do not think your friends at home would call it A sporting attitude.

FAUST

The jungle shakes-- Do you not hear it?--with the stifled, choked Laughter of leopards, elephants, hyenas, Rhinoceroses, apes, pythons, and tigers, Who hear you and are overcome with mirth.... I also laugh with them.

SATAN

Magnanimous Your laughter sounds! True, you have beaten me, And I am at your mercy. By some whim, Trick, technicality, your mind rejects A noble paradise; and to my pledge You therefore are entitled. And I stand Ready to pay it.

FAUST

Ah, at last we have Acknowledgment of it! Frankness is good Even for the Devil, Satan.

SATAN

I have been Frank with you always. And, if to your taste, I will be franker still. Your stake is won; You have your triumph: but does it quite fill The chambers of your heart? Will it suffice In place of that bright paradise you dreamed Might be your gain as loser? Ah, my friend, In copper you have won, but lost in gold! And victory will not requite for that Your empty treasury.

FAUST

Not empty quite;
You are too modest.

SATAN

Oh, if you choose, my pledge Shall be fulfilled, and I will be your dog-- Snarling a little, sometimes--snapping at Your friends and furniture and lady-loves-- But yet your dog. However, I can do Better for you than that....

FAUST

Enough! Enough!

SATAN

But hear me! You'll admit, a feather's weight, A hair's breadth only held you from the gates That Oldham entered. Almost they sufficed Your spirit; yes, a moth's wing could have blown You toward them! 'Twas so nearly I fulfilled All that I promised. Therefore when I speak, You will, for justice's sake, concede I am No absolute bungler, no coarse-palated Plebeian, as to paradises.

FAUST

No.
I will admit that.

SATAN

Good! Now, I would make
One final offer to you.

Faust, I know In other regions, beneath other skies, One haven more, the only one of earth That can be judged in glory to surpass This paradise you entered not. My faith Is absolute that it is to your need Utterly moulded. Like your heart itself, Its halls are structured, destinate for you As perfect refuge. And I say to you: Give me the leave, and I will lead you there For one supreme and ultimate trial of choice That has no doubtful outcome. And my pledge Shall still be valid! If this refuge gives Not all that you desire, you still may claim My service as your slave. Thus do you risk No atom, but have gain of one last chance To win the paradise you hunger for!

FAUST

A pleasing logic; but I do not trust The mind behind it.

SATAN

Trust it, or distrust--
What matter?--when the issue is so plain!

FAUST

Away! Away!

SATAN

Well, if this hope is vain To urge you, let despair serve in its stead As roweled spur. For see where now you stand: The mock of destiny--the man who lost All joys of the bright many that the world Cherishes! Aye, and even lost his friend, His one deep lasting friend--and stood thereafter Fixed like a donkey.... Though I led you on From paradise to paradise, and none Sufficed you--that were surely better sport-- Testing and trying with sublime contempt-- Than finger-twirling! But not thus I lead. For now you shall, you shall have paradise!

FAUST

Deep in my soul, there is a sense that loathes Pacts with the Devil. Yet the sanctioned powers Established in the world have proved them void And ignorant of paradise.... Where lies it?

SATAN

Follow, and I will lead.

FAUST

A long path?

SATAN

Yes.

FAUST

On! But your bondage waits you at the end.

SATAN

Ah, jester, jester!... Come--give me your hand!

CURTAIN

THE THIRD ACT

_The scene is the nave of a great cathedral. Two rows of many-shafted columns stretch back to where, in the far background, rises the elaborate magnificence of the High Altar.

The nave is empty, except for an occasional figure moving at the far end of the long central aisle, and an occasional attendant in sacerdotal robes making ready the Altar.

Faust, entering from the right, and Satan, entering from the left, meet in the foreground. Satan is dressed in the dark robes of a priest._

FAUST

I care not for your masquerade attire; But let that pass.... Well, I have kept your hour. And this perhaps is not unfitting place To make confession that you weary me A little. In this running to and fro Over the earth, my inclination tires Of your companionship. I am resolved, If three days' time brings forth no new event, To end this, and reclaim you to obey My will.

SATAN

I am content; three days will serve.

FAUST

Good! Meanwhile, 'tis at least some recompense That we return from airy Eastern domes Glittering in blank sunlight, unto lands Where men erect their temples to the gods In forms whose light and shadow, stress and play Of arch and buttress, satisfies my blood Better than does barbaric loveliness. The dome that poises its clear perfect curves Rising above the palm-trees, with the look As of a wingèd bubble lightly resting On needless masonry--that symbolled form Of heavenly perfection never fills My heart as do these knotted buttresses And writhing ribs and vaults that strain in fight-- And are victorious, as they raise to heaven The climbing spires of such an edifice.

