My lord, in very truth these words of thine Arouse an echo in my deepest soul. Indeed my nature is not prone to dreams; Yet when I walk alone through wood and field A picture often riseth in my soul Which with my will I can no more control Than any object which mine eye beholds. A human form appears in front of me Which fain would grasp my hand in fellowship. Such suffering on his features is expressed As never yet I saw in any face. The greatness and the beauty of this man Seize firmly hold of all my powers of soul; I fain would sink to earth and humbly bow Before this messenger from other worlds. Next moment like a raging flame, there comes The wildest anger searing through my heart, Nor can I gain the mastery o'er the power That fans the opposition of my soul, And I am forced to thrust aside the hand Which is so lovingly held out to me. So soon as to my senses I return The radiant form hath vanished from my sight. And thereupon, when I recall in thought That which my spirit hath so often seen, Before my soul this thought presents itself Which moves me to the bottom of my heart. I feel myself attracted by thy lore, In which a Spirit-being is revealed Descending from the Kingdom of the Sun, To take a human form upon Himself, In order to disclose Himself to men. I cannot keep the glowing beauty out That pours upon me from thy noble lore, And yet my soul will not assent thereto. The primal form of our humanity In thy great Spirit-being I admit; But still my individual self rebels When I would turn to him in faith and love. So must I ever wage an inward war The archetype of every outer strife. In sore distress, I seek in vain a clue To solve the riddle of my life and fate: How comes it that I understand so well And yet that I in no wise can believe The things thy noble teachings do reveal? I follow thine example faithfully, Yet find myself opposed at every point To this example's goal and origin. And when I must thus recognize myself, A flood of doubt o'erwhelms my falt'ring faith That in this life I may yet find myself. Nay, worse than this, the dread doth haunt me oft That this bewilderment of doubt may run Through all the lives that I shall live on earth. GRAND MASTER: The picture, which thou sawest, my good friend, Before my spirit stood out strong and clear Whilst thou didst paint it in those vivid words; And as thou didst speak further, then it grew In breadth before mine eyes until I saw How cosmic aims are linked to human fate. (Exeunt.) (After an interval, the two Masters of Ceremonies enter.) FIRST MASTER OF CEREMONIES: