The Rudolf Steiner Archive

24. Excerpt from Goethe's “Classical Walpurgis Night” II

[ 1 ] The scene has now been relocated to the Aegean Sea, into which the Peneios flows—the scene was formerly set on both banks of that river. Scattered about the cliffs are the sirens, who draw their power specifically from the moonlight. It is precisely from this scene that it becomes clear that Goethe certainly intended the Sirens—in the plural—to be what later became the Lorelei in the north—the Lorelei in the singular, the Sirens in the plural. And as magical beings, they work with the rays of moonlight. In this scene here, where they are meant to be particularly effective, the moon stands high in the sky at its zenith. Of course, one is supposed to imagine it actually situated among the other stars. In addition to what they are in general, the sirens have this as their main occupation: to beguile the sailors. The sailors are beguiled by the sirens. As a result, the ships sink and lose their cargo, their contents. What the ships lose as cargo and contents is, in a sense, passed on in this way to the Nereids, Tritons, and other sea creatures. So these Nereids, Tritons, and other sea creatures actually live off the favor of the sirens. The Sirens beguile the sailors; the ships sink, lose their cargo, and the Nereids and Tritons then gather it up.

[ 2 ] The Nereids are the daughters of Nereus, and Nereus is a kind of water deity, a kind of Ahrimanic—or at least Ahrimanically tinged—divine being who played a different role in ancient Earth eras than in the era under discussion here. In ancient earthly times, beings such as Nereus, Proteus, and so on were beings who presided over the elements, which were of a different nature back then. So: Water in primeval times possessed different powers than the abstract water that fills the oceans today. As a result, however, such spirits in the cosmos—in cosmic evolution—those spirits who once presided over the more living water—have been retired and now have other tasks in the world, in cosmic evolution; they are retired. But they then have their new tasks. They had their proper tasks in ancient times, when human beings were not as they are today, when they were still at a more spiritual stage—that is, closer to their lunar stage.

[ 3 ] Well, there we see, first and foremost, the sirens, scattered across the cliffs, emphasizing precisely what their role is.

SIRENS (camped out on the cliffs, whistling and singing):
Have you not, in the gloom of night,
Have the Thessalian sorceresses
Wickedly drawn you down,
Gaze calmly from the arch
Of your night upon the trembling waves
A swarm of gently flashing splendor
And illuminate the tumult,
That rises from the waves.

[ 4 ] All of this is directed at the moon.

Always ready to serve you,
Beautiful Luna, have mercy on us! (V 8034–8043)

[ 5 ] So, this is the song of the sirens, which they mention here more for their own sake—one might say, repetitively, in a siren-like, meditative way. Their actual purpose, however, is to beguile the sailors.

[ 6 ] The daughters of Nereus and Doris—the Dorides—are the sisters of the Nereids. The Dorides resemble Doris more closely, while the Nereids resemble their father, Nereus, more closely. But they are siblings. The Nereids are feminine, demonic beings who adorn themselves with the flotsam captured by the Sirens. And the Tritons are fish-like creatures that the Nereids can ride, allowing them to move forward more easily. Together, the Nereids and Tritons respond, in a sense, to the Sirens’ song:

NEREIDS AND TRITONS (as sea wonders):
Sound loudly in sharper tones,
That thunder through the vast sea,
The people of the depths now call out!
Before the storm’s dreadful chasms
We fled to the quietest depths,
A lovely song draws us near.

[ 7 ] The song of the sirens draws them in.

Behold! How, in rapture,
We adorn ourselves with golden chains;
And combine crowns and gemstones
With clasps and belt ornaments.
All this is the fruit of your labor.
Treasures, swallowed up here as you perish,
You have sung to us,
You demons of our bay.

[ 8 ] The sirens who hear this reply:

SIRENS:
You know well that in the freshness of the sea
The fish are perfectly at ease,
Drifting through life without sorrow;
But! You festive, lively shoals,
Today we wish to learn
That you are more than just fish. (V 8044–8063)

[ 9 ] So the Tritons are said to be more than just fish; they are, after all, beings left behind from earlier times—that is, figures imbued with Ahrimanic influences. And they are, in fact, the ones who can prove that they are more than just fish by summoning the Kabiri. These are gods and goddesses from Samothrace who, among other things, have the task of protecting fishermen [and] ships at sea when they are in danger. We will speak more about them later, for they do indeed make an appearance. The Kabiri also have significantly deeper tasks.

