Faust. Adolphe d'Ennery

      Mephistopheles

      Intoxicated by all the glory—adored by all the women—

      Faust

      (Forcefully) Leave me! Well—no!—talk—talk some more.

      Mephistopheles

      (Aside) Here we go. (Aloud) Accept, Faust, accept; say a word and you will see at your feet the souls of the most haughty and the hearts of the most tender—(Clocks sound; Faust cocks an ear) Accept, and you will choose your love affairs among the most beautiful girls.

      Faust

      (Moves away—Mephistopheles passes to the left) Silence, accursed one, silence! It’s the voice of clocks. They are speaking to me as they used to. Listen—listen—what they are saying to me—is—“Greetings, greetings also to old age, to the man who in his long career has conquered evil passions, and to the man stronger than the demon who puts his confidence in the Lord; to the old geezer bent over the tomb who repulses with disdain the treasures of the earth, who goes to sleep in his faith, to awake glorious and resplendent in eternity.” Lord!—Lord! My soul is completely yours! And you accursed one—Be gone! Be gone!

      Mephistopheles

      I obey; but remember that I am offering you love, riches and power—wherever you may be, I will be—call me, you will see me appear.

      Faust

      Holy clocks, my heart listened to you and I am going to pray in the house of the Lord. (Heads toward the door)

      Mephistopheles

      (Disappearing) Too late—you will call me back. (He vanishes ) (Faust leaves, after a moment Fridolin and Wagner enter)

      Fridolin

      What’s wrong? They left, Master.

      Wagner

      Ah! I can finally attempt the great experiment! Quick, the furnace, the bellows.

      Fridolin

      (Going to the furnace) There, Master, there—

      Wagner

      Ah! This is the supreme moment! Blow!

      Fridolin

      Yes, Master.

      Wagner

      When I think that I am going to have a woman kneaded by my hand!— My heart beats at the thought of my immense enterprise!

      Fridolin

      And to say that it is I who shall have blown the fire of this sublime decoction.

      Wagner

      To say that I shall have a slave always at my feet! Whose life will be spent forseeing all my wishes, fulfilling humbly my orders.

      Fridolin

      That does it, Master—that does it—Oh! I have emotions.

      Wagner

      You have indeed put in there all the objects on the list I gave you?

      Fridolin

      Yes, Master—but I didn’t suspect that they were the ingredients necessary for the manufacture of a woman.

      Wagner

      Then—everything’s on there?

      Fridolin

      (Showing a paper) I have the list.

      Wagner

      Give it to me! Let’s check it. (Reading tenderly) The heart of a turtle—dove—

      Fridolin

      Quite small, quite small! Not much heart, that, Master.

      Wagner

      My friend, don’t ask the impossible. (Reading) The sweetness of a lamb.

      Fridolin

      I put in the whole lamb.

      Wagner

      You did well—I insist that she be very sweet—(Reading) Beauty.

      Fridolin

      I think you will be content.

      Wagner

      (Continuing) Grace, trickiness, cunning, cleverness.

      Fridolin

      Oh! A bitch!

      Wagner

      All this in moderation—not too much bitch.

      Fridolin

      It has to be part of the account.

      Wagner

      Finally, soul, the breath—Ah! This is what’s missing.

      Fridolin

      The viol of Doctor Magnus.

      Wagner

      (Showing it) There it is. (Fridolin wants to grasp it and looks at it with religion) He assures that this must animate my creature. Let’s busy ourselves quickly with the great work—of my creation. Blow! (He pours in the contents of the viol—an explosion is heard. The cauldron bursts. Wagner falls to the left and Fridolin to the right, screaming, face to the ground. Sulphurine appears) (Sulphurine emerges from the cauldron, looks around her with astonishment and runs from one object to the next)

      Wagner

      (Raising his head) Fridolin! Fridolin!

      Fridolin

      (Raising his head) Master?

      Wagner

      Did I succeed?

      Fridolin

      You succeeded—in making me very frightened.

      Wagner

      (Looking at Sulphurine) Ah!—Yes, yes, the work is accomplished—There’s my slave—look—

      Fridolin

      It’s true!

      Wagner

      Did I make a male or did I make a female?

      Fridolin

      The devil! I don’t know. (Going to Sulphurine who pushes him away with force) Oh!—What a fist! It’s a man, Master!

      Wagner

      A man—! (Looking at her closely) Why no—you don’t know anything about it! She’s a woman! A real woman!—Slave! My pretty slave! (Sulphurine looks at him in astonishment without replying) Ah! I’ve created a woman—marvelous—she’s not talking.

      Fridolin

      She doesn’t talk. You are then mute, say, Madame.

      Sulphurine

      (Coming closer) No—what do you want with me?

      Wagner

      She speaks!

      Fridolin

      Ah! She’s not as perfect as you said.

      Sulphurine

      Who pulled me from our world?

      Wagner

      Who? Why me—me—my slave.

      Fridolin

      We—it was us—slave.

      Sulphurine

      Who brought me here? What are these objects that surround me? (She touches Wagner and Fridolin) What’s this?

      Wagner

      These are men, my slave.

      Fridolin

      Good-looking men.

      Sulphurine

      Villainous men. (Going to the