Pages 98 and 99

Doctor Faust got out first and threw himself down
And cried, sniveling, "I'm back on solid ground!"

And the Wandering Jew followed and yelled:
"My dear counselor, what is your bidding?"

But the devil spoke grimly, sneering:
"This is foolish! There's no job for us here!"

"On the contrary!" cried the counselor, "there certainly is!
Excepting you, of course,
because you're a creature that terrifies us --
You, however, worthy Herr Doctor Faust,
I'd like to offer you a life of science
and studies in an academic life.
Of course - I must deny you the chairmanship
of philosophy, much as I hate to, -
Because your ideas are a bit too modern for us --
But I'm happy to appoint you to
to a private professorship in chemistry!"

Doctor Faust ruminated for a moment
Then stroked his ample beard and spoke:
"Man errs as long as he doth strive!"
And his next sentence was remembered forevermore:
"I'm like any man who greedily digs toward riches,
and who's happy when he simply finds earthworms!"¹
And then he accepted the job.

For his part, Don Juan danced a promenade
with a royal maiden
And he looked with happiness upon her full corset
And cried: "I've finally found it again here!
This is truly the meaning of life,
Searching for it up there was silly!"


1: "Wie nur dem Kopf nicht alle Hoffnung schwindet,
Der immerfort an schalem Zeuge klebt,
Mit gier'ger Hand nach Schätzen gräbt,
Und froh ist, wenn er Regenwürmer findet!"
Faust, 602-605