NEREIDS AND TRITONS:
Before we came here,
We made up our minds,
Sisters, brothers, let’s hurry now!
Today we need to take the shortest journey,
To provide the most conclusive proof:
That we are more than just fish. (V 8064–8069)
(They depart)

[ 10 ] Now they leave to carry out their mission concerning the Cabiri. The Sirens stay behind. In fact, the Sirens remain crouched there throughout the entire scene.

SIRENS:
Gone in the blink of an eye!
Straight toward Samothrace,
Vanished on a favorable wind.
What do they intend to accomplish
In the realm of the lofty Cabiri?
They are gods! Wondrously unique,
Who ceaselessly generate themselves,
And never know what they are. (V 8070–8077)

[ 11 ] That is what the Sirens say about the Cabiri. Perhaps the easiest way to grasp the overall nature of these Cabiri is to think of the passage in the Bible where the Elohim are mentioned—who, only after they had completed their day’s work, saw that it was good, or rather, as it says there, that it was beautiful. Of course, this is somewhat difficult for humans to understand, because gods—especially the Kabiri in question here—do not possess the same kind of consciousness as humans or as certain later gods. The Kabiri are gods of the very first creation, and they are absorbed into this act of creation. Therefore, they possess far too much vitality to have a fully developed consciousness. They also belong together in this respect. There are four such Kabir gods in Samothrace. Actually, there are probably eight of them; but for Samothrace itself, only the four are really relevant. And now, of course, one might say:

Strangely unique,
They constantly create themselves,
And never know what they are. (V 8075–8077)

[ 12 ] This can certainly be said of the three—the three principal gods who are the gods of creation: Axieros, Axiokersos, and Axiokersa. It can certainly be said of them that they do not know what they are. But just as little as these three together know what they are, so well does the fourth know for the three. So, if you imagine that you consist of a physical body, an etheric body, an astral body, and the “I,” and that the “I” performs consciousness, then you must realize: These Cabiri are four. Whereas in your case these four members hold together, these Cabiri are four separate beings. And Axieros is the physical body, Axiokersos is the etheric body, Axiokersa is the astral body; thus, they have no consciousness. Kadmilos, on the other hand—who corresponds to the “I”—thinks for all three. So this is the peculiarity of these gods: that the fourth is, in fact, their consciousness at the same time.

[ 13 ] If you take the one cycle where I spoke of the Elohim, it’s similar in that the seventh actually thinks for the six.

[ 14 ] Now, after the Sirens have alluded to this secret of the Cabiri, they turn once again to their true divine power, the Moon:

SIRENS:
Remain upon your heights,
Lovely Luna, stand graciously;
May it remain night,
And may the day not drive us away! (V 8078–8081)

[ 15 ] So, they are gods of the night! That’s obvious. Now, on the shore of the bay, Thales approaches from the left, facing Homunkulus.

THALES (on the shore, to Homunkulus):
I gladly led you to old Nereus;
Though we are not far from his cave,
He is stubborn,
That disagreeable curmudgeon.
The entire human race
Can never please him, that grouch. (V 8082–8087)

[ 16 ] For Nereus does not love humans—he used to have preferred them in the past, when humans were still closer to the gods, even if they were more atavistically spiritual. But ever since humans became bipedal and took on this form—which is neither very thoughtful nor very spiritual—that they have now, they have more or less forfeited Nereus’s love. They are now further removed from him and his ancient water element; that is why he does not love them.

Yet the future is revealed to him,
For this, everyone respects him,
And honors him in his position;
He has also done many a good deed. (V 8088–8091)

[ 17 ] Well, isn’t that right, Thales, who translates everything into something philistine and bourgeois. But the homunculus—he wants to come into being; he wants to have a body as his element. That’s why he’s willing to go along with it.

HOMUNKULUS:
Let’s give it a try and knock!
It won’t cost us glass and flame right away. (V 8092–8093)

[ 18 ] Nereus emerges from his cave as a spirit with a somewhat Ahrimanic air; on the right.

NEREUS:
Are those human voices my ears perceive?
How my heart is suddenly filled with anger! (V 8094–8095)

[ 19 ] Just as people get a queasy feeling in their stomachs when they haven’t eaten something suitable, so his heart turns queasy when he even hears about people, because they repulse him.

A being striving to reach the gods,
And yet doomed to remain forever the same.
For many years I was able to rest in divine peace,
Yet I was driven to do good for the best;
And when I finally looked upon my accomplished deeds,
It was as if I had not succeeded at all. (V 8096–8101)

[ 20 ] He is very dissatisfied.