SATAN

Quite right--but if you'll let me interrupt-- There is a woman yonder who, I think, Is waiting for a chance to speak to you. She looks at you, and hesitates, and turns-- As though a little fearful to approach So great a person.

FAUST

Where is she? I see.
I wonder if I know her.

SATAN

She is coming.

[_A young woman, hardly more than a girl, comes
from between the pillars and approaches Faust.
Satan withdraws a little as she approaches._

THE WOMAN

I did not want to interrupt your talk; But, Mr. Faust, I wished so much to speak To you. You do not know me?

FAUST

Why, it seems...

THE WOMAN

Of course you do not; why should you remember? But I have seen your face so many times When you perhaps not noticed me at all, That I feel half-acquainted. Mr. Brander Speaks of you, too, so much that I have grown To think I know you.

FAUST

Ah; yes, Brander....

THE WOMAN

Still I have not told you who I am, and you Do not yet know me. I am Mrs. Brander.

FAUST

What! Mrs. Brander! Ah, delighted ... yes....

THE WOMAN

You had not heard that we were married?

FAUST

No. Of course, I am astounded; it's delightful-- And most surprising.

THE WOMAN

It was very sudden--
While you were gone.

FAUST

I see. Yes, I'm surprised And charmed. It's strange, at first I could not bring You to my memory.

THE WOMAN

I don't believe
That you can yet!

FAUST

Why....

THE WOMAN

I don't wonder at it. I used to whisk about and peer at you As you came in....

FAUST

Are you then ... then are you ...
Midge?

MIDGE

Yes! exactly.

FAUST

This is very charming. Now I remember perfectly, of course, Dear Mrs. Brander! I shall hope to see Brander himself to-morrow. Give him, please, My warmest wishes.

MIDGE

We shall hope to see you In our apartment soon. It's very tiny And in a quite unfashionable street; But it looks out across a bit of park To westward, as I've always hoped it would. Some days the sunset lights are lovely there. You must come look at them.

FAUST

Thank you--indeed
I shall be very glad to!

MIDGE

And I know-- How shall I say it?--that you'll think me strange, And that I cannot ever be your friend As Mr. Brander is. I know so little--

FAUST

Dear Mrs. Brander!

MIDGE

But I am so eager That you should give me just a little trial-- I want so much to know you, and so much He should not lose you....

FAUST

Why, you make me feel
Quite like a monster!

MIDGE

Then you'll come?

FAUST

I'll come!

MIDGE

Good-bye--and don't forget me.

[_Midge gives him her hand, and moves away
smiling._

FAUST Well, of all Impossible, grotesque, outrageous tricks That Brander could have played upon himself! Married--the fool, the fool!--And yet she is Curiously sweet and fresh, that kitchen-maid.

SATAN

Are you quite through?

FAUST Quite, thank you.... It is strange.... But I forget; you are not interested. What is it you would say now?

SATAN

I have things Graver to speak of than admiring ladies Or Gothic architecture. Here, to-day, Unto your doubting eyes there shall be made A revelation of profounder scope Than aught that life has brought you.

FAUST

The hour strikes Tardily; I am wearier than I was When on this trial we entered.

SATAN

You have looked Askance at me these many days, perplexed To reconcile the fountains of my will With my strange acts, and with the dark report That you have heard concerning me. Dear friend, Be you not angry, now I say to you In full confession, that from day to day I have deceived you: I have hid my face Even from my friend: I have with doubtful mask In alien guises tempted you, to try Your metal. But the hour of trial is past; The event is sure; and now I ope my heart And show to you what few of living men Have guessed--my final secret.

FAUST

Play no tricks. Before me, Satan; try no mumming game. If you speak truth, let riddles cloak it not.

SATAN

Listen, and be truth's judge. I am not such As men esteem me; and my spirit's springs Rise not from buried and infernal realms, But like your own, out of the fount of God They have their being. I, though lowliest far, Yet am a servant of the House of God-- Deputed to mine office by His hand, And on His mission.

FAUST

You are trifling with me.

SATAN

I speak the gospel of the living God.

FAUST

Are you not Lord of Evil? God doubtless asks That service of you?

SATAN

God is infinite, Likewise His wisdom. His omniscience wills That I go forth among the haunts of men And offer evil to their touch. Thereby, Some spurn me--and the force whereby they spurn Lifts them up nearer to His arms. Some take The sin I offer, fall from grace, go down-- And lost in fathomless gulfs of wickedness, Cry out with utter yearning to His love That it may save them, and repentant turn Their prodigal faces toward His doors again, Never to wander more. But some few souls, Who neither spurn temptation nor repent After their fall--these unregenerate It is mine office wholly to destroy And cleanse the universe for the praise of God. Thus does all evil serve His mighty throne, And all return to Him.

FAUST

I have no power To take the measure of the words you speak. Why tell me such things?

