Dedication
You are here again, changing shadows,
have been troubling me for a long time,
Will you finally find your embodiment?
Or has my youthful enthusiasm cooled down?
But you came like smoke, visions,
Fog covered my horizons.
I catch your breath with all my chest
And next to you my soul becomes younger.You have resurrected past paintings,
Old days, old evenings.
An old fairy tale emerges in the distance
The first time of love and friendship.
Pierced to the very core
The melancholy of those years and the thirst for goodness,
I am everyone who lived on that radiant noon,
Again I remember gratefully.They won't hear the next songs,
To whom did I read the previous ones?
The circle that was so tight fell apart
The noise of the first approvals has faded.
The voice of the uninitiated is light,
And, I admit, I’m afraid of their praises,
And the former connoisseurs and judges
They scattered, all over the place, among the desert.And I'm chained by an unprecedented force
To those images that surged from outside,
The Aeolian harp sobbed
The beginning of stanzas that were born in the rough.
I'm in awe, the languor is over,
I shed tears, and the ice inside me melts.
The urgent fades into the distance, and the past,
As it gets closer, it becomes clearer.
Theatrical introduction
Theater director, poet and comic actor
Director
Both of you, amidst everyone's misfortunes
Those who gave me luck,
Here, with my traveling troupe,
What kind of success do you expect me to have?
My audience is mostly anonymous,
And our support in life is the majority.
The pillars of the platform are dug in, the boards are knocked down,
And everyone expects God knows what from us.
Everyone raises their eyebrows in anticipation,
Preparing a tribute of recognition in advance.
I know them all and I undertake to light them up,
But for the first time I was overcome with such anxiety.
Although their taste is not spoiled,
They read an incalculable amount.
To immediately show the product with your face,
A new product must be introduced into the repertoire.
What could be more pleasant than crowds,
When people rush to the theater
And, in jealousy reaching the point of recklessness,
Like the doors of heaven, storming the entrance?
There are no four, but clever sneaks,
Making a way with your elbows in a crush,
Like going to a baker for bread, going to the cashier
And they are happy to break their necks for a ticket.
The wizard and the culprit of their influx,
Poet, accomplish this miracle today.
Poet
Don't tell me about the crowd guilty
The fact that in front of her we are taken aback.
It sucks like a quagmire
Spins like a whirlpool.
No, take me to those heights
Where does concentration call?
To where God's hand created
Abode of dreams, sanctuary of peace.What will those places bring to your soul?
Don't let it burst into your mouth right away.
Secular vanity will dispel the dream,
Vanity will trample under its heel.
Let your thought, when it ripens,
It will appear to us completely clean.
External shine is designed to last a moment,
But the truth passes on through generations.
Comic actor
They told me enough about posterity.
If only I would give effort to posterity,
Who would amuse our youth?
In accordance with the century, being is not so small.
The delights of a generation are not a trifle,
You won't find them on the street.
The one who is not deaf to the whims of the public,
Treats her without prejudice.
The wider the circle of our listeners,
The more contagious the impression.
A person can't go wrong with talent.
Connect only in each role
Imagination, feeling, mind and passion
And a fair amount of humor.
Director
And most importantly, drive the action
Live, episode by episode.
More details in their development,
To capture the attention of onlookers,
And you defeated them, you reign,
You are the most the right person, you are a magician.
To deliver a good collection to the play,
It requires a prefabricated composition.
And everyone, choosing something from the mixture,
He will go home, saying thank you.
Put all sorts of things in the feeding bowl:
A little bit of life, a little bit of fiction,
You succeed at this kind of stew.
The crowd will turn everything into okroshka,
I can't give you better advice.
Poet
Sprinkling vulgarities is a great evil.
You are not aware of this at all.
The craft of mediocre scoundrels,
As I see, you are held in high esteem.
Director
Fortunately, your reproach passed me by.
Based on carpentry material
You take the right tool.
Have you thought in your work,
Who is your work intended for?
Some people go to a performance out of boredom,
Others - having lunched to the fullest,
And others – feeling severe itching
Show off a judgment taken from a magazine.
How crowds wander around masquerades
Out of curiosity, for one moment,
Ladies come to us to show off their clothes
No engagement fee.
A self-intoxicated celestial being,
Come down to earth from the clouds!
Take a closer look: who is your audience?
He is indifferent, rude and clueless.
He will rush from the theater to the roulette wheel
Or into the arms of a flighty coquette.
And if so, I am seriously surprised:
Why torment the poor muses without benefit?
Pile into a heap, sliding on top,Whatever comes along for variety.
It is impossible to amaze with an excess of thought,
So surprise with the lack of communication.
But what happened to you? Are you ecstatic?
Poet
Go, look for another slave!
But your power over the poet is weak,
So that he has his sacred rights
Because of you, I criminally mixed him with dirt.
How do his words touch your heart?
Is it only thanks to a loud phrase?
The structure of his soul is in tune with the world -
Here is this secret power being.
When nature spins the yarn of life
And the spindle of time turns,
She doesn't care if the thread runs smoother
Or with a hitch fiber.
Who gives, aligning the spinning wheel,
Then acceleration and smoothness of the wheel?
Who brings into the noise of pathetic disunity
A chord of euphony and beauty?
Who brings feelings of confusion closer to the storm?
Who is sadness related to the sunset by the river?
By whose will does the flowering plant
Does it drop petals on those who love?
Who crowns the feats? Who is the defense
To the gods in the shadow of the Olympic groves?
What is this? – Human power,
The poet spoke openly.
Comic actor
Use it for its intended purpose.
Take care of your business of inspiration
The way love affairs are conducted.
How are they led? By chance, I missed it.
They are friends, sigh, sulk, - a minute,
Another one, and the bonds are ready.
A disagreement, an explanation - a reason is given,
There is no retreat for you, you are having an affair.
Imagine us exactly such a drama.
Rake straight from the thick of life.
Not everyone is aware of how they live.
Whoever grasps this will carry us away.
Into a fermented fable
Throw in a grain of truth,
And it will be cheap and angry
Your drink will seduce everyone.
Then the color of selected youth
Will come to look at your revelation
And he will draw with grateful trembling,
Whatever suits his mood.
No one's eyes will be able to remain dry.
Everyone will listen with bated breath.
And cry and laugh without delay,
The one who is young and yellow-throated can do it.
Who has grown up is gloomy and picky,
Anyone who still needs to grow will understand everything.
Poet
Then give me back my wonderful age,
When everything was ahead
And in a continuous procession
Songs were surging from my chest.
For the first time the world lay in fog,
And, rejoicing in the miracle in everything,
I picked wild flowers,
Growing all around.
When I was poor and rich,
He lives by truth and is glad of falsehood.
Give me back my untamed spirit,
Days of torment and days of bliss,
The heat of hatred, the heat of love,
Bring back the days of my youth!
Comic actor
Ah, my friend, you need youth,
When you fall in battle, weakening;
When gray hair cannot save
And girls hang themselves around their necks;
When at a running competition
You must be the first to reach the goal;
When at a noisy young feast
You spend the night dancing and having fun.
But put your hand into the strings of the lyre,
With whom you are inseparable all the time,
And don’t lose the thread
In a topic freely chosen by you,
Mature summers are just in favor here,
And the saying is like a frail old man
Towards the end it falls into childhood - slander,
But we are all children until the grave.
Director
Enough salon chatter.
It’s not for us to weave pleasantries.
Why bow down in vain?
We could come to something worthwhile.
Who waits in inaction for inspirations,
Will wait for them until the end of days.
Do you want to thunder in poetry?
Deal with her in your own way.
I told you that it is for our good.
You cook your mash.
No talking about the boiler!
The day was missed, the day passed, -
You won't get back what you lost.
Catch on the go, at work
A convenient case for a crest.
Look, on the German stage
They're frolicking to their heart's content.
Tell me - the prop man will give you
All the necessary equipment.
You will need overhead light -
You burn as much as you like.
In the elements of fire and water,
And there is no shortage of others.
In this plank booth
You can, as in the universe,
Having gone through all the tiers in a row,
Descend from heaven through earth to hell.
Lord
Then come to me without hesitation.
I am never an enemy to someone like you.
Of the spirits of denial, you are the least of all
He was a burden to me, a rogue and a merry fellow.
Out of laziness, a person falls into hibernation.
Go, stir up his stagnation,
Turn around in front of him, languish, and worry,
And irritate him with your hot temper.
(Addressing the angels.)
You, children of wisdom and mercy,
Admire the beauty of the eternal firmament.