THALES:
And yet, O Elder of the Sea, we trust you,
You are the wise one—do not drive us away from here!
Behold this flame, though it resembles a human,
It yields entirely to your counsel.

NEREUS:
What advice! Has advice ever been heeded by mortals?
A wise word falls on deaf ears.
No matter how often action has harshly rebuked itself,
The people remain as headstrong as ever.
How fatherly I warned Paris,
Before his lust ensnared a foreign woman.
There he stood boldly on the Greek shore,
And I told him what I saw in my mind’s eye:
The skies smoldering, overflowing with red,
Glowing beams, murder and death below:
Troy’s Day of Judgment, rhythmically enshrined,
As terrible as it has been known for millennia.
To the insolent one, the old man’s words seemed a game,
He followed his desire, and Ilion fell—
A giant’s corpse, stiff from long torment,
A most welcome feast for the eagles of Pindus.
And Odysseus, too! Did I not foretell to him
Circe’s wiles, the Cyclops’ horror?
His hesitation, his lightheartedness,
And all the rest! Did any of it bring him gain?
Until, after many twists and turns, though late enough,
The favor of the waves carried him to a hospitable shore.

THALES:
Such behavior causes the wise man anguish;
Yet the good man tries once more.
A mere scrap of gratitude, to delight him greatly,
Will completely outweigh the hundredweight of ingratitude.
For we have no small thing to beg for:
The boy there wishes to be born wise. (V 8102–8133)

[ 21 ] You just have to make sure Thales doesn't step out of line. He's a real philistine compared to Nereus, isn't he? Nereus is actually a great guy, even if he does have a bit of an Ahrimanic streak.

NEREUS:
Don’t spoil my rare sense of humor!
Something quite different still awaits me today.
I have summoned all my daughters here,
The Graces of the Sea, the Dorides.
Neither Olympus nor your land bears
a form so beautiful that moves so gracefully.
With the most graceful of gestures,
they leap from the water dragon onto Neptune’s horses,
united most tenderly with the element,
So that even the foam seems to lift them up.
In the play of colors from Venus’s shell chariot
Now Galatea, the fairest of all, is carried forth,
She who, ever since Kypris turned away from us,
Is worshiped as a goddess herself in Paphos. (V 8134–8147)

[ 22 ] So Galatea is the most beautiful of his daughters, the most beautiful of the Dorides. It is later said that she bore a particularly strong resemblance to her mother. So Kypris, the other sea goddess, has turned away, and she [Galatea] is worshipped as a goddess—she is, in a sense, a sea Aphrodite.

And so the fair one has long possessed
As heiress, Temple City and the Chariot Throne.
Away! In this hour of a father’s joy
There is no place for hatred in the heart, nor harsh words on the lips.
Away to Proteus! Ask the wondrous man:
How one can come into being and transform oneself. (V 8148–8153)
(walks away toward the sea)

[ 23 ] He—[Nereus]—continues out into the sea, because he is now expecting Galatea's arrival.

THALES:
We’ve gained nothing by taking this step,
Even if we were to encounter Proteus, he would vanish in an instant;
And if he stands before you, he will only say at the end,
What causes astonishment and throws you into confusion.
Since you are in need of such counsel,
Let us try it and change our course! (V 8154–8159)
(They depart)

[ 24 ] The sirens atop the rocks have remained, and they announce how the Nereids and Tritons are approaching from afar with the Cabiri.

SIRENS (perched on the cliffs):
What do we see in the distance
Gliding through the realm of the waves?
As if, guided by the wind’s command,
White sails were drawing near,

[ 25 ] In other words: as if white sails were approaching, carried by the wind! That’s how we see it; it looks as if white sails were approaching, carried by the wind.

They are so bright to behold,
Transfigured mermaids …

[ 26 ] That is how bright these Nereids and Tritons appear.

Let’s climb down,
since you can hear the voices. (V 8160–8167)

[ 27 ] The Nereids and Tritons arrive.

NEREIDS AND TRITONS:
What we carry on our hands
May please you all.
On the giant shields of the Chelonids
A stern figure shines,
They are gods whom we bring;
You must sing lofty songs. (V 8168–8173)

[ 28 ] So they carry these goddesses on a large shield, though they look like pots. These gods, the Cabiri, look as primitive as possible. One could fashion simple, yet distinctly Greek, primitive pots—still very much reminiscent of Greek prehistory—and that would be what the Cabiri look like. That is the form of these high gods. They are very small, broad, and cute. They are very high gods, but they are characterized by their dwarf-like stature; they are actually divine dwarves, but very powerful—truly powerful. Therefore, because they are gods of creation, we need them: the homunculus wishes to come into being, so we need them. Of course, Goethe could not simply refer to the natural scientists who assume origin—through marine slime and so on, and so on—but rather he referred to the Cabiri, the Cabiri who bring life forth from the elements. But they still have a simple form. So they are high gods, important gods, but they are dwarf-like gods.

