SCENE 11

The Temple of the Sun. Hidden site of the mysteries of the Hierophants.

Capesius and Strader appear as in Scene 4.

RETARDUS (to Capesius and Strader before him):

Ye have brought bitter grief to me, my friends. The office which I did entrust to you Ye have administered with ill success. I call you now before my judgment seat. To thee, Capesius, I did entrust Full measure of the spirit, that ideas Of mankind's upward striving might compose, With graceful words, the content of thy speech, Which should have worked convincingly on man. Then thine activity I did direct Into those gatherings of men, wherein Thou didst Johannes and Maria meet. Their tendency towards the spirit-sight Thou shouldst have superseded by the power Which thy words should have exercised on them. Instead of that thou didst thyself give up Unto the influence which flows from them.-- And to thee, Strader, did I show the way That leads to scientific certainty. Thou hadst by rigid thinking to destroy The magic power that comes from spirit-sight. But yet thou lackedst feeling's certain touch. The power of thought did slip away from thee, When opportunity for conquest came. My fate is close-entwinéd with your deeds, Through you are these two seekers after truth Now lost for evermore from my domain; For to the brethren I must give their souls.

CAPESIUS:

Thy trusty messenger I could not be. Thou gav'st me power to picture human life; And I could well portray whate'er inspired The souls of men at this time or at that: But yet it was impossible for me To gift my words, which painted but the past, With power to fill and satisfy men's souls.

STRADER:

The weakness which must needs befall me too Was but a true reflection of thine own. Knowledge indeed thou couldst give to me: But not the power to still that yearning voice, Which strives for truth in every yearning heart. Deep in mine inmost soul I none the less Felt other powers continually arise.

RETARDUS:

See now then what result your weakness brings. The brethren are approaching with those souls In whom they will o'erthrow my power. E'en now Johannes and Maria feel their might.

(Enter Benedictus with Lucifer and Ahriman; behind them Johannes and Maria.)

BENEDICTUS (to Lucifer):

Johannes' and Maria's souls have now No longer room for blind unseeing power: To spirit-life they have been lifted up.

LUCIFER:

Then must I straightway from their souls depart. The wisdom unto which they have attained, Doth give them power to see me, and my sway O'er souls of men doth only last so long As I remain invisible to them. Yet doth the power continue which hath been From the creation of the worlds mine own. And though I cannot tempt their souls, yet still My power will cause within their spirit-life Most beauteous fruits, to ripen and endure.

BENEDICTUS (to Ahriman):

Johannes' and Maria's souls have now Destroyed all error's darkness in themselves; And spirit-sight hath been revealed to them.

AHRIMAN:

I must indeed renounce their spirits then; For they will turn henceforth unto the light. Yet one thing hath not yet been ta'en from me; With sense-appearance to delight their souls. And though no longer they will deem it truth, Yet will they see how truth it doth reveal.

(Enter the Other Maria.)

THEODOSIUS (to the Other Maria):

Close intertwinéd was thy destiny With thine exalted sister's loftier life: The light of love I could impart to her: But not the warmth of love, so long as thou Didst always let thy noblest impulses From dim sensations only rise in thee, And didst not strive to see them clear and bold In the full light of wisdom's certainty. The influence of the Temple does not reach Unto the nature of vague impulses, E'en though such impulse wills to work for good.

THE OTHER MARIA:

I needs must recognize that noble thought Can only work salvation in the light. So to the temple I now wend my way. My own emotion shall in future times Not rob the light of love of its results.

THEODOSIUS:

Through this, thine insight, thou dost give me power To make Maria's soul-light on the earth Run smooth and evenly upon its path: For aye aforetime it must lose its might In souls, such as thine own was heretofore, Which would not unify their light with love.

JOHANNES (to the Other Maria):

I see in thee the nature of that soul, Which also holdeth sway within mine own. I was unable to find out the way Which led to thine exalted sister's soul So long as in my heart the warmth of love From love's light ever held itself apart. The sacrifice which to the temple's shrine Thou bring'st, shall be repeated in my soul. Therein the warmth of love shall sacrifice Itself unto love's wonder-working light.

MARIA:

Johannes, in the realm of spirit-life Thou hast attained to knowledge through myself. To spirit knowledge thou canst only add True soul-existence, when thou findest too Thine own soul, as thou didst find mine before.

(Enter Philia, Astrid, and Luna.)

PHILIA:

Then from the whole creation of the worlds The joy of souls shall be revealed to thee.

ASTRID:

From thine whole being then can be outpoured The light and radiance of the warmth of souls.

LUNA:

Then shalt thou dare to live out thine own self, When such light can illuminate thy soul.

(Enter Felix and Felicia Balde.)

ROMANUS (to Felix Balde):

Long hast thou from the temple held thyself. Thou only wouldst admit enlightenment, When light from thine own soul revealed itself. Men of thy nature rob me of the power To give my light unto men's souls on earth. They wish to draw from darksome depths alone, What they should freely offer unto life.

FELIX BALDE:

Yet 'twas man's own illusion in itself, That brought me light from out the darkest depths: And let me to the temple find my way.

ROMANUS:

The fact that thou hast hither found thy way Gives me the power to give light to the will Of both Johannes and Maria here. That it no more may follow forces blind, But from world-aims henceforth direct itself.

MARIA:

Johannes, thou hast seen thine own self now In spirit in myself. Thou shalt live out Thine own existence as a spirit, when The world's light can behold itself in thee.

JOHANNES (to Felix Balde):

In thee, good brother Felix, do I see That soul-power which did hold my will fast bound In its own spirit. Thou wouldst find the way Unto the temple: with the strength of will Within my spirit I would fain point out The path unto the temple of the soul.

RETARDUS:

Johannes' and Maria's souls e'en now Escape from my domain: how then shall they Discover all that springs forth from my might? So long as they did lack within their souls The fundaments of learning, they did still Find joy and pleasure in my gifts, but now I see myself compelled to let them go.

FELICIA:

That man without thine aid, may fire himself To rational thought, that have I shown to thee From me a learning streams that dare bear fruit.

JOHANNES:

This learning shall be wedded to the light, Which from this temple's source can fill men's souls.

RETARDUS:

Capesius, my son, thou art now lost. Thou hast withdrawn thyself from my domain Before the temple's light can shine for thee.

BENEDICTUS:

He hath begun the path. He feels the light. And he will win the strength to search and know In his own soul all that, which up till now Good Dame Felicia hath produced for him.

STRADER:

Then I alone seem lost, for of myself I cannot cast all doubts from out my heart; And surely I shall never find again The way that doth unto the temple lead.

THEODORA:

From out thine heart a glow of light spreads forth; A human image now is born therefrom; And I can hear the words, which do proceed From this same human form. E'en thus they sound: 'I have achieved the power to reach the light.' My friend, trust thou thyself! These very words, When thy time is fulfilled, thyself shalt speak.

Curtain

THE SOUL'S PROBATION

SUMMARY OF THE SCENES