B00ARI2G5C EBOK (38 page)

Crowding over to their right;

Their main force, by this intrusion

On its left, is in confusion.

So our centre, thrusting hard

To its right, now finds their guard

Lowered; quick as lightning-flash

There it strikes, and with a splash

As of stormy waves, those powers

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Rage as equals, theirs and ours.

How magnificently done!

Now this battle we have won!

THE EMPEROR
[
on the left, to
FAUST]
.

Over there, it seems to me,

Our men falter. I can’t see

Rocks being thrown. They were to hold

That high ground! The pass is sold!

Look! The enemy outnumber

Us by far, and now they clamber

Up the cliff, and force their way

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Nearerstill!—This fateful day,

Crowns an impious campaign

With success! Your arts are vain!

[
A pause
.]

MEPHISTOPHELES
. Here come my ravens; they will tell

Bad news. Things can’t be going well

With us; I wonder what they’ve seen.

THE EMPEROR
. Why have those ugly birds come here?

Like black-sailed ships to us they steer,

Straight from the cliffside battle scene.

MEPHISTOPHELES
[
to the ravens]
.

Perch close, and croak into my ears.

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Those you protect need have no fears;

Good counsellors you have always been.

FAUST
[
to
THE EMPEROR]
.

You will have heard of doves that fly

From distant countries through the sky

Home to their nests to brood and feed.

These are indeed dissimilar:

The pigeon-post serves peace, in war

The raven-post makes better speed.

MEPHISTOPHELES
. Disaster threatens you: look there

At our cliff-hanging heroes! Their

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Position has grown perilous.

The enemy has gained much height,

And if they take the pass, things might

Go very seriously with us.

THE EMPEROR
. So you have tricked me at the last!

A dreadful net now holds me fast,

And you enticed me into it.

MEPHISTOPHELES
. Courage! All’s not yet lost. With wit

And patience we’ll still find a way;

The darkest hour precedes the day.

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My messengers are swift and true:

Let me command your troops for you!

THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
[
approaching]
.

Sire, these are allies of your choosing.

I never liked it; now we’re losing

The war, thanks to their jugglery.

This battle’s broken, I can’t mend it;

These two began it, let them end it.

I hand back my authority.

THE EMPEROR
. No, keep your staff for better days;

Our fortunes yet may change. I rather

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Shrink from this creepy fellow and his ways;

I don’t like his tame ravens either.

[
To
MEPHISTOPHELES.]

I can’t give you the staff; somehow

You don’t seem quite the proper man.

But take command, and save us if you can.

I’ll let things take their own course now.

[
Exit into the tent with
THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF.]

MEPHISTOPHELES
. Good luck to him with his stale old stick!

That thing’s no use to us, my friend;

It had a cross stuck on one end.

FAUST
. What must we do?

MEPHISTOPHELES
. It’s done!—Be quick

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Now, my black servant-cousins, and take wing

To the mountain lake: my greetings to its daughters,

And I’d like an appearance of their waters.

Those nymphs, by some arcane womanish wonder,

Can make Being and Seeming come asunder,

So that you’d swear the illusion’s the real thing.

[
A pause
.]

FAUST
. Our ravens must have won the hearts

Of the lake-ladies by their flattering arts;

Look, there it comes, a trickling stream.

In many a dry bare rocky place it gushes;

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It grows and widens, swirls and rushes.

Their victory’s become a dream.

MEPHISTOPHELES
. Their bold rock-climbers now are meeting

A strange and disconcerting greeting.

FAUST
. Now torrents multiply in downward course,

Disgorged from gorges with redoubled force;

A stream becomes an arching waterfall,

Then all at once, caught by the cliff’s wide ledge,

It rushes foaming sideways, edge to edge,

And drops cascading to the valley’s call.

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The enemy bravely but vainly strives

To stand upright, engulfed in monstrous waves;

Even myself such dreadful floods appal.

MEPHISTOPHELES
. I can see nothing of these watery lies;

They take effect only on human eyes.

But I can relish this unnatural brawl:

Hundreds of men in panic, running round

With silly swimming motions on firm ground!

Poor fools, they think they’re being drowned,

Though they’re on dry land, snuffling safe and sound.

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Confusion overwhelms them all.

[
The ravens have returned
.]

To our high Master I’ll speak well of you.

Now, if you would yourselves be masters too,

Then hasten to that glowing smithy where

The dwarf-folk, toiling tirelessly,

Strike sparks from stone and metal. There,

Using the same persuasive flattery,

Ask for a show of fire: a burst, a blaze,

A scintillation, such as plays

Within our Master’s mind. The distant flicker

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Of the sheet-lightning, starlets falling quicker

Than thought, are any night’s displays:

But lightning shimmering through the tangled wood

And stars that hiss across wet earth—these should

Still have some power to amaze.

Take no great pains then, but just ask, in fact

Just give the dwarves my orders so to act.

[
The ravens fly off; the prescribed phenomena take place
.]

MEPHISTOPHELES
. Dense darkness now engulfs the foe,

They grope and stumble as they go;

False fires beset them every way they turn,

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Or sudden flashing lights that burn

Their eyes out. Beautiful, indeed!

Now a tremendous noise is all we need.

FAUST
. Those hollow warriors from dead armouries,

The fresh air seems to strengthen them—I hear

Them clanking, rattling loud and clear

Up there: what strange discordant sound it is!

