ENTER THREE ARCHANGELS. by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This is Shelley's translation of the well-known "Prologue in Heaven" from Goethe's *Faust*, where three archangels celebrate God's creation until Mephistopheles (the Devil) arrives to voice his grievances about humanity.
The poem
RAPHAEL: The sun makes music as of old Amid the rival spheres of Heaven, On its predestined circle rolled With thunder speed: the Angels even Draw strength from gazing on its glance, _5 Though none its meaning fathom may:— The world’s unwithered countenance Is bright as at Creation’s day. GABRIEL: And swift and swift, with rapid lightness, The adorned Earth spins silently, _10 Alternating Elysian brightness With deep and dreadful night; the sea Foams in broad billows from the deep Up to the rocks, and rocks and Ocean, Onward, with spheres which never sleep, _15 Are hurried in eternal motion. MICHAEL: And tempests in contention roar From land to sea, from sea to land; And, raging, weave a chain of power, Which girds the earth, as with a band.— _20 A flashing desolation there, Flames before the thunder’s way; But Thy servants, Lord, revere The gentle changes of Thy day. CHORUS OF THE THREE: The Angels draw strength from Thy glance, _25 Though no one comprehend Thee may;— Thy world’s unwithered countenance Is bright as on Creation’s day. NOTE: _28 (RAPHAEL: The sun sounds, according to ancient custom, In the song of emulation of his brother-spheres. And its fore-written circle Fulfils with a step of thunder. Its countenance gives the Angels strength Though no one can fathom it. The incredible high works Are excellent as at the first day. GABRIEL: And swift, and inconceivably swift The adornment of earth winds itself round, And exchanges Paradise-clearness With deep dreadful night. The sea foams in broad waves From its deep bottom, up to the rocks, And rocks and sea are torn on together In the eternal swift course of the spheres. MICHAEL: And storms roar in emulation From sea to land, from land to sea, And make, raging, a chain Of deepest operation round about. There flames a flashing destruction Before the path of the thunderbolt. But Thy servants, Lord, revere The gentle alternations of Thy day. CHORUS: Thy countenance gives the Angels strength, Though none can comprehend Thee: And all Thy lofty works Are excellent as at the first day. Such is a literal translation of this astonishing chorus; it is impossible to represent in another language the melody of the versification; even the volatile strength and delicacy of the ideas escape in the crucible of translation, and the reader is surprised to find a caput mortuum.—[SHELLEY’S NOTE.]) [ENTER MEPHISTOPHELES.] MEPHISTOPHELES: As thou, O Lord, once more art kind enough To interest Thyself in our affairs, _30 And ask, ‘How goes it with you there below?’ And as indulgently at other times Thou tookest not my visits in ill part, Thou seest me here once more among Thy household. Though I should scandalize this company, _35 You will excuse me if I do not talk In the high style which they think fashionable; My pathos certainly would make You laugh too, Had You not long since given over laughing. Nothing know I to say of suns and worlds; _40 I observe only how men plague themselves;— The little god o’ the world keeps the same stamp, As wonderful as on creation’s day:— A little better would he live, hadst Thou Not given him a glimpse of Heaven’s light _45 Which he calls reason, and employs it only To live more beastlily than any beast. With reverence to Your Lordship be it spoken, He’s like one of those long-legged grasshoppers, Who flits and jumps about, and sings for ever _50 The same old song i’ the grass. There let him lie, Burying his nose in every heap of dung. NOTES: _38 certainly would editions 1839; would certainly 1824. _47 beastlily 1824; beastily editions 1839. THE LORD: Have you no more to say? Do you come here Always to scold, and cavil, and complain? Seems nothing ever right to you on earth? _55 MEPHISTOPHELES: No, Lord! I find all there, as ever, bad at best. Even I am sorry for man’s days of sorrow; I could myself almost give up the pleasure Of plaguing the poor things. THE LORD: Knowest thou Faust? MEPHISTOPHELES: The Doctor? THE LORD: Ay; My servant Faust. MEPHISTOPHELES: In truth _60 He serves You in a fashion quite his own; And the fool’s meat and drink are not of earth. His aspirations bear him on so far That he is half aware of his own folly, For he demands from Heaven its fairest star, _65 And from the earth the highest joy it bears, Yet all things far, and all things near, are vain To calm the deep emotions of his breast. THE LORD: Though he now serves Me in a cloud of error, I will soon lead him forth to the clear day. _70 When trees look green, full well the gardener knows That fruits and blooms will deck the coming year. MEPHISTOPHELES: What will You bet?