Sunday, June 25, 2017

Du mußt es dreimal sagen : Faust, Faust, Faust


When in Weimar, visiting the house on the Frauenplan, I could not resist buying a cute micro-edition of the Faust.

I have now three mismatched copies on the shelf : The very large Folio Society edition of 2005, the one with the illustrations by Delacroix; an 1867 English translation of Goethe's dramatic works ( Faust, Iphigenia in Tauris, Torquato tasso, Egmont and Goetz Von Berlichingen - the last one in a translation by Sir Walter Scott ), Bell and Daldy, London and now this tiny tome ( Miniaturbuchverlag Leipzig ).

What lengths we go to please ourselves !



Faust: Es klopft? Herein! Wer will mich wieder plagen?
Mephistopheles: Ich bin's.
Faust: Herein!
Mephistopheles: Du mußt es dreimal sagen.
Faust: Herein denn!
Mephistopheles: So gefällst du mir.