Dogs that believe yourselves the shepherd! _(He shakes his head violently. His helmet drops off and his long yellow hair falls down on to his shoulders. He becomes very red. All are silent and stare at him open-mouthed._ A VOICE: Look at that woman! TÊTE-D'OR: Who says that I am a woman? Truly I am a savage virgin on whom you will not easily lay your hand! Indeed I am a woman! Behold what manner of woman I am! I bear a longing in me Like the seduction of fire Unconquerable. And I say to you that there is no one here, however vile, that I do not wish To seize, that I do not desire To lay hold on like roaring flame That is not nice in choosing the fuel with which it burns! Let not my day be disputed! The Phœnix Finds her nest in the furnace, aflame with blistering light; The enraptured lark soars upward towards the sky, Yes, and the infinite fields of shining air Overflow with the passionate cry of that throbbing cluster of plumes! And it is thus I also rise, not like a little bird, But like the Sphinx, shrilling momentous cries, the flying horse, woman-breasted, eagle-taloned! --I shall not live for you, but you must live for me. And that is why I stand alone before you like a virgin. _(Pause._ _(the TRIBUNE OF THE PEOPLE, the MAN OUT OF OFFICE and the others withdraw a little leaving in front the group of the KING and his officials._ THE SCHOOLMASTER: But what does all this mean? THE HIGH PREFECT: Sire, will you make no answer? Why do you stand there motionless and mute, like a man who does not hear or one who has nothing at stake? THE KING: Say what you have to say. The King will be the last to speak. THE HIGH PREFECT: Maker of Demands, you are exorbitant in what you ask. For he who demands must give an equivalent return, And you offer us nothing but stand before us with dishevelled hair, And say that you wish to be Master and he who speaks unchallenged, and that you would seat yourself Like a sovereign on the consecrated throne, And not to administer With prudent thrift for the common good of all, But like a man at his desk to whom his tenants bring their money That he may spend it in another place. TÊTE-D'OR: I have saved you all! Like a man who takes another in his arms. THE HIGH PREFECT: All society, Tête-d'or, Exists for the common advantage. And each one has his place that he may serve the rest. And the Sovereign, if one is needed, is he who serves everyone, With his officials, according to their functions. TÊTE-D'OR: And what is the good that they seek in living together? THE SCHOOLMASTER: And you, what good have you to promise us, seducer? But they seek for peace and to live in peace by the fruits of their daily toil. TÊTE-D'OR: You have not answered well, Schoolmaster. You think you are very wise and in truth you are only an ignoramus. Man is like the insatiable fire which at the last will consume the world, And at present sleeps beneath the ashes and is used for cooking food.