SATAN

I would tell you all And show to you at last your destiny. The vanities of the world, the woes and sins, Are but the acid by whose fiery touch I sort the gold from out the transient brass And purify and fine it that it be Worthy God's altar. My belovèd friend, Such was your trial; thus have I tempted you With things averse to God, with forms and faiths Outcast and separate from Him. You have seen The whole world's vanities; you have come to know That in this world's illusion is no power Whose love is refuge: even the living death Of cold Nirvana frights you. Thus at last, Knowing that you are powerless, and the world Bare of salvation for your feebleness, You stand on this great threshold; and your eyes That see despair and loneliness shall raise Their sight to heaven; and peace shall fold you round; And God, who is our Father, shall be yours.

FAUST

This is not truth! My fevered eyes are weak To look into this glowing maze of fire With vision. All the ramparts of the world Reel round me. I have scoffed God all my days, Believing pain--your province of the world-- Proof of His non-existence. And you come Crying His glory, testifying His faith, Exhorting me to seek Him.... I am lost Where naught is known to me.

SATAN

He is your hope, Your sole salvation in a universe Where never other form shall comfort you-- A waif except for Him. So have all souls-- The holy and the pure--from age to age, Learned, homesick for His home. Their frustrate hopes, Their burdens heavier than by mortal strength Can be sustained, their impotence, bow down Each spirit: and it cries: "O God, support My helplessness; unto Thy perfect will Do I resign my vain and evil hopes, My burdens; and Thy Will Be Done Forever." Thus, with arms folded on despairing breast, With head bowed to the inscrutable decree, They seek Him: and a sudden glory fills The humbled bosom; all His stars and thrones Shine down upon it; all His majesty Enters that lowly door, lifts up, sustains The sundered soul; and His beneficence With more than father-love enfolds the heart Joined to His own forever. From His light Reflected radiance pours; to the dark sight Comes glimpse of the high justice of God's will; And all roads lead to Heaven, and all hearts lie Within His love, and all's well with the world.

[_Deep organ music begins to roll through the
arches of the cathedral. Candles are lighted one by
one on the High Altar. Worshippers begin to enter
the nave: they pass down the long central aisle
and gather in groups at the far end, near the
Altar. Faust stands leaning against a pillar,
silent and lost in meditation.

Brander enters among the worshippers. He passes the spot where Faust is standing, glances at him and stops, astonished._

BRANDER

You have come back! I had not heard of it. Where have you been these many months? I long To talk with you.

FAUST

Yes, come and see me soon. It's a long story.... I congratulate you Upon your marriage....

BRANDER

Then you know....

FAUST

She came
And spoke to me a little while ago.

BRANDER

It must seem strange to you beyond my power Ever to quite unravel. But for me All things are clear; and to my blinded sight Morning has come--in this thing, as in all The doubts that once enslaved me.

FAUST

Do you mean...

BRANDER

Come here aside before the service starts. I owe it you to tell you. I have changed In your long absence....

FAUST

These are curious words.
I do not understand.

BRANDER

To understand, You must hear all. You know my life--how vain Its occupations, how absorbed I moved In this day's folly and to-morrow's lure-- How petty trifles made my whole small round Of being--selfish trifles, nothing worth, Stained with a cruelty that I would forget. That night we talked together--you and I And Oldham--in your rooms, I wandered home Sorely distressed. For you had stirred in me A gnawing doubt whether the whole of life Was not mere child's play.

FAUST

I am sorry if--

BRANDER

It was the kindest act man ever did In all my life! I peered into my heart: I saw myself Judas to innocence, Betraying lightly with a careless kiss A mortal body and immortal soul; I saw no thing in all my days to claim A sane man's approbation; one by one Each glittering bauble that I late had loved Crumbled to dust beneath the parching fire Of reason.... And that night, I walked in Hell.

FAUST

Poor Brander! And my mocking did all this?

BRANDER

Thank God for it! That night I saw my joys Like some rank thicket of bright vanities Masking a precipice. A sense of sin And loathing overcame me, and the power Of utter terror filled me. I beheld The evil riot of gross earthy things That had o'ergrown me. Like a burden lay That sense upon me, and it pressed me down To a despondence deep beyond all words, Beyond all thought. And no escape I saw Except the bullet....

FAUST

What a faith we pin
Upon that bullet!

BRANDER

Thus the doubtful days Passed like a nightmare. Till, one Sabbath morn, As restlessly I paced, some random mood Led me to enter this cathedral's doors At hour of service. As I knelt, with lips Unknown to prayer, the mighty music rolled Over my heart like an all-purging flood, And a voice chanted: "He that loveth life Shall lose it; he that hateth this world's life Shall keep the life eternal." And a voice Shortly thereafter sang, in angel tones: "Come, let our feet return unto the Lord; For He hath torn, and He will heal us." And My soul cried: "Yield thy burdens to the Lord, Upon His love cast thine unworthy self, And bid His Will Be Done."

