_Poesie_ (_springing to her feet; others retiring to their first positions_). Sweet, gentle Flora, take me to your heart; In all your joys I long to bear a part. _Primeva._ Nay, not so fast, fair maiden. List again. Majesta burns your homage to obtain; She is the guardian of the mountains high, Whose peaks in grandeur pierce the arching sky. _Majesta._ Where the fierce eagle builds her dizzy nest, Amid the clouds, I take my regal rest. The sun on me his morning kiss bestows, And nightly wraps me in his farewell glows. The storm-king grimly musters round my throne, And sends his chariots to the farthest zone. My realms stretch far and wide o'er all the land, And monuments of awe-inspiring grandeur stand. Within my treasure-caverns locked secure, Are precious stones, and veins of gleaming ore; Marbles and granites—sleeping giants—lie, Long to escape the crafty builder's eye. Come to my realm, fair maid, and thou shalt find The golden talisman that lures mankind. From towering summits watch the creeping world; See beauty's colors gloriously unfurled; Heap the weird echoes bound from steep to steep; And see the lightning take his earthward leap. Primeva's fortress shall thy guardian be: Give me thy hand, and upward mount with me. _Tableau: "The Listeners." Music._ MAJESTA _stands_ C., _with left hand pointing up over audience_. POESIE, _kneeling_ R., _places her left hand in_ MAJESTA'S _left, and bends forward, intently gazing in the direction in which she points, her right hand behind her ear_. LOFTIE _passes to_ L. _of_ MAJESTA, _and kneels with her hand on the waist of_ MAJESTA. AERIE _in same position_, R. _of_ POESIE. OCEANA _and her sprites form a standing group_, R., _back_. PRIMEVA _steps back of all; and_ FLORA _and her sprites form standing group_, L., _back. Music continues until all arranged, then_,— _Chorus; air, "The Herd-Bells."_ Amid the mountains fleeting, The echoes linger long, Earth's song of praise repeating, In chorus rich and strong. The grand old mountains proudly Their heads in beauty raise, And, bathed in blushing glory, Accept the song of praise. [_The effect could be heightened by concealing a chorus at the farther end of the hall, and introducing an echo refrain in the song._] _Poesie_ (_springing up; the others resuming their former positions_). Upward, Majesta, guide my willing feet; I long to share the joys of your retreat. _Primeva._ Curb your impatience once again, I crave. Speak, Oceana, guardian of the wave.