What fights, suffers and lives,
May love and participation give birth to you,
But these transformations in their turn
Decorate with unfading thoughts.
The sky is closing. The archangels part.
Mephistopheles
(one)
How calm and soft his speech is!
We get along without spoiling our relationship with him.
A wonderful trait in an old man
It’s human to think about the devil this way.
Part one
Night
A cramped Gothic room with a vaulted ceiling. Faust sits sleeplessly in a chair behind a book on a folding stand.
Faust
I mastered theology
Poored over philosophy,
Jurisprudence hammered
And he studied medicine.
However, at the same time I
He was and remains a fool.
I'm a master's degree student, I'm a doctorate student
And I've been leading you by the nose for ten years
Students, like a book reader,
Interpreting the subject this way and that.
But it cannot give knowledge,
And this conclusion gnaws at my heart,
Although I am smarter than many grips,
Doctors, priests and lawyers,
It’s as if they were all confused by the goblin,
I won’t be in a hurry before the devil, -
But I also know my worth,
I don’t indulge in arrogant thoughts,
What a beacon I am of the human race
And the world is entrusted to my care.
Didn't gain honor and goodness
And I didn’t taste how spicy life is.
And the dog would howl with such a life!
And I turned to magic,
So that the spirit appears to me when called
And he discovered the secret of existence.
So that I, ignoramus, endlessly
No more posing as a sage,
I would understand if I were alone,
The universe has an internal connection,
Comprehended all that exists at its core
And he didn’t get into any fuss.Oh month, you got used to me
Meet among papers and books
In my nightly labors, without sleep
In the corner by this window.
Oh, if only your pale face were here
It caught me for the last time!
Oh, if only you from now on
Met me on the heights of the mountains,
Where are the fairies and elves in the fog?
Playing hide and seek in the clearing!
There, there is dew at the entrance to the grotto
I would wash away the stain of scholarship!But how? In spite of my blues
I'm still in this kennel
Where access to light is blocked
Colored window painting!
Where are the dusty volumes
Piled up to the ceiling;
Where even in the morning it’s half-dark
From the black burning of the night light;
Where the fathers' belongings are collected in a heap.
This is your world! Your father's blood!And another question for you,
Where does this fear come from in your heart?
How did you bear it all?
And I didn’t wither away in captivity,
When forcibly, in return
Living and God-given forces,
Yourself among these dead walls
Are you surrounded by skeletons?Get up and run without looking back!
And those accompanying you on this journey
Take the creation of Nostradamus
Don't forget the mysterious.And you will read in the movement of the stars,
What can happen in life?
The growth will fall from your soul,
And you will hear the spirits speak.
Their signs, no matter how much you gnaw,
Not food for dry minds.
But, spirits, if you are close,
Answer me this call!
(Opens the book and sees the sign of the macrocosm.)
What delight and strength, what pressure
This mark is born in me!
I come alive looking at the pattern
And again I awaken sleeping desires.
Which god invented this sign?
What a cure for despondency
Gives me a combination of these lines!
The darkness that tormented the soul dissipates.
Everything becomes clear, just like in a painting.
And now it seems to me that I myself am God
And I see, taking apart the symbol of peace,
The universe from edge to edge.
Now it is clear what the sage said:
“The world of spirits is nearby, the door is not locked,
But you yourself are blind, and everything in you is dead.
Wash yourself in the morning dawn, like in the sea,
Wake up, this is the world, enter it.”
(Looks at the image carefully.)
In what order and agreement
Work is underway in the spaces!
Everything in stock
In the untouched corners of the universe,
That's a thousand winged creatures
Alternately serves
Each other in golden tubs
And it scurries up and scurries down.
What a sight! But woe is me:
Just a spectacle! With a vain groan,
Nature, I'm on the sidelines again
Before your sacred womb!
Oh, how can I extend my hands?
To you, how to fall on your chest,
To cling to your bottomless keys!
(With annoyance he turns the page and sees the sign of the earthly spirit.)
I love this sign more.
The spirit of the earth is dearer to me, more desirable.
Thanks to his influence
I rush forward as if drunk.
Then I bet my head
I'm ready to give my soul for everyone
And I know for sure that I won’t be afraid
In its hour of fatal collapse.The clouds are swirling
The moon has set
The fire of the lamp went out.
Smoke! The red beam glides
Around my forehead.
And from the ceiling
Trembling
It smelled like a grave horror!
Desired spirit, you are scurrying around here somewhere.
Show up! Show up!
How my heart aches!
With what force the breath was taken away!
All my thoughts merged with you!
Show up! Show up!
Show up! Let it be worth your life!
(Takes the book and pronounces a mysterious spell. A reddish flame flares up, in which the Spirit appears.)
Who called me?
Faust
(turning away)
He cursed me with his call
Persistent, impatient,
And so...
Faust
Your face frightens me.
He begged me to come to him,
I longed to hear, to see,
I took pity, came and, lo and behold,
In fright, I see a spirit seer!
Well, go for it, superman!
Where are the flames of your feelings and thoughts?
Well, imagining to be equal to us,
Have you resorted to my help?
And it is Faust who spoke
With me, as an equal, with excess of strength?
I'm here, and where are your habits?
Goosebumps run all over my body.
Are you curling around in fear like a worm?
Faust
No, spirit, I’m not hiding my face from you.
Whoever you are, I, Faust, mean no less.
I am in a storm of deeds, in the waves of life,
In fire, in water,
Always, everywhere
In the eternal shift
Deaths and births.
I am the ocean
And the swell develops,
And the weaving mill
With a magic thread
Where, having thrown a through outline of time,
I weave living clothes for the deity.
Faust
O active genius of existence,
My prototype!
Oh no, similar to you
Only the spirit that you yourself know -
Not me!
(Disappears.)
Faust
(confused)
Isn't it you?
So who?
I, the image and likeness of God,
I'm even with him
Incomparable to him, the inferior!
There is a knock on the door.
It’s not easy that she brought it. In the midst
These wondrous visions are my assistant!
All the charm of the spell will be dispelled by this boring
Obnoxious, narrow-minded student!
Wagner enters in a sleeping cap and dressing gown, with a lamp in his hand. Faust turns to him with displeasure.
Wagner
Sorry, not from Greek tragedies
Did you just read a monologue?
I dared to come to you so that in conversation
Have you take a recitation lesson.
So that the preacher goes uphill with success,
Let the guy learn from the actor.
Faust
Yes, if the preacher is an actor himself,
As has been observed recently.
Wagner
We spend a century working at home
And only on holidays we see the world through glasses.
How to manage a flock unfamiliar to us,
When are we so far from it?
Faust
Where there is no gut, you cannot help later.
The price for such efforts is a copper penny.
Only sermons with sincere flight
A mentor in faith can be good.
And the one who is poor in thought and assiduous,
The retelling is in vain
Phrases borrowed from everywhere,
Limiting the whole thing to excerpts.
He might create authority
Among children and foolish fools,
But without a soul and high thoughts
There are no living paths from heart to heart.
Wagner
But diction and style mean a lot,
I feel like I'm still bad at this.
Faust
Learn to achieve success honestly
And attract thanks to the mind.
And the trinkets, booming like an echo,
It's a fake and no one needs it.
When something seriously owns you,
You won't chase words
And reasoning, full of embellishment,
The brighter and more flowery the turns,
They make you bored, like in the autumn hour
The howl of the wind tearing off the leaves.
Wagner
Oh, Lord, but life is not long,
And the path to knowledge is long. Scary alien:
And so your most humble servant
He's puffing with zeal, but it couldn't get any worse!
Some spend half their life on this,
To reach the sources,
Look, he's halfway there
The blow from diligence is enough.
Faust
Parchments do not quench thirst.
The key to wisdom is not on the pages of books.
Who strives for the secrets of life with every thought,
He finds their spring in his soul.
Wagner
However, is there anything sweeter in the world?
How to be carried away into the spirit of bygone centuries
And infer from their works,
How far have we come?
Faust
Oh yes, of course, all the way to the moon!
Don't touch distant antiquities.
We cannot break her seven seals.
And what is called the spirit of the times,
There is a spirit of professors and their concepts,
Which these gentlemen are inappropriate
They pass it off as true antiquity.
How do we imagine the ancient order?
Like a closet filled with junk,
And some are even more deplorable -
Like a puppeteer's old farce.
According to some, our ancestors
They were not people, but puppets.
Wagner
But peace! But life! After all, the man has grown up,
To know the answer to all your riddles.
