In her dismay she fled unto mine arms; And from that hour did grow her love for me. Since that same time she doth accept from me The gifts of life with her full consciousness Not with blind instinct: aye, and since that day When this young heart first quivered into warmth, Whene'er her gaze met mine with loving glance, Thy wisdom's treasures of their fruitage failed, And much already ripe hath withered up. I saw appear in her those tokens strange That proved so terrible unto my friend. A dark enigma am I to myself, And grow still darker. Thou wilt not deny To solve for me life's fearful questionings? Why do I thus destroy both friend and child, When I in love approach my work with them To give them knowledge of that spirit-lore Which in my soul I know to be the good? Oft hast thou taught me this exalted truth-- 'Illusion's veil o'erspreads life's surfaces'-- Yet must I see with greater clarity Why I must bear this heavy destiny, That seems so cruel and which works such harm. BENEDICTUS: Within our circle there is formed a knot Of threads that Karma spins world-fashioning. Thy sufferings, my friend are links in chains, Forged by the hand of destiny, whereby The deeds of gods unite with human lives.-- When in life's pilgrimage I had attained That rank which granted me the dignity To serve with counsel in the spirit-spheres, A godlike Being did draw nigh to me, Who would descend into the realms of earth, And dwell there, veiled in form of flesh, as man. For just at this one turning-point of time The Karma of mankind made this demand. For each great step in world-development Is only possible when gods do stoop To link themselves with human destiny. And this new spirit-sight that needs must grow And germinate henceforth in souls of men Can only be unfolded when a god Doth plant the seed within some human heart. My task it was to find that human soul Which worthy seemed to take within itself The powerful Seed of God. I had to join The deed of heaven to some human lot. My spirit's eye then sought, and fell on thee. Thy course of life had fitted thee to be The mediator in salvation's work. Through many former lives thou hadst acquired Receptiveness for all the greatest things That human hearts can e'er experience. Within thy tender soul thou didst bring forth, As spirit heritage, the noble gift Of beauty, joined to virtue's loftiest claim: And that which thine eternal Self had formed And brought to being through thy birth on earth Did reach ripe fruitage when thy years were few.-- Too soon thou didst not scale steep spirit-heights; Nor grew thy yearning for the spirit-land Before thou hadst the full enjoyment known Of harmless pleasures in the world of sense.