SIRENS:
Small in stature,
Mighty in power,
Saviors of the doomed,
Gods revered since time immemorial. (V 8174–8177)

[ 29 ] “The Failing Savior,” because they help the sailors who must plow through and cross the sea. That’s particularly important, isn’t it? To the sailors, the Kabirs are actually important because of their nature. Through their entire function in the cosmos, they are actually fearless gods—what one might call courageous gods. After all, isn’t it the mind that makes one fearful—by constantly drawing one’s attention to dangers, by making one perpetually pensive, and so on? If one were not misled by the mind, one would not be fearful. These Cabiri—with the exception of the fourth, Kadmilos, who represents their consciousness—namely the three of them, are fearless gods. This is why they can also be the protectors of sailors.

NEREIDS AND TRITONS:
We bring the Cabiri,
To hold a peaceful feast;
For where they reign in holiness,
Neptune will reign with kindness.

SIRENS:
We follow you,
When a ship is wrecked,
With irresistible power
You protect the crew.

NEREIDS AND TRITONS:
We took three with us,
The fourth did not want to come;
He said he was the right one,
The one who thought for them all. (V 8178–8189)

[ 30 ] So the one with consciousness didn't want to come; they only brought the three unconscious ones. [The] sirens view this whole arrangement somewhat from the perspective of cosmic humor.

SIRENS:
One god mocks another god
And turns him into a laughingstock.
Honor all blessings,
Fear every misfortune.

[ 31 ] The gods, of course, work against one another: one god likely makes a mockery of the other.

NEREIDS AND TRITONS:
There are actually seven of them. (V 8190–8194)

[ 32 ] There are actually eight in total. But only the Egyptians knew of these eight—or rather, seven.

SIRENS:
Where did the three of them go?

NEREIDS AND TRITONS:
We wouldn’t know how to say,
One must ask on Mount Olympus;
There is likely an eighth one as well,
Of whom no one has yet thought.
Graciously awaiting us,
But not all are ready yet.

These Incomparable Ones
Always want to go further,
Longing, starving souls
For the unattainable. (V 8195–8205)

[ 33 ] This “hunger” has no negative connotations. They are eager for the greatest perfection. Thus, they possess within themselves the greatest possible desire for becoming, for coming into being; they are “those who hunger for the unattainable.”

SIRENS:
We are accustomed:
Wherever it may reign,
To the sun and moon
To pray—it is worth it. (V 8206–8209)

[ 34 ] So they [the sirens] are willing to do whatever the tritons want.

NEREIDS AND TRITONS:
How our glory shines most brightly,
To lead this celebration!

SIRENS:
The heroes of antiquity
Lacking in glory,
Wherever and however it may shine;
When they obtain the Golden Fleece,
The Cabiri. (V 8210–8218)

[ 35 ] The Golden Fleece—isn't that right?—that is the vision of the astral realm. First, the Sirens sing. And then the Sirens and Nereids answer together:

(repeated as a chorus)
When they obtain the Golden Fleece.

[ 36 ] and everyone says:

We! You! the Cabiri.

[ 37 ] The Nereids say:

We!

[ 38 ] The sirens say:

They! The Cabiri. (Lines 8217–8218)
(The NEREIDS and TRITONS pass by.)

[ 39 ] Now they pass by, and the homunculus watches them:

HOMUNCULUS:
I look upon these misshapen beings
As earthenware pots of the worst kind,
Now the wise men bump into them
And break their hard heads. (V 8219–8222)

[ 40 ] These are the scholars, aren’t they, who ponder this matter; they come up with nothing; for what external scholarship has uncovered about the Kabirs—admittedly, in Goethe’s time it wasn’t quite as foolish as it is today, but it was still quite foolish.

THALES:
That is precisely what one desires,
It is the rust that makes the coin valuable. (V 8223–8224)

[ 41 ] He really could be a university professor and a theosophist, couldn’t he, Thales! It’s quite clear, isn’t it, that he holds the view that it is the rust that makes the coin valuable. So it is antiquity and research that give value to what was spiritually revered in ancient times.

[ 42 ] Proteus isn't quite noticeable yet; you don't hear him speak until later; but he has heard all of this.