Faust
What does it mean to know? That, my friend, is the question.
We are not doing well on this score.
Few who penetrated into the essence of things
And revealing the tablets to everyone’s souls,
Burned at the stake and crucified,
As you know, from the earliest days.
But we started talking, it’s time to sleep.
Let's leave the argument, it's already quite late.
Wagner
It seems like I wouldn't sleep until the morning
And I would interpret everything with you seriously.
But tomorrow is Easter, and in a free hour
I will bother you with questions.
I know a lot, I'm immersed in my studies,
But I would like to know everything without exception.
(Leaves.)
Faust
(one)
I want to give the eccentric a hard time!
He is looking for treasure with greedy hands
And, like a find, I’m glad, digging through the trash,
Any earthworm.
He dared to break the silence of the corner,
Where I froze, looking into the faces of the spirits.
This time really praise
The poorest of all earthly creatures.
I would probably go crazy alone,
If only he hadn't knocked on my door.
That ghost was great, like a giant,
And I, like a dwarf, was lost in front of him.I, called the likeness of a deity,
He imagined himself to be truly equal to God.
So obvious in this blindness
I overestimated my rights!
I considered myself an unearthly phenomenon,
Permeating, like God, creation.
I decided that I was brighter than the seraphim,
Stronger and more powerful than a genius.
In retribution for this daring
I am destroyed by the word of thunder.You have the right, spirit, to dishonor me.
I could force you to come
But I couldn't hold you.
I felt high in that moment
Such power, such pain!
You threw me down cruelly
Into the dark vale of people.
How to deal with suggestions and dreams,
With dreams? Should I follow them?
What are the difficulties when we are on our own
We hinder and harm ourselves!We are unable to overcome gray boredom,
For the most part, hunger of the heart is alien to us,
And we consider it an idle chimera
Anything beyond everyday needs.
Liveliest and best dreams
They perish in us amid the bustle of life.
In the rays of imaginary shine
We often soar in breadth with our thoughts
And we fall from the weight of the pendant,
From the load of our voluntary weights.
We drape in every way
Your lack of will, cowardice, weakness, laziness.
The burden serves as a screen for compassion,
And conscience, and any rubbish.
Then everything is an excuse, everything is an excuse,
To create a commotion in the soul.
Now this is a house, now children, now a wife,
Either fear of poison, or fear of arson,
But only nonsense, but a false alarm,
But fiction, but imaginary guilt.What a god I am! I know my appearance.
I am a blind worm, I am nature's stepson,
Which swallows dust before itself
And dies under the foot of a pedestrian.Isn't my life passing in dust?
Among these bookshelves, as if in captivity?
Aren't these chests just junk?
And this moth-eaten rag?
So, will I find everything I need here?
Here, in a hundred books, I will read the statement,
That man has always endured need
And happiness was the exception?
You, naked skull in the middle of housing!
What are you hinting at by baring your teeth?
That your owner has no time, like me,
Looking for joy, wandered in sadness?
Don't laugh at me by dividing the scales,
Naturalist's instruments!
I picked you up like keys to a castle,
But nature has strong gates.
What she wishes to hide in the shadows
Of your mysterious cover,
Do not lure out the gear screws,
Not with any weapons.
The shards untouched by me,
Alchemy of the father's remnants.
And you, handwritten
And soot-covered scrolls!
I'd rather waste you like a spendthrift
Why languish from your neighborhood.
Only those who are worthy of inheriting
Who can apply an inheritance to life.
But pathetic is the one who accumulates dead rubbish.
Whatever the moment gives birth to is for our benefit.But why is my gaze towards myself so powerful
Does that bottle attract like a magnet?
It becomes so clear in my soul
It’s as if the moonlight is spilling into the forest.A bottle with the treasured thick liquid,
I reach out to you with reverence!
In you I honor the crown of our quest.
Infused grounds from sleepy herbs,
With the deadly force inherent in you,
Today, respect your creator!
If I look at you, it’s easier than torment,
And the spirit is equal; Will I take you in my hands?
The excitement begins to subside.
The distance is getting wider and the fresh wind blows,
And to new days and new coasts
The mirror-like surface of the sea is calling.The chariot of fire flies down,
And I'm ready, spreading my chest wider,
On it, shoot into the ether like an arrow,
Direct the way to unknown worlds.
Oh, this height, oh, this enlightenment!
Are you worthy, worm, to ascend like this?
Turn your back to the sun without regret,
Say goodbye to earthly existence.
When you have gathered your courage, break it with your hands
A gate whose very appearance is terrifying!In fact, prove that before the gods
A man's resolve will endure!
That he will not flinch even at the threshold
Deaf cave, at that crater,
Where is the suspicious power of superstition?
She lit the fires of the entire underworld.
Manage yourself, make a decision,
At least at the cost of destruction.Perhaps, a hereditary spell,
And you are born from an old case.
I haven't taken you out for many years.
Playing with a rainbow of crystal faces,
Sometimes you brought joy to the meeting,
And each one drained the charm in one gulp.
At these celebrations, family guests
Poems were expressed in every toast.
You reminded me of these days, glass.
Now I won’t have time to say a word,
This drink works faster
And its stream flows more slowly.
He is the work of my hands, my idea,
And so I drink it with all my soul
For the glory of the day, for the sunrise.
(He brings the glass to his lips.)
Bell ringing and choral singing.
Chorus of Angels
Christ is risen!
Overcoming
Death and decay
Glory, village,
Arable land and forest.
Faust
The river of humming sounds has diverted
From my lips is a glass of this poison.
The bells are probably already ringing
Christ's Easter was announced to the world
And in the sky the angels sing a chorale,
Who of old gave at the tomb at night
The beginning of the New Testament brotherhood.
Chorus of Myrrhbearers
From strangers
The body was covered.
Everything is in incense
They put him in a coffin.
Under the Veils
Stone slab.
Not in them before us
More Christ.
Chorus of Angels
Christ is risen!
Falls,
Death and decay
A trace from a generation
Washed away and disappeared.
Faust
The jubilant sounds of celebration,
Why are you giving out in this place?
Buzz where piety is alive,
And here you will not find piety.
After all, a miracle is the best child of faith.
I will not be able to be carried away into those spheres
Where did the good news come from?
Although now, many years later,
You gave me back my life, bells,
As in the memorable years of childhood faith,
When you left on your brow
Your kiss in the silence of Saturday night,
Your hum sounded more mysterious in the darkness,
The prayer came out of my mouth more unconsciously.
I ran to the meadow slope,
I was overcome with such sadness!
I cried, reveling in the happiness of tears,
And an unprecedented world was born in me,
Since then, Happy Sunday in my heart
Everything that is clean and light is connected.
It gives me its spring breeze
It didn’t allow me to commit suicide now.
I have been returned to the earth. Thanksgiving
For this to you, holy chants!
Choir of students
Death is crushed,
Anger trampled:
Newly deceased
Came out of the coffin.
Let him be in the monastery
Behind the clouds
Teacher's name -
With students.
Let us stand faithfully
All transformations.
We are commanded
This is a teaching.
Chorus of Angels
Christ is risen!
Easter
With us, and again
Life down to the basics
All without veils.
Get ready
Cast off the shackles
By the power of the saint
His words
The decay of the earth,
grave sleep,
From anyone's heart
From everything in the world.
. The “Dedication” to Faust was written on June 24, 1797. Like the "Dedication" to Goethe's collected works, it is written in octaves - an eight-line stanza very common in Italian literature and first transferred by Goethe to German poetry. With his “dedication” to Faust, Goethe marked a significant event - his return to work on this tragedy (on the end of its first part and a number of sketches that later became part of the second part).
Of the listeners of the first scenes of Faust, the following had died by that time (1797): the poet's sister Cornelia Schlosser, his youthful friend Merck, the poet Lenz; others, such as: the poets Klopstock, Klinger, the Stolberg brothers lived far from Weimar and in estrangement from Goethe; Alienation was observed then between Goethe and Herder.
Written in 1797 (1798?) Commentators consider it an imitation of the Indian writer Kalidasa's drama "Sakuntala", which Goethe regarded as "one of the greatest manifestations of human genius." In any case, Kalidasa’s drama is preceded by a prologue in which a conversation takes place between the theater director and the actress.
The director does not mean the essence of Faust and his death (in the spirit of the old folk book about Doctor Faustus), but the breadth of the concept of the tragedy, which truly embraces earth, heaven, and hell.
