Four Mystery Plays
GA 14
The Soul's Awakening
Scene 10
The same. Johannes alone in meditation.
Johannes:
‘This is the hour in which he dedicates
Himself to serve the ancient holy laws
Of sacred wisdom;—in a dream perchance
I may in spirit linger at his side.’
Thus near the temple spake in ancient times
The woman whom my spirit-vision sees;
By thoughts of her I feel my strength increased.
What is this picture's purpose? Why doth it
Hold my attention spellbound? Certainly
No sympathy.from out the picture's self
Accounts for this, for, should I see the scene
In earthly life, I should consider it
Of no importance. What saith it to me?
(As if from afar the voice of ‘the Other Philia.’)
The Other Philia:
The magical web
That forms thine own self.
Johannes:
And clairvoyant dreams
Make clear unto souls
The magical web
That forms their own self.
(While Johannes is speaking these lines ‘the Other Philia’ approaches him.)
Who art thou, magic spirit-counsellor?
True counsel didst thou bring unto my soul
But didst deceive me over thine own self.
The Other Philia:
Johannes, thine own being's double form
From thyself didst thou fashion. As a shade
Must I roam round thee for so long a time
As thou thyself shalt not set free the shade
Whom thine offence doth grant a life bewitched.
Johannes:
This is the third time that thou speakest thus;
I will obey thee. Point me out the way!
The Other Philia:
Johannes, whilst thou liv'st in spirit-light,
Seek what is treasured up within thy Self.
From its own light it will shed light on thee.
Thus canst thou learn by looking in thyself
How to wipe out thy fault in later lives.
Johannes:
How shall I, while I live in spirit-light,
Seek what is treasured up within my Self?
The Other Philia:
Give me that which thou thinkest that thou art;
Lose thou thyself in me a little while,
Yet so that thou dost not another seem.
Johannes:
How can I give myself to thee before
I have beheld thee as thou really art?
The Other Philia:
I am within thee, member of thy soul;
The force of love within thee is myself;
The heart's hope, as it stirs within thy breast,
The fruits of long-past lives upon this earth
Laid up for thee and hid within thyself,
Behold them now through me;—feel what I am,
And through my power in thee behold thyself.
Search out the pictured being, which thy sight,
Without thy sympathy, did form for thee.
(Exit.)
Johannes:
O spirit-counsellor, I can indeed
Feel thee in me, yet I see thee no more.
Where livest thou for me?
(As if from afar the call of the Other Philia.)
The Other Philia:
The magical web
That forms thine own self.
Johannes:
‘The magical web
That forms their own self.’
O magical web, that forms mine own self,
Show me the pictured being which my sight
Without my sympathy did form for me.
Whereto doth this word's power conduct me now?
A spirit-star on yonder shore of souls—
It shines; it draweth nigh—as spirit-form,
Grows brighter as it nears;—now forms appear;—
They act as beings act who are alive;—
A youthful mystic—and a sacred flame,
The stern call of the highest hierophant
To tell the vision seen within the flame.
That woman doth the youthful mystic seek,
Whom my sight saw without my sympathy.
(Maria appears as a thought form of Johannes.)
Maria:
Who thought of thee before the sacred flame?
Who felt thee near initiation's shrine?
Johannes, wouldst thou tear thy spirit-shade
From out the magic kingdoms of the soul;
Live then the aims that it will show to thee;
The path on which thou seek'st will guide thy steps,
But thou must first discover it aright.
The woman near the temple shows it thee
If she lives powerfully within thy thought.
Spellbound amongst shade-spirits doth she strive
To draw nigh to that other shade who now
Through thee loth evil service to grim shades.
(The Spirit of Johannes' Youth appears.)
The Spirit of Johannes' Youth:
I will be grateful to thee evermore
If thou in love wilt cultivate the powers
Laid up for me within the womb of time
By that young mystic in that bygone age
Whom once thy soul sought at the temple gate.
But thou must first this spirit truly see
At whose side I have now appeared to thee.
Maria:
Maria, as thou wouldst behold her, lives
In other worlds than those where truth abides.
