University of Virginia Library

SCENE XXIV.

A Dungeon.
Faust
(with a bunch of keys and a lamp, at a small iron door.)
Unwonted horror holds me in thrall,
The anguish of all mankind now clutches me.
Here dwells she, here behind this sweating wall,
And her one crime, deluded innocency.
Going to her, thou loiterest here!
To see her again fills thee with fear!
On! while thou tremblest, Death lurks for his fee.

(He grasps the lock. Singing heard within.)

My Mother, the whore,
She has murdered me,
My Father, the rogue,
He has eaten me!
My wee Sister, my own,
Bore every bone
To a cold house of clay;
And then a pretty wood-bird I'm grown;
Fly away! fly away!

Faust
(unlocking the door.)
She bodes not that her lover is listening near,
The clanking chain, the rustling straw can hear.

(He enters.)
Margaret.
They come! oh bitter death! Woe's me!

Faust
(speaking low.)
Peace! peace! I come to free thee here.

Margaret
(crouching before him.)
Art thou a man, feel for mine agony!

Faust.
Thy shrieks will wake the Guards from sleep, I fear.

(He grasps the fetters to unlock them.)
Margaret
(kneeling.)
Thou Hangman, who this power and right
Over me could give?
Thou tak'st me now, 'tis but midnight,
Have pity on me, and let me live!
Were't not time enough when Matins are rung?
I am so young, I am still so young!
(She stands up.)
And now must die!
Fair was I too, my ruin came thereby.
My Love was near, now he is far away:
Torn lies my wreath, its flowers scattered for aye.
Lay not thy grip with such force on me!
Spare me! What have I done to thee?
Let me not pray in vain for grace,
In all my life I have never seen thy face!

Faust.
Can I endure this harrowing sight!

Margaret.
I am in thy power, forsaken quite.
Let me but nurse my child again.
I hugged it to my heart all night;
They stole it, to make me sick with pain,
And now they say I murdered it outright!
And never again, shall I be glad, I know.
They sing bad songs about me! 'Tis cruel of folks, in sooth!
A sad old story ended so,
Who points its truth?

Faust
(falling on his knees.)
Here at thy feet I kneel, thy friend,
Thy fettered misery to end.

Margaret
(throwing herself into his arms.)
Oh! let us kneel, cry to the Saints in prayer!
See! under that stair,
Under the threshold's tiling
Hell now is boiling!
The Evil-One,
With dreadful grimace,
Makes horrible noise!

Faust
(loudly.)
Gretchen! Gretchen!

Margaret
(listening intently.)
That was my Lover's voice!
(She springs up. The chains fall off.)
I heard him calling! Ah! where is he?
I am free! No one shall hinder me
To his neck will I fly,
On his breast will I lie!
He called “Gretchen”! He stood at the door
Through the howling of Hell, through its clatter and roar,
Through the fury of Devils, who mocked my moan,
I knew it, that sweet, that dear loving tone.

Faust.
'Tis I!

Margaret.
'Tis thou! Oh say it once again!
(Embracing him.)
'Tis he! 'Tis he! Where has flown all pain?
Where is the torture of chain and cell?
'Tis thou! Come to save me, all's well!
I am saved!—
Again the dear street I can see,
Where for the first time I saw thee,
The pleasant garden too,
Where I and Martha awaited you.

Faust
(trying to get her away.)
Come with me! Come!

Margaret.
Oh stay!
Gladly I'll stay, here where thou stayest.

(Caressing him.)
Faust.
Hasten!
If thou delayest,
I tell thee we shall rue it sore.

Margaret.

(She turns away from him.)
Faust.
Come, follow me dearest, courage now!
I'll clasp thee with thousandfold passion, I vow;
Come, follow me only, I beg thee but this!

Margaret
(turning to him.)
Is it then thou? Is it thou for sure. Oh bliss!

Faust.
'Tis I! Come with me!

Margaret.
Thou hast loosed my chain,
Wouldst take me on thy lap again
How comes it thou dost not shrink from me?—
Knowest thou then, my friend whom thou wouldst free?