This second prologue was written in 1797–1798. Finished in 1800. As is known, in response to Goethe’s remark that Byron’s “Manfred” is a kind of reworking of “Faust” (this, however, did not in the least detract from Goethe’s creation English poet), offended by this, Byron said that “Faust,” in turn, is an imitation of the great Spanish poet-playwright Calderon (1666–1681); that Gretchen’s songs are nothing more than free adaptations of the songs of Ophelia and Desdemona (Shakespeare’s heroines in Hamlet and Othello); that, finally, “Prologue in Heaven” is an imitation of the book of Job (Bible), this, perhaps, the first playwright. Goethe met Calderon much later than he began work on Faust, and was hardly ever influenced by the Spanish poet. Gretchen's monologues and songs only very indirectly go back to the songs and monologues of Ophelia and Desdemona. As for the book of Job, the borrowing from it was confirmed by Goethe himself: “It is true that the exposition of my Faust has some similarities with the exposition of Job,” Goethe said to his secretary Eckermann, discussing with him Byron’s review, “but I am for it should be praised rather than blamed." The similarity of both expositions (plots) is all the more striking since the biblical text is presented in dramatic form.
In these verses, as in the first act of the second part of Faust, Goethe talks about the harmony of the spheres, a concept borrowed from the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras (6th century BC).
The scene up to the verse “To every earthworm” was written in 1774–1775 and subsequently underwent only minor revisions. It opened with a fragment of Faust from 1790; the end of the scene was completed in 1797–1801 and was first published in the edition of the first part of Faust (1808).
Nostradamus (actually, Michel de Notre Dame, 1503–1566), the life physician of the French king Charles IX, attracted attention with the “prophecies” contained in his book “Centuries” (Paris, 1555). From these lines to the verse “The obnoxious, narrow-minded scholar,” Goethe operates with mystical concepts drawn from the book of the Swedish mystic Swedenborg (1688–1772), a writer very fashionable at the end of the 18th century (especially revered in Masonic circles). The so-called “teaching” of Swedenborg basically boils down to the following: 1) the entire “supermundane” world consists of many “associations of spirits” communicating with each other, which live on earth, on planets, in water and in the fire element; 2) spirits exist everywhere, but do not always respond to every call; 3) usually a spirit seer is able to communicate only with the spirit of the sphere accessible to him; 4) only a person who has reached the highest degree of moral perfection can communicate with all the “spheres” of spirits. Never being a fan of Swedenborg, Goethe more than once spoke out against the fashionable passion for mysticism and spiritualism; nevertheless, these provisions, borrowed from the “teachings” of Swedenborg, are widely used by him in a number of scenes of his tragedy, where the phenomena of the so-called “other world” are touched upon. Remark: He opens the book and sees the sign of the macrocosm. – Macrocosm – the universe, according to Swedenborg – the entire spiritual world in its totality; The sign of the macrocosm is a six-pointed star.
As can be seen from this verse, Faust is kept from suicide not by faith in the gospel “savior”, but by a feeling of unity with the rejoicing people and surging childhood memories; in the next scene, especially at the end of the tragedy, in the famous dying monologue, Faust is again imbued with this feeling of unity.
Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832)
FAUST
Goethe's "Faust" is one of the outstanding works of art that, while delivering high aesthetic pleasure, at the same time reveal a lot of important things about life.
Such works surpass in their significance books that are read out of curiosity, for relaxation and entertainment.
In works of this kind, one is struck by the special depth of comprehension of life and the incomparable beauty with which the world is embodied in living images. Each of their pages conceals for us extraordinary beauties, insights about the meaning of certain life phenomena, and we turn from readers into accomplices of the great process spiritual development humanity.
Works distinguished by such power of generalization become the highest embodiment of the spirit of the people and the time. Moreover, the power of artistic thought overcomes geographical and state boundaries, and other peoples also find in the poet’s work thoughts and feelings that are close to them. The book is gaining worldwide significance.
A work that arose under certain conditions and at a certain time, bearing the indelible stamp of its era, retains interest for subsequent generations, because human problems: love and hatred, fear and hope, despair and joy, success and defeat, growth and decline - all this and much more is not tied to one time. In someone else's grief and in someone else's joy, people of other generations recognize their own. The book acquires universal human value.
The creator of Faust, Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749 - 1832), lived in the world for eighty-two years, filled with tireless and varied activities. A poet, playwright, novelist, Goethe was also a good artist and a very serious natural scientist. The breadth of Goethe's mental horizons was extraordinary. There was no such thing in life that did not attract his attention.
Goethe worked on Faust for almost his entire creative life. His first idea arose when he was not much more than twenty years old. He finished the work a few months before his death. Thus, about sixty years passed from the beginning of the work to its completion.
It took more than thirty years to work on the first part of Faust, which was first published in its entirety in 1808. Goethe did not start creating the second part for a long time, having taken up it closely at the very recent years life. It appeared in print after his death, in 1833.
"Faust" is a poetic work of a special, extremely rare style. In "Faust" there are scenes that are real - everyday, such as the students' feast in Auerbach's cellar, lyrical, like the hero's dates with Margarita, tragic, like the finale of the first part - Gretchen in the dungeon.
In "Faust", legendary - fairy-tale motifs, myths and legends are widely used, and next to them, intricately intertwined with fantasy, we see real human images and very real life situations.
Goethe is first and foremost a poet. There is no work in German poetry equal to Faust in the all-encompassing nature of its poetic structure. Intimate lyrics, civic pathos, philosophical reflections, sharp satire, descriptions of nature, folk humor - all this fills the poetic lines of Goethe’s universal creation.
The plot is based on the legend of the medieval magician and warlock John Faust. He was a real person, but already during his lifetime legends began to form about him. In 1587, the book “The History of Doctor Faustus, the Famous Wizard and Warlock,” the author of which is unknown, was published in Germany. He wrote his essay condemning Faust as an atheist.
However, with all the hostility of the author, the true appearance of a remarkable man is visible in his work, who broke with medieval scholastic science and theology in order to comprehend the laws of nature and subordinate it to man. The clergy accused him of selling his soul to the devil.
Faust's impulse towards knowledge reflects the mental movement of an entire era of spiritual development of European society, called the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. In the eighteenth century, in the struggle against church prejudices and obscurantism, a broad movement developed for the study of nature, comprehension of its laws and the use of scientific discoveries for the benefit of humanity. It was on the basis of this liberation movement that a work like Goethe’s “Faust” could arise. These ideas were of a pan-European nature, but were especially characteristic of Germany. While England was going through its bourgeois revolution back in the seventeenth century, and France went through a revolutionary storm at the end of the eighteenth century, and in Germany historical conditions were such that, due to the fragmentation of the country, advanced social forces could not unite to fight against outdated social institutions. Pursuit the best people towards a new life was therefore manifested not in real political struggle, not even in practical activity, but in mental activity.
In Faust, Goethe expressed his understanding of life in figurative, poetic form. Faust is undoubtedly a living person with passions and feelings inherent in other people. But being a bright and outstanding individual, Faust is by no means the embodiment of perfection. Faust's path is difficult. First he makes a proud challenge space forces, summoning the spirit of the earth and hoping to measure strength with it. The life of Faust, which Goethe unfolds before the reader, is a path of tireless quest.
Faust's father was a doctor, he instilled in him a love of science and instilled in him a desire to serve people. But my father’s healing turned out to be powerless against the diseases that affected people. During a plague epidemic, young Faust, seeing that his father’s remedies could not stop the flow of deaths, turned to heaven with an ardent plea. But help did not come from there either. Then Faust decided once and for all that it was useless to turn to God for help. After this, Faust devoted himself to science.
We learn this backstory of Faust as the action progresses. We will meet the hero only when he has come a long way in life and has come to the conclusion that his efforts were in vain. Faust's despair is so deep that he wants to commit suicide. But at this moment he hears the pleas of people and decides to stay alive.
At a critical moment on Faust's path, Mephistopheles meets. Here we must return to one of the scenes preceding the beginning of the action - to the Prologue in the sky. In it, the Lord, surrounded by angels, meets Mephistopheles. The inhabitant of hell, Mephistopheles, embodies evil. The whole scene symbolizes the struggle between good and evil taking place in the world.
Mephistopheles completely denies any dignity to a person. The Lord recognizes that man is far from perfect, but ultimately there is a way to get out of the darkness. The Lord names Faust as such a person. Mephistopheles asks permission to prove that Faust is easy to lead astray. The dispute between Mephistopheles and God is a dispute about the nature and value of man.