And then my soul Melted as in the warmth of His embrace. My guilt was gone like night before the sun: Light blinded me; an infinite love and joy Lifted me up, a child again, from earth Into such regions as my mortal speech Can never utter. And from that hour forth, God has been with me.... Now you know my tale.

FAUST

You teach me more of marvels than I guessed Was yet unlearned by me.

BRANDER

No words can teach These marvels to a heart that has not known God's glories.

FAUST Then this mystery of the heart Is what men mean when of the faith of God They speak? I thought 'twas dogma, service, prayer; But this is life, is vision.

BRANDER

Aye, and more! Now do I walk in meadows of calm light; The love of God is over me; I faint Almost beneath its sweetness and wild joy. My whole heart's toil is how to merit it Even a little.

SATAN (_raising his hand to bless_)

By the grace of God
You shall be worthy servant, O my son.

FAUST

This, then, is what God's vision-seers behold-- This revelation veiled unto mine eyes-- This love unfelt by me--this light of dawn Beyond our darkened night.... I was too far Estranged from Him, of too unworthy will, Bowed by too sore a burden....

[_The music of the organ rolls forth once more;
and, at the far end of the nave, the choir takes up
the music._

VOICES SINGING

From the waters of Zion,
From the fountains of peace,
Pour the floods on whose bosom
Thy seeking shall cease.

There the winds of His garments
Shall lull thee to rest.
There the night of His watching
Shall enter thy breast.

Thou shalt sleep, and awaken;
On His morrow, to be
As a star in His heavens,
A wave in His sea.

FAUST

With old, profound, unutterable grief My spirit speaks in me: as, many a time In childhood, at the hour of evening dusk, When all the room was still and shadowy, I, at my mother's knee, wept out my heart And knew not why I wept. And I am drawn Out of myself upon the music's tide, With nameless sorrowing, with childlike pain-- As though in careless play-hours of the day I had done hurt to someone that I loved. Ah, I am homesick; and in all the world There is no knee at which I can weep out My loneliness. There is no breast of peace And silence and forgiveness for this child In any dusk-strewn chamber....

BRANDER

There is God!

FAUST

O God, can Thine arms fold me? Can my weight Of loneliness and failure and despair With the day's fruitage, find a child's release In Thy great tenderness? I am a child; And life's vast terrors gather round my soul; And I am frightened. I am weary, Lord! It darkens; and the storms creep on with night; The shadows come; the wanderer would turn home.

[_Faust falls to his knees; he bows his head. Again the organ throbs, the choir sings._

VOICES SINGING

To His peace shalt thou yield thee;
In His love shalt thou sleep;
All the rills of thy valleys
Shall merge in His deep.

To His hands shalt thou offer
All hope thou hast known.
His hope and His glory
Shall compass thine own.

And the vain stars of longing
Shall fade in His sun;
And the vain hand shall stay;
And His Will Shall Be Done.

SATAN

Let us beside our brother kneel in prayer Beseeching mercy.

[_Satan and Brander kneel beside Faust._

BRANDER

Brother in the Lord, Let us together from devoted hearts Repeat: "Thy Will Be Done."

[_Faust continues to kneel in silence. The music
ceases._

BRANDER

Faust, let us pray:
"Father, we do beseech Thee for Thy light"...

SATAN

Brother, pray thus: "Thy Will Be Done"...

FAUST (_rising_)

What will?...

BRANDER

Faust!

FAUST

Lost is my way among eternal shadows. Darkened is every light; and clouds are rolled With blackening curtain over all the stars Within my heaven. But I stand upright Now to the end, no traitor to that dawn I cannot image.

SATAN

What do you mean?

FAUST

Begone,
Judas!...

Ah, Brander, would that I could yield Myself to Him who has received your burdens! But to me seems it as another sleep, Like that Nirvana which I put aside In other gardens of temptation. Sleep-- Sleep that should have no waking--happy sleep-- An anodyne for which my spirit yearns But dare not take--a yielding to some Will, Whose Will, we know not, nor do greatly care So long it be not our will....

Thus may yield The weary; I am weary, but not yet To such last slumber. Thus may yield the base; I am not base. Thus may those spirits yield Who, poisoned by some madness in their blood, Despise life's being; but not yet will I So utterly despise it. Though in gulfs Of yet unsounded ruin I should die At the end miserably, I still shall seek In life itself my refuge: not in God That stands apart from life, on heights of peace. All my desires, my visions, my dreams, my unrest, My loathing and my longing will I clutch And cry: "With all its bitterness on my head, _My Will_ be done, not Thy Will!"

BRANDER

Blasphemy!
Ah, Faust, what madness!...

