Man. Why changest thou the words of the prayer? Pray for thy mother as thou hast been taught to do; for thy dear mother, George, who perished in her youth, just ten years ago this very day and hour.
George. Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee! I know that thou art blessed among the angels, and as thou glidest softly through them, each one plucks a rainbow from his wings to cast under thy feet, and thou floatest softly on upon them as if borne by waves....
The Man. George!
George. Be not angry with me, father! these words force themselves into my mind; they pain me so dreadfully in my head, that I must say them....
The Man. Rise, George. Such prayers will never reach God!
Thou art not thinking of thy mother; thou dost not love her!
George. I love her. I see mamma very often.
The Man. Where, my son?
George. In dreams—yet not exactly in dreams, but just as I am going to sleep. I saw her yesterday.
The Man. What do you mean, George?
George. She looked so pale and thin!
The Man. Has she ever spoken to you, darling?
George. She goes wandering up and down—through an immense Dark—she roams about entirely alone, so white and so pale! She sang to me yesterday. I will tell thee the words of her song:
'I wander through the universe,
I search through infinite space,
I press through Chaos, Darkness,
To bring thee light and grace;
I listen to the angels' song
To catch the heavenly tone;
Seek every form of beauty,
To bring to thee, mine own!
'I seek from greatest spirits,
From those of lower might,
Rainbow colors, depth of shadow,
Burning contrasts, dark and bright;
Rhythmed music, hues from Eden,
Floating through the heavenly bars;
Sages' wisdom, seraphs' loving,
Mystic glories from the stars—
That thou mayst be a Poet, richly gifted from above
To win thy father's fiery heart, and keep his changeful love!'
Thou seest, dear father, that my mother does speak to me, and that I remember, word for word, what she says to me; indeed I am telling you no lie.
The Man (leaning against one of the pillars of the tomb). Mary! wilt thou destroy thine own son, and burden my Soul with the ruin of both?…
But what folly! She is calm and tranquil now in heaven, as she was pure and sweet on earth. My poor boy only dreams …
George. I hear mamma's voice now, father!
The Man. From whence comes it, my son?
George. From between the two elms before us glittering in the sunset. Listen!
'I pour through thy spirit
Music and might;
I wreathe thy pale forehead
With halos of light;
Though blind, I can show thee
Blest forms from above,
Floating far through the spaces
Of infinite love,
Which the angels in heaven and men on the earth
Call Beauty. I've sought since the day of thy birth
To waken thy spirit,
My darling, my own,
That the hopes of thy father
May rest on his son!
That his love, warm and glowing,
Unchanging may shine;
And his heart, infant poet,
Forever be thine!'
The Man. Can a blessed spirit be mad? Do the last thoughts of the dying pursue them into their eternal homes?
Can insanity be a part of immortality?… O Mary! Mary!
George. Mamma's voice is growing weaker and weaker; it is dying away now close by the wall of the charnel house. Hark! hark! she is still repeating:
'That his love, warm and glowing,
Unchanging may shine;
And his heart, little poet,
Forever be thine!'
The Man. O God! have mercy upon our unfortunate child, whom in Thine anger Thou hast doomed to madness and to an early death! Have pity on the innocent creature Thou hast Thyself called into being! Rob him not of reason! Ruin not the living temple Thou hast built—the shrine of the soul! Oh look down upon my agony, and deliver not this young angel up to hell! Me Thou hast at least armed with strength to endure the dizzying throng of thoughts, passions, longings, yearnings—but him! Thou hast given him a frame fragile as the frailest web of the spider, and every great thought rends and frays it. O Lord! my God! have mercy!
I have not had one tranquil hour for the last ten years. Thou hast placed me among men who may have envied my position, who may have wished me well, or who would have conferred benefits upon me—but I have been alone! alone!
Thou hast sent storms of agony upon me, mingled with wrongs, dreams, hopes, thoughts, aspirations, and yearnings for the infinite! Thy grace shines upon my intellect, but reaches not my heart!
Have mercy, God! Suffer me to love my son in peace, that thus reconciliation may be planted between the created and the Creator!…
Cross thyself now, my son, and come with me.
Eternal rest be with the dead!
Exit with George
A public square. Ladies and gentlemen. A Philosophe. The Man.
Philosophe. I repeat to you, that it is my irresistible conviction that the hour has come for the emancipation of negroes and women.
The Man. I agree with you fully.
Philosophe. And as a change so great in the constitution of society, both in general and particular, stands so immediately before us, I deduce from such a revolution the complete destruction of old forms and formulas, and the regeneration of the whole human family.
The Man. Do you really think so?
Philosophe. Just as our earth, by a sudden change in the inclination of its axis, might rotate more obliquely …
The Man. Do you see this hollow tree?
Philosophe. With tufts of new leaves sprouting forth from the lower branches?
The Man. Yes. How much longer do you think it can continue to stand?
Philosophe. I cannot tell; perhaps a year or two longer.
The