The appearance of Mephistopheles before Faust is not accidental. Mephistopheles is not at all like the devil from naive folk legends. The image created by Goethe is full of deep philosophical meaning. Goethe, however, does not portray Mephistopheles solely as the embodiment of evil. He really is "devilishly" smart.
Mephistopheles does not allow Faust to calm down. Pushing Faust to evil, he, without expecting it, awakens best sides hero's nature.
Faust, demanding that Mephistopheles fulfill all his desires, sets the condition:
As soon as I exalt a single moment,
Crying out: "
Instant,
wait a minute!" -
It's over,
and I'm your prey,
And there is no escape for me from the trap.
The first thing he suggests to him is to visit a tavern where students feast. He hopes that Faust, simply put, will indulge in drunkenness and forget about his quest. But Faust is disgusted by the company of drunkards, and Mephistopheles suffers his first defeat. Then he prepares a second test for him. With the help of witchcraft, he returns his youth.
Mephistopheles hopes that young Faust will indulge in feelings.
Indeed, the first beautiful girl, seen by Faust, arouses his desire, and he demands that the devil immediately provide him with the beauty. Mephistopheles helps him meet Margarita, hoping that Faust in her arms will find that wonderful moment that he wants to prolong indefinitely. But even here the devil turns out to be beaten.
If at first Faust’s attitude towards Margarita was only crudely sensual, then very soon it gives way to increasingly true love.
Gretchen is a beautiful, pure young creature. Before meeting Faust, her life flowed peacefully and smoothly. Love for Faust turned her whole life upside down. She was overcome by a feeling as powerful as the one that gripped Faust. Their love is mutual, but as people they are completely different, and this is partly the reason for the tragic outcome of their love.
A simple girl from the people, Gretchen has all the qualities of a loving female soul. Unlike Faust, Gretchen accepts life as it is. Brought up in strict religious rules, she considers the natural inclinations of her nature to be sinful. Later she deeply experiences her “fall”. By portraying the heroine this way, Goethe endowed her with features typical of a woman in his time. To understand Gretchen's fate, one must clearly imagine the era when such tragedies actually took place.
Gretchen turns out to be a sinner both in her own eyes and in the eyes of environment with its petty-bourgeois and sanctimonious prejudices. Gretchen turns out to be a victim doomed to death.
Those around her, who considered the birth of an illegitimate child a disgrace, could not take for granted the consequences of her love. Finally, at a critical moment, Faust was not near Gretchen, who could prevent the murder of the child committed by Gretchen.
For the sake of love for Faust, she commits “sin”, a crime. But this strained her mental strength, and she lost her mind.
Goethe expresses his attitude towards the heroine in the finale. When in prison Mephistopheles urges Faust to escape, he says that Gretchen is condemned anyway. But at this time a voice is heard from above: “Saved!” If Gretchen is condemned by society, then from the point of view of heaven, she is justified. Until the last moment, even in the dark of her mind, she is full of love for Faust, although this love led her to death.
The death of Gretchen is a tragedy of a pure and beautiful woman, because of her great love caught up in a circle of terrible events.
Gretchen's death is a tragedy not only for her, but also for Faust. He loved her with all the strength of his soul; There was no woman more beautiful than her for him. Faust himself was partly to blame for Gretchen's death.
Goethe chose a tragic plot because he wanted to confront his readers with the most difficult facts of life. He saw his task as arousing attention to the unresolved and difficult issues of life.
The second part of Faust is one of the examples of the literature of ideas. In symbolic form, Goethe depicts here the crisis of the feudal monarchy, the inhumanity of wars, the search for spiritual beauty, and work for the good of society.
In the second part, Goethe is more interested in the task of highlighting some of the world's problems.
This is the question about the main law of life development.
Deeply convinced of the materiality of the world, Goethe at the same time believed that the movement of life is determined by spiritual forces.
Having deeply suffered the death of Gretchen, Faust is reborn to a new life and continues his search for truth. First we see him in the public sphere.
Disappointed in government activities, Faust is looking for new paths. The image of Helen the Beautiful, conjured through magic, arouses in him the desire to see her in person.
Helen the Beautiful serves Goethe as a symbol of his artistic ideal. But the ideal did not arise immediately, and the poet creates an entire act of tragedy to show how in myths and legends Ancient Greece the concept of beauty was born.
At the same time, a theme emerges. Book scientist Wagner creates an artificial human Homunculus in the laboratory. He accompanies Faust in his search for the path to beauty, but is broken and killed, while Faust achieves his goal.
Faust and Helen embody two principles: she is a symbol of ideal ancient beauty, he is the embodiment of a restless “romantic” spirit. From the symbolic marriage of Faust and Helen, a beautiful young man Euphorion is born, combining the features of his parents. But such a creature is not allowed to live in our world. It is too perfect for him and falls to his death.
What is important to Faust is the conviction that he has found what he was looking for.
Here's a thought,
to whom I am completely devoted,
The result of it all,
what the mind has accumulated.
Only that one,
with whom the battle for life has been experienced,
He deserves life and freedom.
It is tragic that Faust acquires the highest wisdom only at the end of his life. He hears the sound of shovels and thinks that the work he has planned is being carried out. In fact, the lemurs, under the control of Mephistopheles, dig Faust's grave.
After Faust's death, Mephistopheles wants to drag his soul to hell, but divine forces intervene and take her to heaven, where she will meet with Gretchen's soul.
If the hero's entire path is tragic, this does not mean that his life was empty and fruitless.
He suffered, suffered, but his life was full, because it required the exertion of all his spiritual strength.
It is impossible to exhaust all the richness of ideas in Goethe's Faust.
The general meaning of Faust as a beautiful dramatic poem can hardly be doubted.
Johann Wolfgang Goethe
Goethe and his Faust
Soviet readers have long appreciated the immortal creation of Johann Wolfgang Goethe - his tragedy "Faust", one of the remarkable monuments of world literature.
A great national poet, an ardent patriot, an educator of his people in the spirit of humanism and boundless faith in a better future on our land, Goethe is undoubtedly one of the most complex phenomena in the history of German literature. The position he took in the struggle between two Cultures - and they are inevitably contained in the “national” culture of any society divided into classes - is not free from deep contradictions. The ideologists of the reactionary camp tendentiously selected and continue to select individual quotes from the poet’s vast literary heritage, with the help of which they try to proclaim Goethe a “convinced cosmopolitan,” even “an opponent of the national unification of the Germans.”
But these slander cannot, of course, shake the dignity and lasting glory of the “greatest German” (F. Engels).
If only the eye were not sunny,
Could he not see the sun, -
Goethe once said. The eyes of modern advanced humanity are “sunny” enough to discern the “sunny” nature of Goethe’s work, the progressive essence of the idea that animates his immortal dramatic poem.
Having strengthened his worldwide significance with the creation of Faust, Goethe is least of all an “author of one book.” Yes, this would not be reconciled with the main feature of his personality, his amazing versatility.
The greatest Western European lyricist, in whose poems German poetry spoke for the first time in a truly popular language about simple and strong human feelings, Goethe, at the same time, is the author of widely known ballads (“The Forest King”, “The Corinthian Bride”, etc.), dramas and epic poems and, finally, a wonderful novelist who depicted in “The Sorrows of Young Werther”, in “Wilhelm Meister”, in “Poetry and Truth” the spiritual life of a number of generations of the German people.
However, even such diverse literary activities do not exhaust the significance of Goethe. “Goethe represents, perhaps, the only example in the history of human thought of a combination of a great poet, a deep thinker and an outstanding scientist in one person.” (K. A. Timiryazev, Goethe - natural scientist. Encyclopedic Dictionary, ed. Garnet, vol. XIV, p. 448.), - K. A. Timiryazev wrote about him.
Like the Russian miracle hero Mikhail Lomonosov, Goethe performed great feats of labor in any field in which he put his hand. His research and scientific interests included geology and mineralogy, optics and botany, zoology, anatomy and osteology; and in each of these areas of natural science, Goethe developed the same independent, innovative activity as in poetry.