FAUST

With calm sight, I speak No blasphemy, but truth. Shall I buy peace So easily? Toss my burdens to God's Will-- Into the fathomless void of that unknown? Such were the last, the great apostacy.... I go into a darkness past your thought-- Into an emptiness you know not of-- A night profounder that it late has held Marsh-lights of promise. My last altar lies Smoking in ruins; and I stand alone Of all the universe. But my Will be done! My errant tortured Will, my bitter Will, _My_ Will, _my_ Will!

BRANDER

Flee, ere the awful wrath Of God smite down these walls, these poisoned stones, That hear your words! Flee, ere the heavens rain forth Lightnings to blast us for these horrors!

FAUST

Nay! In this dim hour of desolation's reign Upon my soul, I summon to my soul All powers that good or evil may consign To the most lonely man in all the world; I lift my voice, burdened with all the weight Of loathing and of longing, and I cry: My curse upon Thee, lure of dying hearts! May lightnings smite Thy altars back to earth!

BRANDER

Father, forgive! He knows not what he does....

CURTAIN

THE FOURTH ACT

_The scene is a public lecture-hall. To the left rises a platform, on which stands a reading-desk. To the right are rows of chairs arranged as for an audience. In the front row of these sit four old men, patiently and silently waiting. One is reading a newspaper.

Suddenly there bursts into the hall a rout of wildly gay and dancing maskers: Harlequin, Columbine, a Pig, Pantaloon, an enormously tall Ghost, Clowns, a Skeleton, Ballet-girls, Oriental Princesses, Monks, Courtiers, Turks and Jew Pedlers. The first few attempt to draw back on seeing the chairs and the four old men; but they are pushed on by those behind. Once in, they all circle about in a crazy dance, singing over and over the same verse._

THE MASKERS

Oh, children, children, New Year's Day Is more than half a year away. And we might get most awful dry If we should wait for the Fourth of July. So let us celebrate now and here With rah, rah, rah and a bottle of beer!

[_One of the maskers, who is dressed as a clown,
raises his hands, ineffectually trying to hush the
rest._

CLOWN (_shouting_)

Stop! Stop! I want to teach another verse To you before we go back to the others.

[_Loud laughter. The song continues._

THE SKELETON (_shouting_)

Isn't one bad enough?

CLOWN

A poor thing--but
It is mine own.

THE PIG

So much the worse for you!

ONE OF THE OLD MEN (_rising_)

Gentlemen! There's to be a lecture here.

CLOWN

Is that all? Well, I'll give it you myself.

A MONK

Not if we see you first!

THE PIG

My God! Let's run!

SKELETON

Back! Or the others will drink all the punch!

[_The mob of maskers turbulently surges out again,
leaving the hall quiet and empty except for the
four old men._

AN OLD MAN

They are a noisy lot.

SECOND OLD MAN

Yes.

THE FIRST OLD MAN

There must be
Party upstairs?

SECOND OLD MAN

Yes, I suppose there is.

FIRST OLD MAN

They begin early.

THIRD OLD MAN

Early? Yes, or late. This is the end of last night's party, which Began at twelve, and likely'll last till noon. I know, for I'm the janitor.

FIRST OLD MAN

Well! Well!

[_Two men enter, look around and take seats in the
chairs set for the audience. One carries a small
black surgical case; the other has a green bag
under his arm._

DOCTOR

We seem to be a little early--or Have we made some mistake?

LAWYER

No, ten's the hour. But I was anxious that we should be prompt, And so have rather overdone our haste.

DOCTOR

It doesn't matter; we can wait a bit. How curiously impatient, though, you are To hear this talk! I personally have doubts Whether it's worth our trouble.

LAWYER

Well, I know The man, however slightly; you do not, And so can hardly share my expectation. But he has been, throughout these many years, So secretive, so self-contained, so deep In matters that I could not guess, that now, When he at last promises to proclaim Some strange discovery, I half believe It will be worth our coming.

[_Two women enter together. The younger one is
leading a child by the hand. The older, a gaunt,
spinsterly-looking figure, peers about with a
near-sighted glance._

MERCHANT'S WIFE

Take that seat.
And now be quiet.

CHILD

Mother, will he have
The Devil with him?

MERCHANT'S WIFE

I don't know. The child Has been completely crazy since I told her That I would bring her with me.

OLD WOMAN

I am just A little curious myself. I learned When I was young all that they thought was known About the Devil; and if this Mr. Faust Has really made some new discovery About him, it seems well that even the young Should be informed of it.

[_A number of detached men and women enter and take
seats silently. They are followed by two plumbers
in overalls, carrying the tools of their trade
still with them._

YOUNG PLUMBER

Whew, but the boss will skin us for this trick!

OLD PLUMBER

Go, if you like. But I intend to stay. I have not been, through seventeen long years, Philosopher myself, now to let slip A chance of hearing such a talk as this.

