I’ve purged the lust for knowledge from my soul; Now the full range of suffering it shall face, And in my inner self I will embrace [FRA 1770 The experience allotted to the whole Race of mankind; my mind shall grasp the heights And depths, my heart know all their sorrows and delights. Thus I’ll expand myself, and their self I shall be, And perish in the end, like all humanity. MEPHISTOPHELES. Oh, take my word for it, I who have chewed For centuries on this stale food— From birth to death a man may do his best, But this old leavened lump he’ll not digest! We do assure you, such
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