In such universality of Goethe, his bourgeois biographers wanted to see only the concern of the “great Olympian” for the comprehensive harmonious development of his own personality. But Goethe was by no means such an “Olympian”, indifferent to the needs and aspirations of the common people. Otherwise, how would such statements of the poet be combined with this, such as: “The fall of thrones and kingdoms does not touch me; a burned peasant yard is the true tragedy,” or the words of Faust from the famous scene “At the Gates”:
Goethe's appeal to the most diverse literary genres and scientific disciplines is closely connected with his ardent desire to resolve, on the basis of increasingly extensive experience, the question that constantly occupied him: how should a person live, zealous for a higher goal? Not tranquility, but struggle, a persistent search for truth in all available ways and means - this is what Goethe’s universality actually meant. While studying natural science, entering, as the poet put it, “in silent communication with boundless, silently speaking nature,” inquisitively delving into its “open secrets,” Goethe firmly hoped to comprehend at the same time the “secret” (that is, the laws) of the historical existence of mankind.
Another thing is that the path that Goethe took in search of the “highest truth” was not a direct path. “He who seeks must wander,” it is said in the “Prologue in Heaven” with which “Faust” opens. Goethe could not help but “wander” - not make mistakes, not sometimes give incorrect assessments of the most important events of the century and the driving forces of the world-historical process, simply because all his activities took place in an extremely unfavorable historical situation, in the conditions of the wretched German reality of the late 18th - early XIX century.
Unlike his Russian contemporary and former classmate at the University of Leipzig, A. N. Radishchev, who philosophically generalized the experience of peasant uprisings, which were so rich in the history of Russia in the 18th century, Goethe had to reckon with the futility of the people's revolution in the then Germany. He had to “exist in a living environment that he had to despise and yet be chained to it as the only one in which he could act...” (Ibid., vol. 4, p. 233.)
Hence the flawed aspects in Goethe’s worldview; hence the duality inherent in his work and his personality. “Goethe in his works has an ambivalent attitude towards the German society of his time,” wrote F. Engels, “... he rebels against it, like Gaia, Prometheus and Faust, showers it with the bitter ridicule of Mephistopheles. Then he, on the contrary, gets closer to him, “adapts” to him... protects him from the historical movement pressing on him... a struggle constantly takes place in him between the brilliant poet, who was disgusted by the squalor of his environment, and the prudent son of a Frankfurt patrician , the honorable Weimar Privy Councilor, who sees himself forced to conclude a truce with this wretchedness and adapt to it. Thus, Goethe is sometimes colossally great, sometimes small; sometimes he is a rebellious, mocking genius who despises the world, sometimes he is a cautious, contented, narrow-minded philistine. And Goethe was unable to defeat German squalor; on the contrary, it defeats him; and this victory of wretchedness over the greatest German is the best proof that “from within” it cannot be defeated at all.”
You are with me again, hazy visions,
Those that flashed through my mind long ago in my youth...
Will I keep you in the grip of inspiration?
Are old dreams allowed to appear again?
From the darkness, from the darkness of semi-oblivion
You have rebelled... Oh, come what is destined!
As in my youth, your appearance excites my chest,
And my spirit again senses your spell.
You brought with you a memory
Happy days and a swarm of sweet shadows;
A forgotten legend has risen again
Love and friendship first before me;
I remembered everything: the previous suffering,
And life runs in a confusing series,
And images of friends from young life
Uprooted, deceived by fortune.
To whom I once sang, inspired,
Therefore my song is - alas! - I can’t hear you anymore...
A circle of friends scattered throughout the universe,
Their response has fallen silent; those days are gone.
I am a stranger to the crowd with sorrow that is sacred to me,
Her very praise is terrible to me,
And those to whom my lyre sounded,
Those who are still alive are scattered among the world.
And now the old aspiration has been resurrected
There, into the world of spirits, strict and dumb,
And a timid song will be born,
Stanya, trembling with an aeolian string;
In a stern heart there is trembling and humility,
In the eyes, a tear is replaced by a tear;
Everything I own has disappeared somewhere into the distance;
Everything that has passed has risen and revived!
Prologue in the theater
Director, poet and comedian
Director
Friends, you both tell me more than once
They knew how to help in bitter times;
What do you think: is it good?
Will things go well for us now?
I always work for the public:
She lives and lets others live.
The pillars are already standing, the stage is ready,
Excited people are waiting for the holiday.
After all, we all strive for the miraculous:
They look with all their eyes and want to be surprised.
I have to please the crowd, although this is not a new task,
But still I have an involuntary doubt:
Of course, they won’t understand beauty,
But they are well-read to the point of satiety.
If only they could give us a brighter, newer play,
More meaningful - for my audience!
But the sight of the vast crowd is pleasant,
When she floods around the theater
The entire square and runs like an unstoppable wave,
And the doors are tight and rushing and rushing.
It's not four o'clock, it's far from evening,
And the crowd is teeming, there is no empty space -
Just like hungry people eating through a baker's shop,
And everyone is ready to break their neck for a ticket.
Such miracles are in the power of only a poet!
My friend, now I ask you to do this quickly.
Poet
Don't tell me about the crazy crowd -
Sometimes it will frighten away inspiration;
Spare me from this noisy crush,
Drawing you powerfully into your whirlpool;
No, I’m looking for silence, thoughtful, -
Only there will the poet's joy blossom;
There, only there by divine power
Love and friendship lead us to happiness.
What is cherished in the depths of the heart's chest,
What is asked from timid lips -
Is it lucky or not - he dares to go out a little
Into the light - vanity will destroy it!
No, it’s better to let the thought mature for years,
So that beauty becomes perfect!
Tinsel shine is the creation of treachery,
The beautiful will be born for posterity!
Comedian
Offspring! This is what I'm tired of talking about!
What if for him - posterity - in fact
And would I stop making honest people laugh?
Who, then, will entertain the audience?
A funny joke that she needed, without a doubt?...
No, whatever you want, I stick to my opinion,
That the merry fellow will deserve his honor
And that the funny man is not without significance.
Who is interesting to the public, my friend,
He can speak to a crowd boldly;
To captivate her is a waste of time for him.
The wider the circle, the easier it is to achieve success!
So, go ahead! You can force
Fantasy, love, reason, feeling, passion
Perform on stage; but don't forget the part
And add some playful tomfoolery.
Director
And most importantly, my friend, introduce adventure!
There is no greater pleasure in gazing at them as a crowd;
Well, let the crowd stare, open-mouthed...
Spread a fancy fabric in front of her -
And you established behind your play
Success, and the crowd is already favorable to you.
Let the masses attract the masses!
Let everyone have something to their taste!
He who offers much pleases many -
And so the crowd goes home, satisfied.
Feel free to chop everything into tiny pieces -
And this vinaigrette will bring you success.
It’s easy for you to invent, it’s easy for us to imagine!
What good is it if you give them the “whole”?
After all, the public will tear him apart into pieces.
Poet
And you don't see how vile and shameful
Such a craft? Am I not an artist?
Trashy scribblers are empty dirty tricks
It has become a rule with you, as you can see.
Director
Such a reproach cannot offend us;
After all, every person, having his own reason,
He takes the weapon that hits best.
Living with wolves means howling like a wolf!
Who is your audience, may I ask?
One comes to us to quench boredom,
The other, having filled his belly tighter,
He's in a hurry to digest lunch here,
And the third - which is perhaps worse for us -
He comes to judge us by the rumors from the newspapers.
For them there is only one thing - theater, balls and masquerades:
We drive all the people away only with curiosity;
And the ladies go to show off their outfits:
They don't need to be paid to play a role.
What are you dreaming about? Come down lower!
It's good for you to look from above the stars!
No, take a closer look!
Those are rude, those are cold!
He wants to drink for weeks,
And he goes to the gambling house...
It's funny when a poet calls
Great muses to an insignificant goal!
I ask you one thing: write more,
As much as possible – that’s my goal!
Confuse the crowd, mislead;
Otherwise - believe me - she is difficult to please.
What's wrong with you? Or have you been inspired?
Poet
Go find other slaves for yourself:
Nature has given me the highest rights.
Will I betray the high gift of the gods to shame?
Is the singer's holy power for sale?
How does an enthusiastic poet touch the heart?
What power controls the elements in him?
Isn’t it the harmony that he cherishes in his heart,
By which, when he creates, he embraces the whole world?
When mother nature moves indifferently
The eternal thread draws with an obedient spindle,
When everything that exists, changing every hour,
A discordant, harsh chorus merges around us, -
Who places measured sounds in order,
Whose speech's correct rhythm is life-giving and firm?
Who skillfully generalizes the individual,
Bringing everything together into a solemn chord?
Who will express the storm in the struggle of seething passions,
During the course of strict thoughts - the dawn of evening light?
Spring luxurious, best color
Who, the mighty, throws himself at the feet of his beloved?
