His madness he himself half understand;
The loveliest stars from heaven he demands,
And every highest joy that earth commands;
And all that's near and all that's far,
Sooths not his deep-moved spirit's war."
The original of these lines merely informs us that "Faust's food and drink are not earthly;" but the translator adds that they are of no earthly taste." Now, this is either a desertion of correct colloquial language, or else it signifies that they are of no taste whatsoever—and idiom certainly in common use, and which may be exemplified by our saying, that the reward is no earthly occasion for the present amendment, meaning thereby that there is no occasion whatsoever for it. But this latter interpretation is certainly not what the translator intends us to adopt, and therefore we must pronounce him guilty of employing language not really used by men; or rather (which is worse) of expressing himself in language really used by men when they would denote something different from that which is here intended to be said. "His restless spirit drives him to the waste." This line denotes exactly the opposite of what it ought to express. The true meaning is, that his restless spirit drives him away from the waste, (that is, the waste region in which he feels himself to be,) into the distant or the remote, which he contemplates as presenting scenes far more delightful, and as shining with all the verdure of paradise.
"Demands" and "commands," is no rhyme at all; and the word "war," in the last line is, if we may say so, too much of one, for we certainly should not have met with it here unless it the word "far" had stood immediately over its head. As it is, the line would be much better without it. In a general point of view we think the whole passage too cumbrous and over-loaded, and that it should have come off more lightly, somewhat in this fashion—Mephistopheles loquitur:—
"As if no common human cheer
Were good enough for him to sup,
He strives to pour the far and near
Into one devouring cup,
Would drink the stars, in his career,
And earth, with all her pleasures, up.
And yet—poor fool! Do all he will,
'Tis vain,—he cannot get his fill,
He cannot make his heart be still."
Mephistopheles then asks and obtains permission to tempt, and, if he can, to mislead Faust; in short, to work his will upon him, and we are informed of the plan he intends to pursue, in words to the following effect:—
"Like the famous old snake, my next of kin,
He shall feed on dust,
With devouring lust,
Headlong in hasty,
For all make it tasty
With all the relishing smack of sin."
And this brings us to the main body of the work, in which the designs of Mephistopheles are put in execution.
The character of Faust has been greatly canvassed, both in this country and in Germany; about as much, perhaps, as that of our own Hamlet. We do not think, therefore, that we have much to add to what has already been said upon the subject. One opinion, however, (that of the late Mr Coleridge, a great authority on such a subject,) we must take this opportunity of dissenting from. Mr Coleridge thought Faust "a failure," (vide Quarterly Review, vol. lii. p. 21.) His reasons for this conclusion are thus stated. "He" (Mr C.) "considered the intended theme to be, the consequences of a misology, or hatred and depreciation of knowledge, caused by an originally intense thirst for knowledge baffled. But a love of knowledge for itself, and for pure ends, would never produce such a misology; but only a love of it for base and unworthy purposes."
Now, with great deference we hold, in opposition to this doctrine, that purity or impurity of ends has nothing whatever to do with the matter; but that what lies at the basis of the conception of Faust, and affords a sufficient reason" for his misology, is precisely what is here objected to; namely, his love of knowledge for itself—and this baffled. The love of knowledge for some object out of itself—this, and this alone saves most of the world from being plunged into such a misology as his. If mankind were to indulge in a love of knowledge for itself alone, the world would very soon be peopled with Fausts. Such a love of knowledge exercises itself in speculation merely, and not in action; and if the experience is a purely speculative men were gathered, we think that most of them would be found to con-