YOUNG PLUMBER

Oh, I won't go.

OLD PLUMBER

You'd better not. They say That all the rumors wholly underrate The real importance of his talk to-day. I've been informed, on good authority, That he will have the Devil on the platform And publicly enchain him to a cart For all of us to see.

[_The two plumbers have taken their seats. A man
behind them leans forward now and interrupts them._

BUTCHER

What's that? A cart?
He means to drive the Devil as a horse?

OLD PLUMBER

Quite probably, quite probably.

BUTCHER

Well, that Will be outrageous, in these troubled times Of strikes and lock-outs. Without any doubt, If he goes trying to harness up the Devil, It will precipitate a teamsters' strike. Using non-union horses always does.

YOUNG PLUMBER

Do you think that? Why, that would be a shame, When times are bad already.

CHILD

Mother, Mother!
Will there be moving pictures?

MERCHANT'S WIFE

I don't know.
Don't talk so loud.

[_Two prosperous-looking men enter. One is elderly,
the other young._

BANKER

Do not apologize Now that you've brought me. As I said at first, I am prepared to see a mountebank Perform his pretty tricks of eloquence To set the crowd agape. Why, once a week The Ethical Society hires one To work the same performance--quite the same Each time. Unearth a few forgotten doubts, Or dig your elbow into some new dogma, And you will see the mob fawn at your feet, Believing you the greatest mind since Plato.

RICH YOUNG MAN

I'm sure he isn't that kind.

BANKER

We shall see!
And afterwards, the drinks shall be on you.

[_A gawky young man who has flour in his hair, and
a vivacious and pertly dressed girl enter
together._

GIRL

I go to all the lectures that I can. I do think culture is the grandest thing; And one acquires it so easily Nowadays that one shouldn't let it slip.

BAKER

I'd go to lectures, too, if I could go Always with you.

GIRL

Well, now, perhaps I'll try
To educate you!

BAKER

Oh, I wish you would!

[_Satan enters, dressed as an artisan. He takes a
seat in the far corner, out of sight of the
platform. Two young men enter. Both have books
under their arms._

YOUNG STUDENT

His is the subtlest mind I ever knew. The gulfs through which he whirled bewildered me When he would talk. So I am quite prepared For a great treat to-day.

YOUNGER STUDENT

Oh, I forgot
My note-book. Can you tear a sheet from yours?

SATAN (_to a man beside him who rises, apparently tired of waiting_)

What, going? Well, I wouldn't, if I were you. You ought to hear this: I have had a hand In getting him to speak; and I am sure There will be something doing.

THE MAN

Well, I'll stay,
Since you, of the committee, vouch for it.

[_More people enter and take their seats._

YOUNG PLUMBER (_to his companion_)

What do you get by being philosopher? I don't see how you do it. I could never Think about nothing all the time, like you.

OLD PLUMBER

Perhaps your mind is not just made for it. It takes a thinker, that it does. And I Did not get into it so easy, either. I read a lot of books before I saw The greatness of Philosophy. Now I wonder How I got on without it. Why, to-day I could not clean a sewer in peace of mind If I did not know that, when I got home, I could philosophize on Space and Time.

YOUNG PLUMBER

It must be wonderful to know these things.

[_Brander and Midge enter together. They seem to
find some difficulty in choosing their seats._

MIDGE

Are you quite sure that we can hear him here?

BRANDER

Yes; and besides, I do not wish to sit Too near the front. I'd rather not have come At all to-day. But you...

MIDGE

Oh, don't go back Now on your promise! I must hear him speak. I must, I must. I cannot tell you why; I do not know. But I have never seen A face that seemed to promise me so much-- Things that I cannot utter, cannot think.

BRANDER

I never want to see his face again. I shall try not to listen.

CHILD

Mother, when
Will the show start?

MERCHANT'S WIFE

Hush, very soon! Yes, see--
There he is coming in.

CHILD

Oh, goody, goody!

[_Faust enters the hall and mounts the platform. He
busies himself for a moment adjusting the reading
desk; then turns toward the audience, gripping the
desk steadily, and waits a moment more for the stir
to subside._

FAUST

I come before you with unwilling lips-- Not led by eagerness, or wont of speech; Being not of those who easily proclaim Small miracles to move you. But the force Of grave necessity has bid me cast All thought save one aside, and in your midst, Utter strange words, with lips that must obey The soul that wills not silence.

For I come Announcing not the common verities Of learned books, or laboratory lore, Or ancient heresies; as speaks the fool, So speak I--from my heart. What I have seen, That shall you see, and with grim gladness hold Close in your hearts. Yes, all the world shall see it-- I am a tower burning to light the world!

(_He pauses a moment, meditatively_)

OLD WOMAN (_whispering_)

He has a good opinion of himself.