MEPHISTOPHELES
. Quite so! Now there’s no holding them; those knights

Bang away, fighting ceremonious fights,

As in the dear old times they used to do.

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Now empty greaves and brassards clash

Like Guelphs and Ghibellines, swift and rash

Their ancient quarrel they renew.

In the long-wonted ways set fast,

They are implacable to the last;

Their hubbub’s spreading far and wide.

These devil’s feasts, say what you will,

Thrive best on partisan hatred still;

Fine horror-fare it can provide.

Now hear it roar! The cliffs resound

With hideous shrill satanic sound,

And all in panic dread are bound.

[
Warlike tumult in the orchestra, finally giving way to triumphant martial music
.]

[
A throne, rich furnishings. Enter
BAGGER
and
SNATCHER.]

SNATCHER.
So here we are, the first to come.

BAGGER
. Faster than ravens flying home.

SNATCHER
. Ah, what a treasure-house we’re in!

It’s endless: where shall we begin?

BAGGER
. The whole room’s full, it’s fit to burst;

I just don’t know what to take first.

SNATCHER
. That rug would be the thing for me;

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I often sleep so wretchedly.

BAGGER
. Here’s a steel morning star, a thing

I’ve always longed to hold and swing.

SNATCHER
. A scarlet mantle hemmed with gold!

This is a thing my dreams foretold.

BAGGER
. I like this weapon; one quick blow,

Out come the brains, and on you go.

Why are you packing all that stuff?

There’s nothing there that’s good enough.

Just leave the junk behind! Our best

Plunder would be that treasure-chest.

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Its belly holds the army’s pay

In gold: let’s spirit that away.

SNATCHER
. But who’s to carry, who’s to lift?

This weight the devil himself won’t shift!

BAGGER
. Bend down, be quick about it, stoop!

Your back is strong, I’ll hoist it up.

SNATCHER
. Oh God, I’ve done it now, oh God,

My back has cracked under the load!

[
The chest drops and bursts open
.]

BAGGER
. There’s the red gold, spilt on the floor.

Quick, pick it up, pick up some more!

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SNATCHER
[
crouching down]
.

Quick, pick it up yourself and fill

My lap with it! We’ve plenty still.

BAGGER
. Enough now; hurry!

[
She stands up
.]

To hell with it!

Your apron’s sprung a leak, it’s split!

You’re wasting treasure, scattering, sowing

It all behind you as you’re going.

GUARDS
[
of our Emperor, entering]
.

What are you doing here? Who are you?

This is State property: how dare you!

BAGGER
. We risked our lives and limbs for you,

We want our share of booty too.

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An enemy tent’s fair game, by rules

Of war; we’re soldiers and not fools.

GUARDS
. That’s not our way of thinking; we’re

Soldiers, not thieving riff-raff here.

Our Emperor’s served, we’d have you know,

By honest men.

BAGGER
. Oh yes, quite so;

Your honest trade we understand.

It’s known as: living on the land.

Soldiers are all in the same game:

War contributions is its name.

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[To
SNATCHER.]

Get on with it, take what you’ve got.

Who’s welcome here? I see we’re not! [
Exeunt
.]

FIRST GUARD
. Why didn’t you give him a good clout

To shut him up? Insolent lout!

SECOND GUARD
. I don’t know, but I’d got a scare

Somehow; they’re like two ghosts, that pair.

THIRD GUARD
. My eyes went queer, all flickering

It was, I couldn’t see a thing!

FOURTH GUARD
. What’s happening I can’t rightly say.

It’s been so sultry-hot all day,

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Stuffy and close, scary as well.

The one man stood, the next man fell.

We stumbled on and fought by luck:

An enemy died each time we struck.

You couldn’t see through that strange mist,

And your ears hummed and drummed and hissed.

So it went on, and we’re here now,

And we ourselves, we can’t tell how.

[
THE EMPEROR
enters with four princes
*
The
GUARDS
withdraw
.]

THE EMPEROR
. Well, be that as it may! The enemy has run Away into the plains, the battle has been won.

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Here stands the empty throne, and cluttered round it lies

Treasure that traitor stole, wrapped up in fineries.

By our own noble guards defended, we await

The nations’ envoys here, in our imperial state.

Good news comes from all sides: the Empire’s said to be

At peace again, and all swear fealty to me.

We did perhaps employ some trickery in these wars,

But in the end we fought only for our just cause.

Chance can help soldiers win their battles, as we know:

A meteor falls from heaven, or blood rains on the foe,

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Or rocky caves resound with dreadful symphony

Which lifts one’s spirits but confounds the enemy.

Our adversary fell, whom all will now deride;

The glorious victor thanks God who was on his side.

All join in this
Te Deum
, though no command was given;

A million voices sing their gratitude to Heaven.

Yet chiefly my own heart, I find, deserves high praise,

And to it now, for once, I turn my reverent gaze.

A young and lively prince wastes days from his life’s store,

But as the years go by, values each moment more.

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Therefore, to save my house, my court, my empire too,

I bind myself at once, four worthy lords, to you.

[
To the first
.]

Our army was well served, prince, by your dispositions;

Wise and heroic too your timely bold decisions.

Be active now in peace, as present time demands:

I place the Sword of State, Lord Marshal, in your hands.

THE IMPERIAL LORD MARSHAL
. Your loyal troops, till now embroiled in civil strife,