My holy earnest vow loth ray out strength
Which shall preserve for thee what thou hast gained.
In these clear fields of light me shalt thou find
Where radiant beauty life-power doth create;
Seek me in cosmic fundaments, where souls
Fight to recover their divine estate
Through love, which in the whole beholds the self.
(While Maria is speaking the last lines, Lucifer appears.)
Lucifer:
So work, compelling powers;
Act therefore, powers of might,
Ye elemental sprites,
Feel now your master's power,
And smooth for me the way
That leads from realms of Earth
That so there may draw near
To Lucifer's domain
Whate'er my wish desires,
Whate'er obeys my will.
(Enter Benedictus.)
Benedictus:
Maria's holy earnest vow doth pour
Now through his soul salvation's healing ray.
He will admire thee, but he will not fall.
Lucifer:
I mean to fight.
Benedictus:
And, fighting serve the gods.
Curtain
Zehntes Bild
Dasselbe Zimmer wie im neunten Bilde. Zuerst Johannes allein, meditierend.
Johannes:
»Dies ist die Zeit, in welcher er sein Sein
dem uralt heiligen Weisheitsdienste weiht ‒;
vielleicht lässt Traumes Offenbarung mich
im Ahnen geistig jetzt bei ihm verweilen.«
So sprach in alter Zeit in Tempelnähe
die Frau, die ich im Geistesbilde schaue,
und ihrer denkend, fühl’ ich mich erkraftet.
Was wirkt mir dieses Bild? Was hält an ihm
im Schauen mich wie festgebannt? Fürwahr,
nicht Anteil ist’s, der aus dem Bilde selbst
sich mir erzwingt; denn trät’ es mir als Bild
im Sinnensein vors Auge, schien’ es mir
nicht inhaltvoll. Was spricht aus ihm zu mir?
(Wie von ferne die Stimme der »andren Philia».)
Die andre Philia:
Verzaubertes Weben
des eigenen Wesens.
Johannes:
Und wachendes Träumen
enthüllet den Seelen
verzaubertes Weben
des eigenen Wesens.
(Während Johannes diese Zeilen spricht, kommt die »andre Philia« an ihn heran.)
Johannes:
Wer bist du, rätselvoller Zaubergeist?
Du brachtest wahren Rat in meine Seele ‒
und täuschtest’ mich zugleich doch über dich.
Die andre Philia:
Johannes, deines Wesens Zwiegestalt,
du schufest sie aus dir. Als Schatten dich
umwandeln, muß auch ich so lange noch,
bis du den Schatten selbst erlösen wirst,
dem deine Schuld verzaubert Leben schafft.
Johannes:
Zum dritten Male ‒ sprichst du dieses Wort;
ich will ihm folgen. ‒ Weise mir den Weg.
Die andre Philia:
Johannes, such’ im Geisteslichte lebend,
was dir in deinem Selbst erhalten ist.
Es wird dir Licht von seinem Lichte geben.
Du wirst in dir dann selbst erschauen können,
wie du die Schuld im fernern Leben tilgst.
Johannes:
Wie such’ ich denn im Geisteslichte lebend,
was mir in meinem Selbst erhalten ist?
Die andre Philia:
Gib mir, was du dir denkend selber bist;
verliere dich nur kurze Zeit in mir;
doch so, daß du dir nicht ein andrer wirst.
Johannes:
Wie soll ich dir mich geben, ohne dich
in deinem wahren Wesen erst zu schauen?
Die andre Philia:
Ich bin in dir, bin deiner Seele Glied;
die Kraft der Liebe bin ich selbst in dir;
des Herzens Hoffnung, die in dir sich regt.
die Früchte langvergangner Erdenleben,
die dir in deinem Sein erhalten sind;
O schaue sie durch mich, ‒ erfühle mich
und schau’ dich selbst durch meine Kraft in dir.
Ergründe dir des Bildes Wesen, das
dein Schauen ohne Anteil dir erschuf.
(Die »andre Philia« verschwindet.)