FAUST

I have beheld the toil and pain of life, Its emptiness and defeat; I have beheld Hearts, weary with recurrence of the days That held no sweetness, turn in trust to where In high aërial spaces far from earth God in his heaven to all the weary ones Offers a refuge. And in such a mood Was I, too, led toward heaven by one whom now I know my foe--Satan. Toward God I turned, Seeking in Him fulfilment of all hopes That earth had thwarted. Then, in the hour of prayer And revelation, from my deepest breast Flashed lightnings. And I saw the Lord of Hosts High on a mountain, inaccessible To yearning men, who, mastered by a dream, Turn skyward from our dark and struggling earth. I saw the crafty Satan urging on The heavenward-yearning myriads, while the world Lay like a stagnant quagmire, to his sway Wholly abandoned, and man's mortal house Burned in fierce conflagration of corruption. And lo! the lightnings from my heart smote forth Across the heavens; and God dissolved like cloud, And through the cloud peered Satan's sinister face.

Friends: God is dead; your God and mine is dead. And Satan in his place--Satan who is The father of the gods--lures on your hearts Unto an idol in the untrodden skies, That, while ye dream oblivious in the void, The earth may crumble. Or if God there be, He is the God of dying hearts and spent-- A deity of chaos, for whose ends One thing alone is mete--ruin of life, Of loathings and of longings that on earth Restlessly grapple with the powers of Hell. I know not if in regions yet unguessed Some gods may dwell, of nature fit to guide Us, the adventurers of an earthly fight. But I have seen with eyes that cannot lie That they reside not in this Devil's net-- This heavenly trust, this labyrinth of peace, Which draws men on to nothingness....

And I cry With all the passion of my baffled soul-- Cast down your God! Cast down your peace and trust In His far Will! It is a solace mete For slaves, not men. With bitter hand, destroy This idol of destruction! Smite all haunts Of faith and resignation and defeat And rest and peace and comfort. Heaven and earth Alike are poisoned: somnolence in heaven, Decay on earth is regnant. Every faith And law and nation must in wreck go down For us who see the death that taints their halls; And ruin shall walk reckless through the world, Destroying tombs where life is daily slain!

(_Faust pauses_)

BRANDER (_rises suddenly from his place in the audience_)

My friends, I came to listen, not to speak. But when such words as these from impious lips Fall lightly, I must rise here to refute Their poisonous message. Three days since, I stood With this man in the sacred halls of God, And witnessed in his heart the glory grow Of God's bright hope. Then suddenly from Hell, Or from his own deep, labyrinthine heart, Sprang fiends to snatch him back from heaven's clear gate And God's deliverance. And his bitter lips, By thirst so nearly quenched made bitterer yet, Cried blasphemies against the powers of heaven And all bright starry hopes that light our days With faith and glory. And the hand of God, Inscrutably withheld, smote him not dumb, But suffered him to go. Now in our sight He rises to proclaim his searing doubt, His hot destroying passion, and tears down Our fairest altars. I, who was his friend, Hereby renounce him; and in sober words Counsel all men to flee the company Of one who hates the great hopes of the world!

[_As Brander sits down, there is some scattered
applause in the audience. Faces are turned toward
him. Midge sits motionless, her face buried in her
hands._

FAUST

I scarce foresaw that my laborious task Should profit by the aid of willing hands So freely offered. Well, the Devil moves still Unchained on earth; and while he toils, your toil Is of small matter. You have ranged yourself With things fast dying; and our feet--the feet Of trampling hordes--shall pass above your head, As we shall pass over all creeds and laws, All stately chambers and respected homes And hearths and council-halls and sleek vile marts-- We, the destroyers of destruction!

BUTCHER

Here!
Don't you go shaking any fist at me!

GIRL

I think it's awful. Someone ought to stop him.

MERCHANT'S WIFE

The man is crazy!

OLD PLUMBER

Say! Would you destroy
Space and Time, too?

YOUNG PLUMBER

Hooray for hell broke loose!

BUTCHER

Out with him! He's an anarchist!

BANKER

I'm not
Religious; but I cannot stand for that.

YOUNG STUDENT

Oh, let him have a chance!

BUTCHER

Not if I know it!
Damn such a man!

[_Satan suddenly rises in his place with commanding
gestures. The people stare at him, and after a
moment are silent to hear him speak._

SATAN

My friends, I think we all-- Or most of us--agree that talk like this Is a destructive influence, to be met With frowns, in justice to society. Such words disgrace humanity, affront Respectability, and fill with shame Our hearts for such a speaker. Yet the rogue Requires but rope to save the law the toil Of trial and execution. I bespeak, Therefore, your patience for this gentleman; Till he has time to wind the hempen knot Securely round his throat, let us sit by And hear him further.

FAUST

Thank you. You begin
Well in my service.