Who attaches value to insignificant sheets 1
“Who attaches value to insignificant leaves...” - We are talking about laurel leaves, from which in ancient times they wove a wreath to decorate the head of a famous person.,
Weaving these leaves into a famous wreath?
Who guards Olympus, who is a friend and connection to the gods?
The power of humanity living in the poet!
Comedian
And it is your duty to put this power into practice!
So, seize moments of inspiration,
How a womanizer catches an excuse for an adventure!
Is it acceptable, for example, to depict love?
They come together by chance - mutual rapprochement,
Then - dates, hopes, fears;
Sometimes happiness is close to them, then again it goes into the distance,
Now jealousy, now fear, now joy, now sadness, -
Look, the novel is ready.And that’s how everything is in the world.
Just be bold enough to draw from the lives of all people -
And for his planned comedy
You won't need the item.
Everyone has, of course, experienced these feelings,
But few people know how many miracles there are in them.
Wherever you dig, that’s where the interest comes in!
More colorful picture, less lighting
Yes, a spark of truth amidst the darkness of error,
And look - you have brewed a nice drink,
To suit everyone's taste: everyone will find something in it.
The flower of youth comes here dreaming
That he will find revelation in the play,
And a sensitive flock of gentle souls
Melancholy food awaits the heart.
In one one dream, in the other it awakens another
Your story is skillful, and every viewer will
I guarantee I am delighted with your play:
What is in his heart, he sees in the play!
They are still not averse to crying and laughing,
To honor and admire the sublime;
You can't please anyone who has lived,
And the one who is not ripe will be happy with everything!
Poet
Give me even your golden years,
When I myself was immature,
When I sing young
I sang forever without getting tired!
The world is in the fog before me
Hidden; with a greedy hand
I picked flowers everywhere
And in every kidney I waited for a miracle.
I was poor - and that’s all I needed
For pure happiness, I had:
Seething with the desire for truth,
And the delirium of my dreams was a joy to me!..
Give me back the old heat in my blood,
My impulses and aspirations,
The bliss of sorrow, the power of love,
And powerful hatred zeal,
And my young years!
Comedian
What youth! You need youth more
When you go to battle,
When a beauty sometimes
It hangs around your neck,
When is the end of your labors?
Do you want to achieve quickly?
When you have to spend the whole night
Dance, and sing, and have fun.
But so that with a skillful hand
Play, exciting delights,
And cleverly wandering here and there,
Strive for a false goal,
Let the elders tackle this boldly:
The more honor you will have, old people!
That old age brings us to childhood is nothing:
Until we are old, we are children, that’s the thing!
Director
Enough words, enough arguments,
Both compliments and reproaches!
Why talk about trifles?
It's time for us to get down to business.
Why such difficulties?
Why wait so long for inspiration?
The poet is the master of inspiration:
He must command them.
You and I know what we need;
We think the drink is strong
For the best - give it to us!
Don't forget anything:
What can be done urgently
Why leave it for tomorrow?
We must immediately grasp
Everything that is necessary and possible
And don’t let it out of your hands!
Everything is suitable for our stage;
On it you are a complete master;
Take as much as you like
And scenery, and cars,
Bengal lights, lighting,
Animals and other creatures
Cliffs, rocks, fire, water:
You will not need anything.
Put the whole world on stage,
A magnificent row of people and creatures -
And through the earth from heaven to hell
Walk at a measured pace!
Prologue in Heaven
Lord, archangels, Then Mephistopheles
Rafail
Sounding in harmony with the universe
And in the choir of spheres, thundering like thunder,
The golden sun is constant
Flows in the prescribed way.
The incomprehensibility of the universe
Gives us faith and stronghold,
And, as if on the first day of creation,
Solemn is the move of the universe!
Gabriel
And with incomprehensible speed,
The globe of the earth is spinning;
They pass in quick succession
The light of day and the darkness of night;
The sea is raging in the open space,
The surf roars near the solid rocks,
But in the running of the spheres, earth and sea
They pass forever before me.
Michael
Threatening the earth, disturbing the waters,
Storms rage and make noise,
And a formidable chain of forces of nature
The whole world is mysteriously embraced.
The flames of destruction sparkle,
Thunder rumbles across the skies,
But the eternal light of reconciliation
The Creator of heaven shines upon us.
All three
And the strength of hope grows stronger
When you see a creative hand:
Creator, as on the first day of creation,
Your creations are great!
Mephistopheles
Again, O Lord, you appeared among us
For information about the land - what is being done with it!
You greeted me with favor more than once -
And now I appear among your servants.
Sorry, I'm not a master of big words;
But if I decided to use a magnificent style,
You yourself would laugh - I’m ready to guarantee, -
If only you had long since weaned yourself from laughing.
I have nothing to say about suns and worlds:
I see only the torment of a person.
Funny god of the earth, always, in all centuries
He is the same eccentric as he was at the beginning of the century!
His life would be a little better
Whenever he had a chance to own
That reflection of divine light,
What he calls reason: this property
He could only use it for one thing -
To become a beast from among the brutes!
Allow me - even though the etiquette here is strict -
To decorate the speech with comparison: he looks like
No matter what, the long-legged grasshopper,
Which jumps on the grass and then takes off
And he always repeats the old song.
And let it sit comfortably in the grass, -
But no, he climbs straight into the mud every minute.
Lord
Are you finished? With one complaint
You appear before me forever!
Or is there really no good on earth?
Mephistopheles
No, whatever you say, our white light is bad!
Poor man! He is so pathetic in his suffering,
Why should I torture a poor man?
Lord
Do you know Faust?
Mephistopheles
Is he a doctor?
Lord
He is my slave.
Mephistopheles
But not like everyone else; he serves differently;
He doesn’t want to drink or eat in an earthly way;
Like a madman, he is mentally weak,
What he himself feels in the midst of doubts;
Always immersed in my dreams,
Then he wishes for the best stars from the sky,
Then on earth - all the highest pleasures,
And there is nothing in it - neither near nor far -
Can't quench the gnawing sadness.
Lord
While his mind is still wandering in the darkness,
But he will be illuminated by a ray of truth;
When planting a tree, the gardener already knows
What flower and fruit will he get from it?
Mephistopheles
I bet he will be mine!
I only ask permission, -
He will immediately follow me.
Lord
While he lives on the earth's breast,
You will not be prohibited from doing so:
A person wanders as long as he has aspirations.
Mephistopheles
Thank you: I don’t need the dead!
I stay away from corpses.
No, give me a completely healthy one:
I prefer these to the dead, -
Like a cat and a mouse, I play with them.
Lord
You are allowed to go
And take possession of his soul
And if you can, lead
Following the wrong path, -
And let Satan be put to shame!
Know: a pure soul in its vague quest
Full of consciousness of truth!
Mephistopheles
With a weak and momentary consciousness!
This game is not scary to me
I won't lose my bet;
But just know: if I
If he succumbs, let him be mine completely:
The triumph of victory is my reward!
Let him curl in the dust, like my aunt,
Honorable snake!
Lord
Then come to me without hesitation!
I know no enmity towards people like you...
The cunning one, among all the spirits of denial
You were the least of my burdens.
The man is weak; submitting to destiny,
He is glad to seek peace, because
I will give him a restless companion:
Like a demon, teasing him, let him excite him to action!
And you, sons of heaven and paradise, -
May holy beauty forever delight you,
And to everything that exists and will happen again,
Let sacred love penetrate you,
And everything that is temporary, changeable, foggy,
Your thought will embrace you, calmly and constantly.
The sky is closing. The archangels disperse.
Mephistopheles(one)
Sometimes I willingly see the old man,
Although I hold my tongue; nice to see
That even such important gentlemen
They know how to politely and deal with the devil!
Part one
Scene 1
NIGHT.
An ancient room with high Gothic vaults.
Faust, filled with anxiety, sits at his table in a high chair.
Faust
I understood philosophy
I became a lawyer, became a doctor...
Alas! with diligence and labor
And I penetrated into theology, -
And in the end I became no smarter
What I was before... I am a fool of fools!
I am a master and a doctor - and so
Tom is now in his tenth year;
Students here and there
I always lead you by the nose.
And I still see that knowledge has not been given to us.
My chest ached from burning suffering!
May I be smarter than all the fools -
Scribblers, priests, masters, doctors, -
Let me not suffer from empty doubts,
Let me not be afraid of devils and ghosts,
Let me go down to hell itself, -
But I don’t know joys
I search in vain for the truth,
But when I teach people,
I wouldn’t dream of teaching them, correcting them!