Johannes:
O rätselvoller Geist, erfühlen kann
ich dich in mir; doch schau’ ich dich nicht mehr.
Wo lebst du mir?
(Wie von ferne der Ruf der »andren Philia«.)
Die andre Philia:
Verzaubertes Weben
Des eigenen Wesens.
Johannes:
Verzaubertes Weben
des eigenen Wesens.
Verzaubert Weben meines eignen Wesens,
ergründe mir des Bildes Wesen, das
mein Schauen ohne Anteil mir erschuf.
‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒
Wohin entführt mich dieses Wortes Kraft?
Ein Geistesstern am Seelenufer dort ‒
er leuchtet, nähert sich ‒ als Geistgestalt,
wird nahend heller; ‒ Formen bilden sich; ‒
sie sind wie Wesenheiten lebend wirksam; ‒
ein junger Myste, ‒ eine Opferflamme,
des höchsten Opferweisen streng Gebot,
der Flamme Inhalt sinngemäß zu künden. ‒
‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒
Den jungen Mysten sucht die Frau, die sich
mein Schauen bildhaft ohne Anteil schuf.
(Maria erscheint als Gedankengestalt des Johannes.)
Maria:
Wer dachte deiner vor der Opferflamme?
Wer fühlte dich in Weiheortes Nähe?
‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒
Johannes, wenn du deinen Geistesschatten
entreißen willst den Seelenzauberwelten,
so lebe Ziele, die aus ihm dir leuchten;
die Spur, auf der du suchst, sie leitet dich;
doch mußt du sie erst richtig wiederfinden.
Es weist sie dir die Frau in Tempelnähe,
wenn sie in dir gedankenkräftig lebt.
Sie strebt, verzaubert unter Schattengeistern,
dem andern Schatten zu, der jetzt durch dich
den grausen Schatten schlimme Dienste leistet.
(Es erscheint der Geist von Johannes’ Jugend.)
Der Geist von Johannes’ Jugend:
Ich will dir künftig stets verbunden sein,
wenn du die Kräfte liebend pflegen willst,
die mir im Zeitenschosse treu bewahrt
der junge Myste jener alten Zeit,
den deine Seele einst am Tempel suchte.
Doch mußt du auch den Geist in Wahrheit schauen,
an dessen Seite ich dir jetzt erschienen.
Maria:
Maria, so wie du sie schauen wolltest,
ist sie in Welten nicht, wo Wahrheit leuchtet.
Mein heilig ernst Gelöbnis strahlet Kraft,
die dir erhalten soll, was du errungen.
Du findest mich in hellen Lichtgefilden,
wo Schönheit strahlend Lebenskräfte schafft;
in Weltengründen suche mich, wo Seelen
das Götterfühlen sich erkämpfen wollen
durch Liebe, die im All das Selbst erschaut.
(Während Maria das letzte spricht, erscheint Lucifer.)
Lucifer:
So wirket, Zwangsgewalten,
erfühlet Elementengeister
die Kräfte eures Meisters,
und ebnet den Weg,
daß aus dem Erdgebiet
sich wenden kann
in Lucifers Bereich,
was mein Wunsch ersehnt,
was meinem Willen folgt.
(Benedictus erscheint.)
Benedictus:
Marias heilig ernst’ Gelöbnis wirket
in seiner Seele jetzt die Heil-Erstrahlung.
Er wird dich schätzen, doch dir nicht verfallen.
Lucifer:
Ich werde kämpfen.
Benedictus:
Und kämpfend Göttern dienen.
(Vorhang fällt.)
Scene Ten
The same room as in the ninth image. At first, John alone, meditating.
Johannes:
"This is the time in which he devotes his being
to the ancient sacred service of wisdom—;
perhaps the revelation of dreams allows me
to now dwell with him in spiritual anticipation."
So spoke in ancient times near the temple
the woman I see in my mind's eye,
and thinking of her, I feel empowered.
What effect does this image have on me? What keeps me
gazing at it as if spellbound? Truly,
it is not sympathy that compels me from the image itself;
for if it appeared to me as an image
in my mind's eye, it would not seem
meaningful to me. What speaks to me from it?