SATAN

Aye, indeed, indeed! You don't suppose a mouse-trap baits itself? Friends, let us hear him.

RICH YOUNG MAN

That sounds sensible.

YOUNG PLUMBER

Let each dog have his day.

OLD PLUMBER

Sit down! Shut up!

YOUNG PLUMBER

Leave me alone!

SATAN

One moment more, I pray, Of your kind patience. Sir, ere you proceed, I have a word to give you. I have heard Tales of your cleverness in foiling twice The Devil who sought to lead you to resign Your will to his. Perhaps it was not well That you so spurned his euthanasia. By your own devious path, you come at last To where all facts are vain, all visions fade, And your old wager is a laughing-stock, So valueless your will, so vain your power To shape one end of hope. Life crumbles, falls, Around you; and your kind with horror see Your utter nakedness. But I have brought A little present for you: not so nice As two the Devil once offered in its place; Yet 'twill suffice. Men who would cheat the Devil Come, with a curious unanimity, To where the lump of lead becomes a boon Unto the soul rejecting easier sleep. The Devil claims his own in his own day.

(_He approaches the platform, and offers to Faust a
pistol_)

YOUNG STUDENT

What is he saying?

CHILD

Are they going to shoot?

YOUNG PLUMBER

Bang yourself one! That's what it's for.

BUTCHER

Good riddance!
There isn't room on earth for jokes like you!

FAUST (_accepts the pistol_)

In such a spirit as you offer it, I do accept this token. In my hand At least it shall lie safe, nor be a god: I worship not the bullet.... But beware What mummer's part you play in this strange scene. For by the victory I have won of late, I am your master! And in grovelling dust Before me you shall cringe, though all the world Shun me, your conqueror. Vilest of slaves! Accept your servitude!

BUTCHER

Here! That's enough!

GIRL

You brute!

SATAN

Your slave. Command, and it shall be Fulfilled. A little snarling now and then Means naught.

YOUNG PLUMBER

I will not let an honest man, A worthy citizen, be spoken to Like that by a damn anarchist while I Can raise a hand!

BUTCHER

Nor I!

MERCHANT'S WIFE

Go after him!

FAUST

Silence! Let not your eager efforts prove You are the beast-herd he would bid you be!

YOUNG PLUMBER

What! Let us show him how to talk to us!

SATAN

See, on his forehead, see! Where the deep lines Meet--do you see the blackened cross that grows Each moment darker with the curse of God! He is branded, he is Cain!

FAUST

Down, slave! Fulfil Now my command, you who my bondsman are! Seal on these eyes--too blind to take the light-- Darkness! And let me, turning from them, know They have not peered into my open heart. You are still my slave--though they are only fools.

YOUNG PLUMBER

Damn your infernal soul!

BUTCHER

Hit him a crack!

OLD WOMAN

Stop all your noise.

BUTCHER

Here, let me go, you fool!

[_Suddenly aroused, some of the crowd surge forward
toward the platform. From the back of the room
someone hurls a chair, which strikes the great
chandelier: the lights instantly go out, leaving
the hall in total darkness. Confused cries,
footsteps, blows._

CRIES

What're you about?... Let go!... Where are the lights?...

[_Suddenly two wall-brackets are illuminated,
disclosing part of the crowd massed on the
platform. As they surge back, there remains on the
platform, fallen and motionless, the figure of
Faust. He raises his head slowly._

FAUST

Ah, Satan!... worthy serf to my command!... Go! I release you. For I would not die With such a slave-- Nay, though I die alone....

[_Suddenly the door bursts open, and in surge the
maskers, in greater numbers and even wilder tumult
than before. Dancing grotesquely, linked hand in
hand, they zigzag through the hall, overturning
chairs and singing at the top of their voices._

THE MASKERS

Oh, children, children, children dear, We cannot wait for any New Year. So let us celebrate now and here With rah, rah, rah and a bottle of beer!

CURTAIN

THE FIFTH ACT

_The scene is once more Faust's library. The dim slanting sunlight of late afternoon streams through the open windows, touching the gold of books and the brown of furniture with an enamel-like brilliancy.

Brander and Faust's butler stand just inside the door._

BUTLER

I am afraid you cannot see him now. The doctor is still here. I do not know If anyone may see him.

BRANDER

I will wait A moment, and perhaps may see the doctor As he goes out. Have things been bad to-day?

BUTLER

Yes, sir.

[_The doctor enters from the door on the left. The
butler goes out._

BRANDER

How is he?

DOCTOR

As one might expect. The fever's gone; but strength has gone with it: No one can tell how long his heart will stand The strain.

BRANDER

You see no hope?

DOCTOR

I only see That we are doing all we can for him. Beyond that, I can say no more than you.

BRANDER

You think I should not see him?

DOCTOR