PROTEUS (unnoticed):
That’s just the kind of thing that makes an old storyteller like me happy!
The more whimsical, the more respectable.

THALES:
Where are you, Proteus?

PROTEUS (ventriloquistic, now close, now far away):
Here! And here! (V 8225–8227)

[ 43 ] So one person has to stand farther away and the other closer; and one says, “Here!”—and the other, over there, says, “Here!”—It sounds far away one time; he can be referring to two places.

THALES:
I’ll forgive you for that old joke;
But don’t speak empty words to a friend!
I know you’re talking about the wrong place.

PROTEUS (as if from a distance):
Farewell!

THALES (quietly to Homunkulus):
He’s very close. Now shine brightly!
He’s as curious as a fish;
And no matter where he happens to be,
The flames will lure him here.

HOMUNKULUS:
Let me pour forth a flood of light,
Yet with restraint, lest I shatter the glass.

PROTEUS (in the form of a giant turtle):
What is that, shining so gracefully and beautifully? (V 8228–8237)

[ 44 ] Proteus in the form of a giant turtle: Yes, he must have a large shell, through which he takes on the form of a giant turtle. Thales hints at where he is. He has to let the entire roof fall down afterward, and only then is he Proteus. So, first, Proteus in the form of a giant turtle:

[ 45 ] What shines so gracefully and beautifully?

THALES (concealing the homunculus):
All right! If you’d like, you can take a closer look.
Don’t let this little effort dishearten you
And show yourself standing on both human feet.
Let it be by our grace, by our will
Whoever wishes to see what we conceal. (V 8237–8242)

[ 46 ] Now he—Proteus—sheds his turtle form and appears as a very handsome man, of noble bearing.

PROTEUS (elegantly designed):
You still remember the world's tricks.

THALES:
You still have the desire to change form.
(has revealed the homunculus)

[ 47 ] He now reveals the homunculus. Proteus, on the left, looks astonished.

PROTEUS (astonished):
A glowing little dwarf! Never seen anything like it!

[ 48 ] Thales on the right.

THALES:
He seeks advice and longs to come into being.
As I have heard from him,
He was born, quite wondrously, only half into the world.
He lacks nothing in intellectual qualities,
But all too much in tangible competence.
Until now, only the glass has given him substance,
But he would like to take on a physical form first.

PROTEUS:
You are a true virgin’s son,
Even before you should be, you already are!
THALES (quietly):
It also seems to me, from another perspective,
He is, it seems to me, hermaphroditic.

PROTEUS:
Then it must succeed all the more surely;
As soon as he arrives, things will fall into place.
But there’s no time for much reflection here,
In the vast sea you must begin!
There one begins small at first
And takes pleasure in devouring the smallest things,
You grow little by little,
And develop toward greater achievements. (V 8243–8264)

[ 49 ] So he says: he can certainly be hermaphroditic as long as he is a spirit. When he comes among humans, things will sort themselves out.

HOMUNKULUS:
There’s a gentle breeze blowing here,
It’s rumbling, and I love the scent!

PROTEUS:
I believe it, my dearest boy!
And it’s going to get even cozier,
On this narrow strip of beach
Where the haze is even more indescribable;
Up ahead we see the procession,
Which is just floating toward us, close enough.
Come along with us!

THALES:
I'm coming with you.

HOMUNKULUS:
A ghostly step three times over! (V 8265–8274)

[ 50 ] So there they go, heading toward the procession—the procession of the Telchines. The Telchines are also such Ahrimanic beings; they are the helpers of the earliest monumental arts; they are, in fact, those spiritual beings who determine the forms of human beings and other beings—not their life, but their forms. This entire chorus is now actually rushing forward. The Telchines of Rhodes are, in other words, such arch-magicians, arch-spirits, who gave form. On hippocampi and sea dragons—hippocampi, that is, half-fish and half-horse—they ride forth as sea dragons. Neptune’s trident is their weapon. And now they are arriving.

TELCHINES OF RHODES (riding seahorses and sea dragons, wielding Neptune’s trident):
We forged Neptune’s trident,
With which he soothes the most turbulent waves.
When the Thunderer unfurls the full clouds,
Neptune counters the grim roar;
And just as jagged lightning flashes from above,
Wave after wave is sent surging up from below;
And whatever struggles in anguish in between,
Is, after being hurled for a long time, swallowed by the depths;
Which is why he hands us the scepter today,
Now we float festively, calm and light. (V 8275–8284)

[ 51 ] You are now bringing in the solar aspect. – You see, you have to imagine that Goethe lived very much in harmony with nature—that is, with the spirit of nature. So what has taken place so far on the Aegean coast in the previous scene—there’s a change of scene here, before the Telchines arrive—what happened before took place from midnight until morning. So now—one might say—a dawn-like atmosphere is approaching. The moon is still there, and all the stars are still there. But it is now a dawn-like atmosphere that is approaching. – So this emergence, which the homunculus seeks and attributes to the dawn-like atmosphere: that is actually Goethe’s intention.