—now am sure of winning— Only, observe You give me full permission To lead him softly on my path. THE LORD: As long _75 As he shall live upon the earth, so long Is nothing unto thee forbidden—Man Must err till he has ceased to struggle. MEPHISTOPHELES: Thanks. And that is all I ask; for willingly I never make acquaintance with the dead. _80 The full fresh cheeks of youth are food for me, And if a corpse knocks, I am not at home. For I am like a cat—I like to play A little with the mouse before I eat it. THE LORD: Well, well! it is permitted thee. Draw thou _85 His spirit from its springs; as thou find’st power Seize him and lead him on thy downward path; And stand ashamed when failure teaches thee That a good man, even in his darkest longings, Is well aware of the right way. MEPHISTOPHELES: Well and good. _90 I am not in much doubt about my bet, And if I lose, then ’tis Your turn to crow; Enjoy Your triumph then with a full breast. Ay; dust shall he devour, and that with pleasure, Like my old paramour, the famous Snake. _95 THE LORD: Pray come here when it suits you; for I never Had much dislike for people of your sort. And, among all the Spirits who rebelled, The knave was ever the least tedious to Me. The active spirit of man soon sleeps, and soon _100 He seeks unbroken quiet; therefore I Have given him the Devil for a companion, Who may provoke him to some sort of work, And must create forever.—But ye, pure Children of God, enjoy eternal beauty;— _105 Let that which ever operates and lives Clasp you within the limits of its love; And seize with sweet and melancholy thoughts The floating phantoms of its loveliness. [HEAVEN CLOSES; THE ARCHANGELS EXEUNT.] MEPHISTOPHELES: From time to time I visit the old fellow, _110 And I take care to keep on good terms with Him. Civil enough is the same God Almighty, To talk so freely with the Devil himself. SCENE 2.—MAY-DAY NIGHT.
This is Shelley's translation of the well-known "Prologue in Heaven" from Goethe's *Faust*, where three archangels celebrate God's creation until Mephistopheles (the Devil) arrives to voice his grievances about humanity. Following this, God and Mephistopheles enter into a wager: the Devil is allowed to tempt Faust, a brilliant yet discontented scholar, while God bets on Faust's inherent goodness prevailing. This scenario lays the groundwork for the entire drama of *Faust*, framing it as a cosmic struggle between good and evil, with one imperfect human at the heart of it.
Line-by-line
RAPHAEL: The sun makes music as of old / Amid the rival spheres of Heaven,
GABRIEL: And swift and swift, with rapid lightness, / The adorned Earth spins silently,
MICHAEL: And tempests in contention roar / From land to sea, from sea to land;
CHORUS OF THE THREE: The Angels draw strength from Thy glance, / Though no one comprehend Thee may;—
MEPHISTOPHELES: As thou, O Lord, once more art kind enough / To interest Thyself in our affairs,
Nothing know I to say of suns and worlds; / I observe only how men plague themselves;—
THE LORD: Have you no more to say? Do you come here / Always to scold, and cavil, and complain?
MEPHISTOPHELES: What will You bet?—now am sure of winning— / Only, observe You give me full permission
THE LORD: Well, well! it is permitted thee. Draw thou / His spirit from its springs;
MEPHISTOPHELES: From time to time I visit the old fellow, / And I take care to keep on good terms with Him.
Tone & mood
The poem shifts through three distinct tones in rapid succession. The archangels' hymns are solemn, elevated, and filled with awe — the language is formal, and the imagery is expansive, featuring suns, oceans, storms, and creation itself. Then Mephistopheles shows up, and the tone takes a nosedive: he speaks in a sardonic, familiar manner that's darkly funny, using animal comparisons and showing clear disdain for humanity. God's voice hovers between these two extremes — calm, unhurried, and gently ironic, as if He finds the entire situation somewhat amusing. Shelley's translation beautifully captures Goethe's tonal range, and the contrast between the majestic opening hymns and Mephistopheles' street-level sarcasm drives the scene forward.
Symbols & metaphors
- The Sun — The sun symbolizes divine order and the *musica universalis*—a concept passed down from Pythagoras and Plato, which suggests that the cosmos creates a sort of music through its precise, mathematical movements. It also embodies God's creative power, a source of strength for the angels, who can tap into it but will never fully grasp its essence.
- The Grasshopper — Mephistopheles likens humanity to a long-legged grasshopper that flits, jumps, and sings the same song endlessly, while burying its nose in dung. This serves as a symbol of human futility and self-deception — beings who believe they are unique yet get caught in the same pointless cycles, rummaging through filth.
