From the demigod’s ashes there soar, youth-renewing, Birds ever singing. Zeus the Omniscient Shaped them contending. Owls of wisdom, My birds, where do they slumber? Thou must die if thou rede not The song’s enigma! PEER. How strange now,—I really fancied there came From the statue a sound. Music, this, of the Past. I heard the stone-accents now rising, now sinking.— I will register it, for the learned to ponder. [_Notes in his pocket-book_ “The statue did sing. I heard the sound plainly, But didn’t quite follow the text of the song. The whole thing, of course, was hallucination.— Nothing else of importance observed to-day.” [_Proceeds on his way._ SCENE TWELFTH. _Near the village of Gizeh. The great SPHINX carved out of the rock. In the distance the spires and minarets of Cairo._ _PEER GYNT enters; he examines the SPHINX attentively, now through his eyeglass, now through his hollowed hand._ PEER GYNT. Now, where in the world have I met before Something half forgotten that’s like this hobgoblin? For met it I have, in the north or the south. Was it a person? And, if so, who? That Memnon, it afterwards crossed my mind, Was like the Old Man of the Dovrë, so called, Just as he sat there, stiff and stark, Planted on end on the stumps of pillars.— But this most curious mongrel here, This changeling, a lion and woman in one,— Does he come to me, too, from a fairy-tale, Or from a remembrance of something real? From a fairy-tale? Ho, I remember the fellow! Why, of course it’s the Boyg, that I smote on the skull,— That is, I dreamt it,—I lay in fever.— [_Going closer._ The self-same eyes, and the self-same lips;— Not quite so lumpish; a little more cunning; But the same, for the rest, in all essentials.— Ay, so that’s it, Boyg; so you’re like a lion When one sees you from behind and meets you in the day-time! Are you still good at riddling? Come, let us try. Now we shall see if you answer as last time! [_Calls out towards the SPHINX._ Hei, Boyg, who are you? A VOICE. [_Behind the SPHINX._] Ach, Sphinx, wer bist du? PEER. What! Echo answers in German! How strange! THE VOICE. Wer bist du? PEER.