O man, know thou thyself: O man, feel me. From spirit darkness hast thou now escaped; And thou hast found again the light of earth. So now from my sure ground draw strength and truth. The solid earth do I make hard and fast: Yet canst thou also lose that certainty. Weak hesitation can e'en now destroy The power of being, and thou canst misuse The spirit-strength e'en in the heights of light. Thou canst be rent in twain within thyself. O man, feel me. O man, know thou thyself.
What meaneth this? First Lucifer arose From me, and Ahriman did follow him. Doth now some new illusion haunt my soul, Although I prayed so ardently for truth? Hath Benedictus' brother roused in me Only those powers, which in the souls of men Do but create illusion and deceit?
(The following is a spirit voice coming from the heights.)
To founts of world primeval Thy surging thoughts do mount. What unto illusion urged, What in error held thee fast, Appeareth to thee now in spirit-light. Through whose fulness seeing, Mankind doth think in truth; Through whose fulness striving, Mankind doth live in Love.
The Temple of the Sun. Hidden site of the mysteries of the Hierophants.
Capesius and Strader appear as in Scene 4.
RETARDUS (to Capesius and Strader before him):
Ye have brought bitter grief to me, my friends. The office which I did entrust to you Ye have administered with ill success. I call you now before my judgment seat. To thee, Capesius, I did entrust Full measure of the spirit, that ideas Of mankind's upward striving might compose, With graceful words, the content of thy speech, Which should have worked convincingly on man. Then thine activity I did direct Into those gatherings of men, wherein Thou didst Johannes and Maria meet. Their tendency towards the spirit-sight Thou shouldst have superseded by the power Which thy words should have exercised on them. Instead of that thou didst thyself give up Unto the influence which flows from them.-- And to thee, Strader, did I show the way That leads to scientific certainty. Thou hadst by rigid thinking to destroy The magic power that comes from spirit-sight. But yet thou lackedst feeling's certain touch. The power of thought did slip away from thee, When opportunity for conquest came. My fate is close-entwinéd with your deeds, Through you are these two seekers after truth Now lost for evermore from my domain; For to the brethren I must give their souls.