Words issue out of circles strange to me, And yet their tones illuminate me not: And so they are not fully real to me.
On spirit-shores illumination works, Yet howsoe'er I strive to understand The sense of these light-forces, they are dumb.
DAME BALDE'S SOUL: (Figure of a penitent with white coif, like that of a nun; robe yellow-orange, with silver girdle; she appears quite close to Maria; on her right and near Felix Balde.)
Ye souls now summoned up by Lucifer! The penitent doth hear your voices' tone, But only sunshine's voice doth give him light; Its super-splendour doth destroy your voice. The other can behold your starry light, But starry writing is to him unknown.
The starry writing! this word wakens thoughts, And bears them on the waves of soul to me. Thoughts which in earth-lives in the distant past Were to my being wondrously revealed
They lighten still, yet--as they grow, they fade; Oblivion sheds its gloomy shade around.
THE GUARDIAN: (Enter the Guardian of the Threshold, like an angel, symbolically arrayed and steps to the side of the souls of Maria and Benedictus.)
Ye souls who now at Lucifer's demand Have drawn near the bounds of other souls, In this domain ye are within my power. The souls whom ye are seeking seek you too. Within this cosmic age 'tis not ordained Their beings shall touch yours within their spheres Not e'en in thought;--and so do ye beware Lest to their orbits ye should force your way. Should ye do this, 'twould harm both them and you. I should be bound to take away from you The starry light, and banish you from them For cosmic ages into other spheres.
The same characters are still in their places. The lighting is full of warm shades, but not too bright. Toward the right of stage the sylphs keep swaying to and fro. In front Philia, Astrid, and Luna.
CAPESIUS' SOUL: (Standing on the left of stage near the middle.)
The picture, that in sunshine's hour I saw, Beamed grace and worked with gentle kindliness; E'en now within my being it holds sway, When other wisdom-light illuminates This spirit-realm with many-coloured rays, Yet now the picture's influence doth grow. It bids me draw therefrom, for future times On earth, that which the soul who stands revealed Within the picture and hath mighty weight In mine own sphere, once gave to my sense-life, Yet doth no powerful current of desire. Direct me to this soul.
