“ A good man, through obscurest aspiration, Has still an instinct of the one true way. ”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust (1808). copy citation
| Author | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
|---|---|
| Source | Faust |
| Topic | instinct aspiration |
| Date | 1808 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Bayard Taylor |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14591/14591-h/14591-h.htm |
Context
“What thou hast asked is granted.
Turn off this spirit from his fountain-head;
To trap him, let thy snares be planted,
And him, with thee, be downward led;
Then stand abashed, when thou art forced to say:
A good man, through obscurest aspiration,
Has still an instinct of the one true way.
MEPHISTOPHELES
Agreed! But 'tis a short probation.
About my bet I feel no trepidation.
If I fulfill my expectation,
You'll let me triumph with a swelling breast:
Dust shall he eat, and with a zest,”
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