Faust.
Come! come! Deep night is growing pale.

Margaret.
I murdered my Mother, 'tis an old tale,
I drowned my child—Ah me!
Was it not given to me and thee?
Thee too—'Tis thou! I scarce trust this.
Give me thy hand! No dream it is!
Thy own dear hand—Ah me, but it is wet!
Wash it away! I think there's yet
Blood thereon!
Ah God! What hast thou done?
Put thy sword away,
I beg of thee!

Faust.
Let what is past be past indeed I say!
Thou slayest me.

Margaret.
Nay, thou must live, not die!
I'll describe how the graves must lie:
These be thy care.
When morn shines fair:
Give to my Mother the best plot,
There my Brother beside her lay,
Me farther off; but not
Too far away.
And my little one here upon my right breast.
No one else shall lie by me!—
Once by thy side to nestle to thee,
That was the dearest, the sweetest bliss,
But never again taste this I may;
It seems I must force on thee my kiss,
As though thou pushest me away;
Yet thou look'st good and kind, and art, I know.

Faust.
Feel'st thou 'tis I, come let us go!

Margaret.
Out there?

Faust.
Into the free air.

Margaret.
Is the grave out there?
If Death lurks there, then come!
Hence to the eternal bed of rest,
No step further for me—
Thou goest forth? Heinrich, could I go with thee?

Faust.
Thou canst! Will but to go! The door stands open.

Margaret.
I dare not go; for me there's no more hoping.
What boots to fly? They are lurking there for me.
It is so wretched to beg one's bread,
With evil conscience, sins on one's head,
It is so wretched in foreign lands to roam
And they would catch me, though far from home.

Faust.
I'll stay with thee.

Margaret.
Quick! quick! from that wave
Save thy poor child, ah save!
Off! keep to that way,
Up by the brook
Over the bridge,
Through the woodland grey,
Left, where the plank stands,
O'er the pool
Quick! catch it fool!
It strives to rise,
It struggles still!
Save it! save it!

Faust.
Summon wits and will!
A single step, and thou art free!

Margaret.
Were we but past those hills there—see!
There sits my Mother upon a stone,
It chills my scalp with dread!
There sits my Mother on a stone,
And shakes at me her head;
She becks not, she nods not, her head is heavy and sore;
She slept so long that she woke no more.
She slept that we might have our bliss.
Those times were happy, I wis.

Faust.
Naught boot my entreaties, naught all I say,
I'll risk it, carry thee away.

Margaret.
Loose me! No force will I suffer now!
Grip me not, so murderously!
Once I did everything for love of thee.

Faust.
The day dawns! Dearest! dearest!

Margaret.
Day! Yes, it grows light! the Last Day hastes for me,
My wedding-day it should be!
Tell no one that with Gretchen thou hast been,
Alas! my crants
Are torn in twain!
We shall see each other again;
But not in the dance.
The crowd is gathering, no word is spoken.
Through square and lane
They are thronging amain.
The bell tolls, and the staff is broken.
How they seize me and bind me!
To the blood-stool I am snatched away.
Now sweeps o'er all the necks behind me
The sword brandished for mine to-day.
Dumb lies the world as the grave!

Faust.
Oh had I ne'er been born!

Mephistopheles
(looking in.)
Up! or you're lost! Day's dawning.
This useless trembling, tarrying and prating!
My horses are shivering and waiting.

Margaret.
What rises where earth is yawning?
He! He! Send him away!
In this holy place what seeks he for prey?
He wants me!

Faust.
Thou shalt live!

Margaret.
Judgment of God to thee myself do I give!

Mephistopheles
(to Faust.)
Come! come! I'll leave you both in the lurch I vow!

Margaret.
Thine am I, Father! Save me now!
Ye Angels, ye Heavenly Host!
Camp round me now, or I am lost!
Heinrich, I shudder at thee.

Mephistopheles.
She is condemned!

Voices from Above.
Saved!

Mephistopheles.
Here to me!

(Vanishes with Faust.)
Margaret
's voice from within dying away.
Heinrich! Heinrich!