SIRENS:
To you, consecrated to Helios,
Blessed with sunny days,
Greetings at this hour that stirs
Our deep veneration for Luna! (V 8285–8288)

[ 52 ] So the moon is already setting; the sun has not yet risen; but it is already being celebrated by the sirens.

TELCHINES:
O most lovely goddess, there above the arch!
You listen with delight as your brother is praised.

[ 53 ] So they say of the moon that it listens with delight as the sun’s brother sings its praises.

You lend an ear to blessed Rhodus,
There an eternal paean rises up to him.
As the day begins and ends,
He gazes upon us with a fiery, radiant gaze.
The mountains, the cities, the shores, the waves,
Pleasing to the god, are lovely and bright.
No mist hovers around us, and if it creeps in,
A ray of light and a gentle breeze—the island is pure!
There the High One beholds himself in a hundred forms,
As a youth, as a giant—the great one, the gentle one.
We were the first; it was we who gave divine power
A dignified human form. (V 8289–8302)

[ 54 ] So they—[the Telchines]—are the ones who gave things their forms. They fashioned the power of the gods into the most lovely human form. Let Proteus say a few words about his task:

PROTEUS:
Let them sing, let them boast!
To the sun’s sacred rays of life
Dead works are but a trifle.
They shape, melting, undaunted;
And once they’ve cast it in bronze,
Then they think it’s something.
What becomes of these proud ones in the end?
The statues of the gods stood tall, –
An earthquake destroyed them;
They have long since been melted down again.

The hustle and bustle of life, whatever it may be,
Is always just drudgery;
The wave serves life better;
The Proteus-Dolphin carries you
into the eternal waters. (He transforms.) It is already done! (V 8303–8317)

[ 55 ] In other words: the sun does not merely endure the forms; the sun seeks to imbue the forms with life—that is, with the ethereal, the etheric body.

[ 56 ] And now Proteus transforms himself once more; he takes on the form of a fish:

It’s already done!
May you find the greatest happiness:
I’ll carry you on my back,
And wed you to the ocean. (V 8317–8320)

[ 57 ] The homunculus is thus said to begin its formation in water; it is to unite with the element of water. Proteus takes it onto his back and wants the homunculus to actually unite with the element of water in order to gradually become human.

THALES:
Give in to that noble desire,
To begin creation anew!
Be ready to act swiftly!
For you are inspired by eternal principles,
Through a thousand and a thousand forms,
And you have time all the way to the creation of humankind.

[ 58 ] Homunkulus climbs onto the Proteus dolphin.

HOMUNKULUS
(climbs onto the Proteus dolphin)

PROTEUS:
Come with me in spirit to the watery expanse,
There you’ll live in both length and breadth,
You may move about here as you please;
Just do not strive for higher realms:
For once you have become human,
Then it is completely over for you. (V 8321–8332)

[ 59 ] I’ve said this many times before: it’s not “Orden” but “Orten,” because a homunculus isn’t yet the kind of person who strives for orders! It was simply dictated by Goethe in the Frankfurt dialect, and the scribe wrote a soft “d.”

[ 60 ] Thales doesn't agree with that. After all, like a true bourgeois philistine, he wants to keep striving further and further.

THALES:
Since it is to come, it is certainly fine,
To be a brave man in his time.

PROTEUS (to Thales):
You’re certainly one of your kind!
This will go on for a while yet;
For among the pale hosts of ghosts
I’ve been seeing you for many hundreds of years. (V 8333–8338)

[ 61 ] Well, Proteus sees right through him!

SIRENS (on the rock):
What ring of little clouds forms
Such a rich circle around the moon?
They are doves, inflamed with love,
Their wings as white as light.
Paphos has sent them here,
her passionate flock of birds;
Our feast is complete,
full of bright and clear joy! (V 8339–8346)

[ 62 ] So the entire appearance of the moon, the way the clouds cluster around it: the fact that there are spiritual beings within this element is particularly emphasized here. Goethe attached particular importance to this passage because, through such descriptions, he wanted to suggest that he was not merely observing an atmospheric phenomenon, but rather seeing in that phenomenon the revelation of a deeper spiritual reality.

