Rating: 
Summary: An absolute catastrophe
Review: It is interesting that reviewers appear to be so critical of the translation, ignoring what Goethe himself did to the Faust legend. From the annoying homunculus to the exorbitant Walpurgis Night to the self-indulgent Gretchen 'Travesty,' this is a story that never should have been written, with parts that would have been useless to try to stage. Faust and Mephistopheles were used as tools in a story that Goethe wanted to tell, rather than him telling their story. It is an overwrought nightmare.
The only reason I give it one star is that the site does not permit zero.
Read Christopher Marlowe's version instead.
Rating:
Summary: the finer ear who would deny it, recoils from this repulsive
Review: riot! Faust is one of the four or five greatest accomplishments in literature, all of shakespeare included. yet, the greatness of this work is buried by this unmitigated disaster of a translation. my title is line 11262 of Part II from the Walter Arndt translation in the Norton Edition(2000). The same Kaufmann line is: of course, for evey noble ear, bells are a thing one hates to hear. to convince those who somehow see something of value in Kaufmannn, here is a side by side comparison. It is below rather impossible to fail notice of the precise, intense artistry and beauty of the Arndt compared to the ponderous, awkward, clumsy effort of Kaufmann. Unfortunately space and format of the amazon review prevents side by side typing, though i tried. thus, first the Arndt then the Kauffman, and, need anything more be said?
Arndt: Act V Part II, Open Country
Wayfarer. Aye, the same dark linden swaying,
Now matured to aged strenght,
Welcome, after years of straying,
They salute me back at length!
Aye--the selfsame humble acres!
To that hut of refuge fair
I repaired when storm-lashed breakers
Cast Me on the sand-dunes there.
Who received me when i foundered,
I would bless the honest pair,
Hardly to be still encountered,
Old as even then they were.
Those were folk of pious living!
Should I knock, call out? All hail!
If you know the bliss of giving
As of old and never fail.
BAUCIS: Hush! Keep quiet, dear arrival,
Let him rest, my frail old man!
Lenghty slumber grants revival
For brief vigil's active span.
WAYFARER. Is it you, then, Mother, living
To receive my second thanks,
For the life-gift joinjtly given
To the youth cast on your banks?
Are you Baucis who devoutly
Quickened once this flatering lip?
You Philemon, who so stoutly
Snatched my hoard from water's grip?
Silvery pealing from your arbor.
From your hearth the nimble flame--
You in gruesome plight were harbor
Whence relief and comfort came.
Let me scan the boundless ocean,
Kneel upon the sandy crest,
Pour in prayerful devotion
What would burst my crowded breast.
Here is Kaufmann mistranslation. same passage:
WANDERER: Yes, this is the linden trees'
Peaceful dark that I behold;
Gratefully, the wanderer sees
Them again, now strong and old.
There's the cottage that once gave
Shelter to me, years before,
When the raging, storm-whipped wave
Thrust me on the dune-lined shore.
Are my helpful hosts still there?
How I'd like to see again
And to bless the valiant pair
who were aged even then.
They were pious, good, and kind,
Should I knock? call?--Welcome me,
If today, as once, you find
Joy in hospitality.
BAUCIS: Soft, dear stranger! Not so bold!
Let my husband rest, dear neighbor!
Sleeping long, permits the old
A brief day of rapid labor.
WANDERER: Is it you indeed, the wife("mutter" is translated "wife")
Who once saved me with her spouse?
That I thank you for my life,
You still live here in this house?
Are you Baucis whose kind care
Filled the half-dead mouth with food? (where does Kauffman get this, just amazing)
You, Philemon, whose quick dare
Saved my treasure from the flood?
Is it your hearth's rapid flame?
Is it your bell's silver tone? (there are no question marks here in the german, nonsense of this aside)
Amd my dread adventure came
to an end through you alone?
Let me walk up and survey
Once again the boundless ocean!
Let me kneel and let me pray!
For my breast bursts with emotion.
Rating: 
Summary: The conclusion is the beautiful solidarity, but why?
Review: The first time I read this conclusion, I wondered why it was the most important. Since I was born and have grown up at a rural country, its atmosphere was the solidarity itself. It seemed so conservative, because I thought it the most significant to assert myself against the implicit rules of the community, which has obligated me to conform them. After the twenty years, as the living world has changed, this estimate has been transformed. When all kind of conflicts between people, which were caused by the egoism, are found to be seen anywhere, the spirit of the solidarity has begun to seem warm and kind. As Goethe experienced the prime minister of some kingdom, he would know the egoistic ugly world of the time. Therefore, he might conclude that the most beautiful is the solidarity of the community. This poem is ready for who knows the troublesome world well.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully done
Review: The translation keeps very close to the original poetic verse. It is great for both German students and the general public since it has both the German and English text printed next to each other. I was disappointed that most of the second part was cut out, but this is still an excellent translation, and I recommend it to anyone interested in German literature or Goethe in general.
Rating:
Summary: Masterful.......A must read for any Romantic
Review: The words of Goethe just flow of the page with the help of translator Kaufman. This is the product of the best poet Germany has ever produced. His genius sets him on a high plane not reached by many. If any of you are curious as to what poetry is all about, one of the finest examples is just a click of the mouse away.
Rating:
Summary: Brava!
Review: This book is spectacular! It has so much insight and is brillant! The moral decision between good and evil, God and Metiphistophles!<--(mispelled) Brava Van Goethe. Wish you wrote more to this terrific book!
Rating:
Summary: Book that shows you about peoples life
Review: This book is what Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe wrote
This book shows you temptation and other things that makes your life miserable.
Rating:
Summary: Great pace and story
Review: This book won't take very long to read, even for the slowest readers. It is fast pace, especially when you get into the rhythm of the poetry. The story is pretty good and has many great messages. My advice: just read it!
Rating:
Summary: beautiful book
Review: This is an absolutely beautiful book; I have read it several times. Kaufmann's translation is certainly the best I have encountered, conveying the rhythmic drive, passion, humor and wit of Goethe's brilliant original German. Reading other translations' stuffy attempts at turning this beautiful play into boorishness and pompous moralizing really makes me wonder why Kaufmann's translation, for all its liberties with the text, has not become THE English version.Buy this book; but read it a few times before you judge it. You will find it makes far more sense and becomes far more powerful each time you peruse it.
Rating:
Summary: The best _Faust_ I have ever read!!!
Review: This is the most beautifully poetic translation of Faust that I have ever read...it puts other translations to shame. Bravo, Kaufman! I came across this version of Faust after reading Kaufman's translation of Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and was instantly impressed. I highly recommend both the work (a masterpiece, though the ending disappoints me) and the translator.
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