A MAN WITH A LAMP APPEARS AND TALKS WITH THE KINGS

The Man with a Lamp is a key character in the story. He is a good conversationalist - when it matters.

In his conversation with the kings, below, in the underground chasm, are riddles. As described before in introductory Posts about this Tale there is no "right or wrong" answer or meaning to a riddle or imaginative word picture. Goethe's intention was to help anyone working with the story develop -  make meaning for themselves. So, this English translation of Goethe's text, is what happened when the Man with a Lamp appeared and talked to the kings.


A vein ran dimly-coloured over the marble wall, on a sudden became bright and diffused a cheerful light throughout the whole Temple. By this brilliancy the Snake perceived a third King, made of Brass and sitting mighty in shape, leaning on his club, adorned with a laurel garland and more like a rock than a man.

She was looking for the fourth, but the wall opened and through a cleft a man of middle stature attracted her attention. He was dressed like a peasant and carried in his hand a little Lamp, on whose still flame you liked to look, and which in a strange manner, without casting any shadow, enlightened the whole dome.

"Why comest thou, since we have light?" said the Golden King.

The Man with the Lamp replied, "You know that I may not enlighten what is dark."

"Will my kingdom end?" said the Silver King. 

"Late or never." said the Man.

With a stronger voice the Brazen King began to ask: "When shall I arise?"

"Soon."  replied the Man. 

"With whom shall I combine?" said the King.

"With thy elder brothers." said the Man.

"What will the youngest do?" inquired the King.

"He will sit down." replied the Man

"I am not tired." cried the fourth King with a rough faltering voice.


Whilst this speech was going on, the Snake had glided softly round the Temple, viewing everything. She looked at the fourth King. He stood leaning on a pillar; his considerable form was heavy rather than beautiful. But what metal it was made of could not be determined. Closely inspected, it seemed a mixture of the three metals which its brothers had been formed of. But in the founding, these materials did not seem to have combined together fully; gold and silver veins ran irregularly through a brazen mass, and gave the figure an unpleasant aspect.


Meanwhile the Gold King was asking of the Man,

"How many secrets knowest thou?"

"Three." replied the Man.

"Which is the most important?" said the Silver King.

"The Open one." replied the Man

"Wilt thou open it to us also?" said the Brass King.

"When I know the fourth." replied the Man.

"What care I?" grumbled the composite King in an undertone.

"I know the fourth." said the Snake; approached the Man, and hissed somewhat in his ear.

"The Time is at Hand." cried the old Man, with a strong voice.


The Temple re-echoed, the metal statutes sounded; and that instant the old Man sank away to the westward and the Snake to the eastward; and both of them passed through the clefts of the rock, with the greatest of speed. 

An audio recording of this part of the story can be found on www.tgsatbl.blogspot.com as Episode 4