NEREUS (approaching Thales):

[ 63 ] So he goes over once again what the Sirens have already discussed:

A night wanderer might well call
This moonlit courtyard an atmospheric phenomenon;
But we spirits hold a very different
And the only correct opinion.
It is doves that accompany
My daughter’s journey with the shell,
A wondrous flight of a special kind,
Learned in times of old. (V 8347–8354)

[ 64 ] So he objects to the idea that these are merely atmospheric phenomena—not just external atmospheric phenomena, but doves, spiritual atmospheric phenomena. – After all, a dove also appeared at the baptism of Christ. – So, doves flying around the moon, which first appeared during his daughter’s “muschelfahrt.”

THALES:
I, too, consider this the best course,
Whatever pleases that valiant man,
When, in a quiet, warm nest,
A sacred thing remains alive. (V 8355–8358)

[ 65 ] Now come the Psylles and the Marses. These are, in fact—both kinds, the Psylles and the Marses alike—what one might call those spiritual beings that animate the serpents and are related to them. They carry the others here; that is, they arrive on sea beasts, sea calves, and sea rams. Once again, they are the ones who, at dawn, bring forth both the Dorians and the most beautiful of the Dorians, the Aphrodite of the sea: Galatea. Thus, the entire power of the sea is brought forth.

[ 66 ] The homunculus, carried into the sea by the dolphin, flows out into the sea, thereby becoming human. And the human who flows out of the sea—that is, after all, Helena.

PSYLLA AND MARS (on sea-beasts, sea-calves, and sea-rams):
In Cyprus’s rugged cave-tombs,
Not buried by the sea god,
Not shattered by Seismos,
Swept by eternal breezes,
And, as in the earliest days,
In quiet, mindful contentment
We guard the Chariot of Cyprius,
And, to the murmur of the nights,
Through a lovely web of waves,
Invisible to the new generation,
We bring forth the loveliest daughter. (V 8359–8378)

[ 67 ] So those who bring Galatea here—they rule over Cyprus. [In] Cyprus, there’s been all sorts of things, hasn’t there? Cyprus is, after all, a country that has been ruled by all sorts of powers. They fear neither the Roman eagle nor the winged lion, that other symbol of rule; neither the Christian cross nor the Turkish crescent. All of these have ruled Cyprus. They fear none of these things; they see themselves as the rightful rulers of Cyprus, to whom the island actually belongs, and even though there were Christians and Turks and pagans and eagles and lions and all sorts of things, they still exercise their rule here.

We, who go about our business quietly, fear neither
eagles nor winged lions,
neither the cross nor the moon,
As it dwells and reigns on high,
Swaying and stirring in constant flux,
Dispelling and striking down,
Laying waste to crops and cities.
We, from this day forward,
Bring forth the loveliest mistress.

[ 68 ] SIRENS:

[ 69 ] Top.

Moving lightly, with moderate haste,
Around the chariot, circle after circle,
Soon intertwining, line upon line,
Serpentine, in rows,
Draw near, vigorous Nereids,
Rugged women, pleasingly wild,
Bring, tender Dorides,
Galateans, the image of the mother:
Serious, to look like the gods,
Worthy of immortality,
Yet like lovely mortal women,
Alluring grace. (V 8370–8390)

[ 70 ] So the Dorides are indeed sisters of the Nereids, but they—the Dorides—resemble their mother more:

Bring, tender Dorides,
the image of Galatea, the mother:

[ 71 ] Because she looks so much like her mother, she is her mother's spitting image:

Ernst, with a countenance like that of the gods,
Worthy of immortality,
Yet as lovely as mortal women,
Alluring grace.

THE DORIDS (passing Nereus in chorus, all riding dolphins):
Grant us, Luna, light and shadow,
Clarity to this youthful splendor!
For we present beloved spouses
To our father in supplication.
(to Nereus)
They are the boys we have rescued,

[ 72 ] So they were shipwrecked, and they were rescued.

From the surging waves, fierce and toothy,
They, bedded on reeds and moss,
Warm themselves toward the light;
Who must now, with passionate kisses,
Faithfully show us their gratitude;
Look kindly upon these fair ones!

NEREUS:
This double gain is to be highly prized:
To be merciful, and at the same time to take delight.

DORIDEN:
If you, Father, praise our deeds,
Grant us well-earned joy,
Let us hold fast, immortal,
To the bosom of eternal youth.

[ 73 ] So they no longer want to be separated from the young men who saved them.