Moreover, I am poor: I don’t know, poor man,
No human honors, no various benefits...
The dog wouldn't live like that! Years have passed!
That's why I decided to use magic
Surrender: I expect words and strength from the spirit,
So that the mysteries of nature are revealed to me,
So as not to chat while working on trifles,
About what I myself do not know,
So that I comprehend all actions, all secrets,
Worldwide internal communication;
So that the truth flows from my lips,
And not a random collection of speeches.
O month! If at this hour
You illuminated for the last time
Me in the middle of my room,
Where did I know the melancholy of the nights!..
Oh, if only I could wander there
In your radiance across the mountains,
Soar between spirits above the peak,
Floating in the fog over the valley,
Science is an idle child to forget,
Wash yourself with your dew!..
Will I still stay in prison?
My damn hole!
Here is a ray of sunshine in a colored window
Barely noticeable to me;
There are books on the shelves on the walls
To the vaults of my room -
They lie here and there,
Extraction of dust and worms;
And a row of shelves, wretched and sire,
Stores retorts and cans trash
And tools on the walls.
This is your world! And this is the world!
Is it still not clear why
Your chest is exhausted with longing,
And your heart hurts,
And aren't you happy with this life?
Wildlife in lush color,
Given to us by the Creator for joy,
You exchanged it for decay and trash,
To the symbol of death - to the skeleton!..
Oh, away! Run, run quickly
Out there, free! Nostradamus
With your wonderful book
He himself will guide you on the path.
Don't be deaf to the words of nature -
And you will know the course of the stars.
And your spirit will be full of strength,
When will the spirit answer the spirit!
Wonderful sight of wonderful signs
Our dry mind will not explain.
O perfume! Here you are in silence
Soaring: answer me!
(Opens the book and sees the sign of the Macrocosm.)2
According to the teachings of medieval mystics, the Macrocosm is the embodiment of the universe, the universe, and the Microcosm is a person. The sign of the Macrocosm in books on magic denoted the universe, the living forces of nature.
What bliss is in my chest again
It lit up at this sight, dear to my heart!
As if the happiness of life in young days
The flame flowed through my veins again!
Isn't this sign inscribed by God's hand?
He calms a stormy soul,
He illuminates a poor heart with joy,
He reveals the mysteries of nature
Before an astonished soul!
Am I not God? Light and blessed
Everything is around me! Here with wondrous depth
All the creativity of nature is before me!
Now the word of the sage is clear to me:
The path to the world of spirits is available to us,
But your mind sleeps, exhausted,
O student! rise up while bathing
In the rays of dawn, the earth’s breast!”
(Looks at the image.)
As a whole, all parts, an obedient crowd
Merging here, they create, they live with each other!
Like the powers on high in golden vessels
They carry life everywhere with a divine hand
And with the wonderful flap of their azure wings
Soaring above the earth and in the heights of heaven -
And everything sounds harmonious in wonderful harmony!
Oh, this view! But only the view - alas!
I can’t embrace the vastness of nature!
And where are you, suckers of nature - you,
Giving life with a stream of grace,
By which both heaven and earth live,
To whom does my sore chest yearn?
You nourish everyone - why do I thirst in vain?
(Impatiently leafing through the book, he sees the sign of the Earth Spirit.)
Here's another sign. He has different feelings for me
Inspires. Spirit of the Earth, you are closer to me, dearer!
Now I feel stronger -
I will bear both grief and earthly joys.
As if warmed by life-giving wine,
I will bravely rush into the vast light of God;
I want to fight, I’m ready to fight the storm -
And in the hour of ruin, should I be afraid?
There is darkness and silence everywhere.
The moon is hiding between the clouds,
And the lamp quietly goes out.
Above your head in the heights
A bloody ray sparkles in the darkness,
And into the blood, constricting my heart,
Cold horror penetrates.
O spirit, you are here, you are close - oh, come!
How my heart beats in my chest!
With all my being, with my whole soul, with a powerful call
I'm eager for new feelings!
Appear, appear to me - I am yours with all my heart!
Let me die - appear before me!
(Closes the book and mysteriously pronounces a spell.
A reddish flame flares up, in which the Spirit appears.)
Who called me?
Faust(turning away)
A terrible vision!
Faust
Alas, your appearance is unbearable!
Wasn't it you yourself who wished with persistent melancholy
See my face, hear my voice?
I bowed to your brave call -
And here I am! But what kind of shameful fear is this?
Has the superman taken possession of you?
Where is the powerful call of the soul, where is that mighty titan,
Who embraced the whole world, who was ebullient in thought
Did you want to become equal to us spirits?
Are you Faust, who dared to call me?
With all the strength of your careless soul?
So what? Burnt by my breath,
He trembles, writhing in the dust of the road,
Like a despicable and insignificant worm!
Faust
I will not bow my head to the dust before you.
Know: I am equal to you, fiery spirit, in everything!
In the storm of deeds, in the waves of existence
I'm rising
I'm going down...
Death and birth -
Eternal Sea;
Life and movement
And eternal space...
So on the machine of passing centuries
I weave the living clothes of the gods.
Faust
You embrace the whole vast world:
O active spirit, how close I am to you!
You are close only to those whom you comprehend -
Not for me.
(Disappears.)
Faust(falling)
Not for you!
But to whom?
I, the image of the Divine,
Not close to you either!
They knock on the door.
They're knocking. I know: this assistant is mine!
Everything died! O death, oh torment!
Yes, he came to confuse the visions of a wonderful swarm,
An insignificant worm of dry science!
The door opens. Wagner enters wearing a sleeping cap and dressing gown, holding a lamp in his hand. Faust turns away with displeasure.
Wagner
Sorry! You were reading something out loud just now -
From a Greek tragedy, of course?
This is what I would like to succeed in:
After all, recitation is at a high price with us!
I happened to hear that maybe in this matter
Go to the comedian pop for advice.
Faust
Wagner
What to do! We always live in solitude;
As soon as you leave your museum on holidays,
And just like through a telescope, you see the light in the distance.
So where can we find the words to teach people?
Faust
When there is no feeling in you, all this is aimless work;
No, speech must strive from the soul,
So that with true, genuine charm
Touch and captivate people's hearts!
What about you? Sit and write
Pick up scraps from other people's feasts -
And there will be a colorful vinaigrette
Warmed by a fake flame.
When this is your taste - perhaps this
You will please fools and children;
But speech will not attract heart to heart,
If your speech does not flow from the heart.
Wagner
No, eloquence is true success!
But in this, I admit, I am behind everyone else.
Faust
Look for merit that is honest and undeniable!
Why do you need a shameful jester's cap?
When we have intelligence and a sense of words,
The speech is good and without embellishment.
And if what is said is sensible, -
Isn't it pointless to play with words?
Yes, your speeches, with their idle brilliance,
They only lead one into deception through barren pretentiousness.
Isn't the autumn wind so cold?
Noisy between dead and dry leaves?
Wagner
Oh my God, science is so vast
And our life is so short!
My pursuit of knowledge is tireless,
And yet, sometimes sadness gnaws at me.
How much mental strength is needed; to get there
Up to the means only to find some sources;
And here, look, we’re still halfway there
The poor man will have to give up his life.
Faust
Will we find a living source in the parchment?
Can he satisfy his high aspirations?
Oh no, in my soul alone
We will find the key to peace!
Wagner
Excuse me: aren't we happily watching
For the spirit of the times? Many years before us
How the sage thought and how in comparison with him
Have we ourselves moved immeasurably into the distance?
Faust
Oh yes, to the very stars! It's terribly far away!
My friend, the past is not so easy to comprehend:
Its meaning and spirit, as far as they are not forgotten, -
Like hidden in a book behind seven seals.
What is at first glance for us
Zeitgeist - alas! - nothing else,
Like a temporary reflection of a century
In the person of the writer: his only spirit and disposition!
This makes me feel desperate at times
You come: at least run wherever your eyes look!
All dusty rubbish and garbage are in front of you,
And I’m still glad when I have to read it
About an important play with a magnificent performance
And at the end with an instructive moral lesson,
Just right for a puppet comedy!
Wagner
What about the world? What about the spirit of people, their heart? Without a doubt
Everyone wants to know something about this.
Faust
Yes; but what does it mean to know? That's where all the difficulties lie!
Who will give the baby the right name?
Where are the few who have known their age,
They didn’t hide their feelings or thoughts,
Did you approach the crowd with insane courage?
They were crucified, beaten, burned...
However, it’s too late: it’s time for us to part;
Let's leave this conversation.