- The Wager — The wager between God and Mephistopheles for Faust's soul represents the struggle between human potential and frailty. It presents human moral life as a competition, yet God seems quietly assured of the result — turning the whole situation into a test instead of a real gamble.
- The Tempest / Storm — Michael's storms that surge from land to sea and create a "chain of power" around the Earth illustrate the destructive forces found in nature and human life. However, as part of God's creation, they also convey the notion that chaos and violence exist within a greater divine order.
- The Snake — Mephistopheles' mention of "my old paramour, the famous Snake" directly refers to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. This connects him to the first tempter and positions the Faust wager as a reenactment of the Fall — yet another effort to exploit human curiosity and desire against humanity.
- Creation's Day — The phrase "bright as at Creation's day" is found in both the archangels' hymn and Mephistopheles' speech, where he employs it ironically. For the angels, it represents the lasting perfection of the world; for Mephistopheles, it suggests that humans remain as foolish as they have always been. This same image conveys contrasting meanings based on the speaker.
Historical context
This is Shelley's translation of the "Prologue in Heaven" (*Prolog im Himmel*) from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's *Faust, Part One* (1808). Shelley translated it around 1822, the year he passed away, and it was published after his death. Goethe's *Faust* is often seen as the cornerstone of German Romantic literature, and Shelley, along with Byron and other English Romantics, had a strong interest in it. The "Prologue in Heaven" references the Book of Job, where God allows Satan to challenge a righteous man, as well as the medieval Faust legend. Shelley's translation stands out for its lyrical quality; he was not merely creating a scholarly version but crafting a literary piece in its own right, and his Romantic sensibility influences the language throughout, particularly in the hymns of the archangels and the Lord's final speech about "floating phantoms of loveliness."
FAQ
It’s a translation. Shelley translated this passage from Goethe's *Faust, Part One* (1808), focusing on the "Prologue in Heaven." He worked on it around 1822, and it was published posthumously. Rather than a direct, word-for-word translation, Shelley created a literary version, infusing it with his own poetic voice throughout.
Mephistopheles wagers that he can guide Faust — a brilliant yet restless scholar who serves God in his own muddled manner — toward corruption and damnation. God agrees to the bet and grants the Devil full authority to tempt Faust for the duration of his life. God is quietly confident that Faust's inherent goodness will endure the challenge. This wager mirrors the story of Job, where God permits Satan to test a righteous man.
Faust is a legendary German scholar who has mastered all human knowledge yet remains unsatisfied—he yearns for something beyond what reason and learning can provide. God refers to him as "My servant" not due to Faust's conventional piety, but because his relentless pursuit, even when it leads him astray, reflects a form of spiritual seeking. God recognizes the difference between Faust's confused present and his deeper quest for truth.
God points out that the human spirit often drifts into a state of "unbroken quiet" — which we can interpret as complacency. The Devil's job is to stir humans into action, ensuring they continue to strive and struggle instead of becoming stagnant. This is a compelling theological concept: evil is not merely an obstacle but an essential irritant that prevents spiritual laziness. In this interpretation, Mephistopheles can be seen as a tool of divine providence.
The "music of the spheres" (*musica universalis*) is an ancient concept that dates back to Pythagoras, suggesting that planets and celestial bodies create a harmony through their mathematically precise movements. While humans can't hear this harmony, it was believed to be the foundation of all creation. In Raphael's opening stanza, he uses this idea to portray the sun's movement as a type of cosmic music, showcasing evidence of divine order.
The grasshopper image embodies a deep disdain. Mephistopheles compares humans to long-legged grasshoppers that flit and jump around, endlessly singing the same tune while burying their noses in filth. The crux of the matter is that God granted humans reason—an ability meant to elevate them—but they squander it, living worse than animals and repeating the same pointless cycles. This imagery is both humorous and cruel, perfectly capturing Mephistopheles' tone.
He refers to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, positioning himself as the original tempter responsible for the Fall of Man. By calling the Snake his "paramour" (lover), he expresses a sense of pride and nostalgia for that first act of corruption. This frames the Faust wager as history repeating itself—another effort to exploit human desire and curiosity to initiate a fall.
The note includes Shelley's own more literal translation of the same passage, allowing readers to compare it with his more poetic version. Shelley notes that it's "impossible to represent in another language the melody of the versification," and that even the ideas lose some essence in translation — what’s left he refers to as a *caput mortuum*, a Latin term from alchemy that means the useless residue after distillation. This is a strikingly self-critical remark from a poet aware of the limitations of his craft.