Faust and the Faustian are at the heart of Clark's motto, "Challenge Convention, Change the World." We're interested in how this fifteenth-century, small-town German necromancy caught the attention of so many writers, artists, and musicians, including Marlowe, Goethe, Bulgakov, Mann, Havel, Liszt and Gounod.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Etwas Schön Für Euch
Ach Gott! die Kunst ist lang,
und kurz ist unser Leben
Alas, that art is long
and human life so short!
-Goethe, Faust I, 558-559
Does anyone else have any favorite quotations to share from the reading tonight?
lines 293-298: Der Herr: Hast du mir weiter nichts zu sagen? Kommst du nur immer anzuklagen? Ist auf der Erde ewig dir nichts recht? Mephistophiles: Nein Herr! ich find es dort, wie immer, herzlich schlecht. Die Menschen dauern mich in ihren Jammertagen, Ich mag sogar die armen selbst nicht plagen.
lines 293-296 in Arndt's translation: The Lord: And do you have no other news? Do you come always only to accuse? Does nothing please you ever on the earth? Mephistopheles: No, Lord! I find it still of precious little worth. I feel for mankind in their wretchedness, It almost makes me want to plague them less.
That's a beautiful picture, Julia! There's several things to be said about your quote ... it's actually not original with Wagner, which shouldn't surprise us--he's not a very original guy. It actually goes back to Hippocrates, the Greek physician after whom the Hippocratic oath is named. Although it goes back to the Greeks, it's also pretty well known in the Latin translation: "ars longa vita brevis." What's interesting is that Wagner is responsible for quite a few of the quotes that have become proverbs. But we know that he typically voices the commonplace, the cliche, the thing everyone believes but isn't true. In this respect, he's a bit like Polonius in Hamlet.
My favoret line! Ich ueberlege mich gerade ob dieses Setz, meinen naechstes Tatoo werde. Auf einen Beine, habe ich Schiller. Auf der anderen Beine werde ich Goethe? Ich mein dass Ernst, ich ueber lege mich daraf...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI like the humour that Goethe incorporates.
ReplyDeletelines 293-298:
Der Herr:
Hast du mir weiter nichts zu sagen?
Kommst du nur immer anzuklagen?
Ist auf der Erde ewig dir nichts recht?
Mephistophiles:
Nein Herr! ich find es dort, wie immer, herzlich schlecht.
Die Menschen dauern mich in ihren Jammertagen,
Ich mag sogar die armen selbst nicht plagen.
lines 293-296 in Arndt's translation:
The Lord:
And do you have no other news?
Do you come always only to accuse?
Does nothing please you ever on the earth?
Mephistopheles:
No, Lord! I find it still of precious little worth.
I feel for mankind in their wretchedness,
It almost makes me want to plague them less.
That's a beautiful picture, Julia! There's several things to be said about your quote ... it's actually not original with Wagner, which shouldn't surprise us--he's not a very original guy.
ReplyDeleteIt actually goes back to Hippocrates, the Greek physician after whom the Hippocratic oath is named. Although it goes back to the Greeks, it's also pretty well known in the Latin translation: "ars longa vita brevis."
What's interesting is that Wagner is responsible for quite a few of the quotes that have become proverbs. But we know that he typically voices the commonplace, the cliche, the thing everyone believes but isn't true. In this respect, he's a bit like Polonius in Hamlet.
940: "Hier bin ich Mensch, hier darf ich sein!"
ReplyDeleteMy favoret line! Ich ueberlege mich gerade ob dieses Setz, meinen naechstes Tatoo werde.
Auf einen Beine, habe ich Schiller. Auf der anderen Beine werde ich Goethe?
Ich mein dass Ernst, ich ueber lege mich daraf...