NEREUS:
Rejoice in this fine catch,
For the youth will become a man for you;
Yet I cannot grant
What only Zeus can bestow. (V 8385–8411)

[ 74 ] So he [Nereus] cannot breathe eternal, immortal life into friendship; only Zeus, who grants eternity to the soul, could do that; he [Zeus] could also grant immortality to friendship. But they [the Dorides] have nothing else to offer but the wave; it comes together and breaks apart, just as the wave comes together and breaks apart. That is what he wants to emphasize.

The wave that tosses and rocks you,
Does not let love endure,
And once it has played out its passion,
It gently sets you ashore.

DORIDES:
You, lovely youths, are dear to us;
Yet we must part with heavy hearts;
We longed for eternal fidelity,
But the gods will not allow it.

THE YOUNG MEN:
If only you’ll keep cheering us on from afar,
Us brave sailor boys;
We’ve never had it so good
And we wouldn’t want it any better.

[ 75 ] Now Galatea approaches on the shell-drawn chariot.

GALATEE
(approaching on the shell-shaped cart)

NEREUS:
It’s you, my darling!
GALATEE:
Oh, Father! What joy!
Dolphins, stay a while! Your gaze captivates me.

NEREUS:
They’re already passing by, they’re sweeping past
In a swirling, sweeping motion!
What do they care about the heartfelt stirrings within!

[ 76 ] So they pass by.

Oh! If only they would take me with them!
Yet a single glance brings such delight,
That it makes up for the whole year. (V 8412–8431)

[ 77 ] He watches her go, looking sad.

THALES:
Hail! Hail! Once again!
How I rejoice in full bloom,
Imbued with beauty and truth …
Everything has sprung from the water!!
Everything is sustained by the water!
Ocean, grant us your eternal reign.
If you had not sent clouds,
Had not provided abundant streams,
Had not turned rivers to and fro,
Had not perfected the streams:
What would mountains, plains, and the world be?
It is you who sustain the freshest life. (V 8432–8443)

[ 78 ] So [Thales] develops his philistine theory here. Everything was so incredibly beautiful, magnificent; but he abstracts, seeing only his abstract theories in everything: “Everything sprang from water!” He might just as well have said: “Haven’t I been saying this for a long time?!”

[ 79 ] Everyone who is there—that is, all the spiritual beings, the Dorids, the Nereids, and so on: everyone, everyone:

ECHO
(Chorus of all the circles):
It is you from whom the freshest life springs.

NEREUS:
They return from afar, swaying,
No longer meeting each other’s gaze;
In broad, circular chains,
To prove their steadfastness,
The countless host winds its way. (V 8444–8449)

[ 80 ] So they go around in circles; they come back.

But Galatea’s shell throne
I see it already, and yet again,
It shines like a star
Through the crowd;
My beloved shines through the throng,
No matter how far away
It shimmers bright and clear,
Always near and true.

HOMUNCULUS:
In this lovely dampness,
Whatever I illuminate here,
Everything is enchantingly beautiful.

PROTEUS:
In this vitality
Your light first shines
With a magnificent glow.

NEREUS:
What new mystery in the midst of the multitudes
Is about to reveal itself to our eyes?
What is blazing around the shell at Galatea’s feet?
Now it blazes mightily, now gently, now sweetly,
As if stirred by the pulses of love.

THALES:
It is the homunculus, seduced by Proteus …
These are the symptoms of imperious longing,
I sense the groaning of a fearful roar;
He will shatter against the gleaming throne;
Now it blazes, now it flashes, already pouring forth. (V 8450–8473)

[ 81 ] That’s where he ends up. He feels completely—he doesn’t know how …

SIRENS:
What fiery wonder transfigures the waves for us,
As they crash against one another, sparkling?
So it glows and sways and shines upward:
Their bodies glow along their nocturnal path,
And all around, everything is encircled by fire;
So let Eros reign, who started it all!
Hail to the sea! Hail to the waves!
Encircled by the sacred fire;
Hail to the water! Hail to the fire!
Hail to this rare adventure!

[ 82 ] Now: All—all the different spirits:

ALL-ALL:
Hail to the gentle breezes!
Hail to the mysterious tombs!
Here you are all celebrated,
all four elements! (V 8474–8487)

[ 83 ] There the shell chariot shatters. Galatea rises from the sea. This is Eros emerging from the sea—love, which in this way gives birth to Helen. From the homunculus, which shatters against Galatea’s shell chariot, and from the dawn—along with Galatea—Helena is then born. – There is music in the final lines because the sirens sing along; one can hop along to the rhythm.