And scatter stars on stars around;
Let water, fire, and rocky wall,
And bird and beast and fish abound.
Thus in your narrow booth mete forth
The wide creation’s flaming girth,
And wing your progress, pondered well,
From heaven to earth, from earth to hell.
prologue in heaven
The Lord—The Heavenly Hosts: afterwards Mephistopheles.
Raphael.
The Sun doth chime his ancient music
’Mid brothered spheres’ contending song.
And on his fore-appointed journey
With pace of thunder rolls along.
Strength drink the angels from his glory,
Though none may throughly search his way:
God’s works rehearse their wondrous story
As bright as on Creation’s day.
Gabriel.
And swift and swift beyond conceiving
The pomp of earth is wheeled around,
Alternating Elysian brightness
With awful gloom of night profound.
Up foams the sea, a surging river,
And smites the steep rock’s echoing base,
And rock and sea, unwearied ever,
Spin their eternal circling race.
Michael.
And storm meets storm with rival greeting,
From sea to land, from land to sea,
While from their war a virtue floweth,
That thrills with life all things that be.
The lightning darts his fury, blazing
Before the thunder’s sounding way;
But still thy servants, Lord, are praising
The gentle going of thy day.
All the Three.
Strength drink the angels from thy glory,
Though none may search thy wondrous way;
Thy works repeat their radiant story,
As bright as on Creation’s day.
Mephistopheles.
Sith thou, O Lord, approachest near,
And how we fare would’st fain have information,
And thou of old wert glad to see me here,
I stand to-day amid the courtly nation.
Pardon; no words of fine address I know,
Nor could, though all should hoot me down with sneers;
My pathos would move laughter, and not tears,
Wert thou not weaned from laughter long ago.