(As if from afar, the voice of the “other Philia.”)
The other Philia:
Enchanted weaving
of one's own being.
Johannes:
And waking dreams
reveal to the soul
the enchanted weaving
of one's own being.
(As Johannes speaks these lines, the “other Philia” approaches him.)
Johannes:
Who are you, enigmatic spirit of magic?
You brought true counsel to my soul ‒
and yet at the same time deceived me about yourself.
The other Philia:
John, the dual nature of your being,
you created it from yourself. As a shadow transforming you,
I too must continue to do so
until you redeem the shadow itself,
which your guilt enchants with life.
Johannes:
For the third time—you speak these words;
I will follow them. —Show me the way.
The other Philia:
John, living in the light of the spirit,
seek what is preserved within yourself.
It will give you light from its light.
You will then be able to see within yourself
how you can atone for your guilt in your future life.
Johannes:
How do I search, living in the light of the Spirit,
for what is preserved within myself?
The other Philia:
Give me what you yourself are in your thoughts;
lose yourself in me for just a short time;
but in such a way that you do not become someone else.
Johannes:
How can I give myself to you without first seeing you
in your true essence?
The other Philia:
I am in you, I am a part of your soul;
I am the power of love itself in you;
the hope of the heart that stirs within you.
The fruits of long-gone earthly lives,
which are preserved in your being;
O see them through me, feel me
and see yourself through my power within you.
Ponder the essence of the image that
your gaze created without your participation.
(The “other Philia” disappears.)
Johannes:
O mysterious spirit, I can feel
you within me; yet I no longer see you.
Where do you live within me?
(As if from afar, the call of the “other Philia.”)
The other Philia:
Enchanted weaving
Of my own being.
Johannes:
Enchanted weaving
Of my own being.
Enchanted weaving of my own being,
I fathom the essence of the image that
My gaze created without my participation.
‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒
Where does the power of this word take me?
A star of the spirit on the shore of the soul there ‒
it shines, approaches ‒ as a spirit form,
becomes brighter as it approaches; ‒ forms take shape; ‒
they are like beings, alive and active; ‒
a young mystic, ‒ a sacrificial flame,
the strict commandment of the highest sacrifice,
to proclaim the meaning of the flame. ‒
‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒
The young mystic seeks the woman who
created my vision pictorially without participation.
(Mary appears as the thought form of John.)
Maria:
Who thought of you before the sacrificial flame?
Who felt you in the vicinity of the place of consecration?
‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒
John, if you want to wrest your spirit's shadow
from the magical worlds of the soul,
then live the goals that shine from it;
the trail you seek will guide you;
but first you must find it again.
The woman near the temple will show it to you,
if she lives powerfully in your thoughts.
Enchanted among shadow spirits, she strives
towards the other shadow, which now, through you,
renders terrible service to the gray shadow.
The spirit of John's youth appears.
The spirit of John's youth:
I will always be connected to you in the future,
if you want to lovingly nurture the powers
that have been faithfully preserved for me in the bosom of time
by the young mystic of that ancient time,
whom your soul once sought at the temple.
But you must also see the spirit in truth,
at whose side I have now appeared to you.
Maria:
Mary, as you wanted to see her,
is not in worlds where truth shines.
My holy, solemn vow radiates power,
which shall preserve for you what you have achieved.
You will find me in bright fields of light,
where beauty creates radiant life forces;
Seek me in the depths of worlds where souls
Want to fight for the feeling of the gods
Through love that sees the self in the universe.
(As Mary speaks the last words, Lucifer appears.)
Lucifer:
So work, forces of compulsion,
feel, spirits of the elements,
the powers of your master,
and smooth the way,
that from the earthly realm
may turn
into Lucifer's realm,
what my desire longs for,
what follows my will.
(Benedictus appears.)
Benedictus:
Mary's holy, solemn vow now works
in his soul the radiance of salvation.
He will cherish you, but not fall prey to you.
Lucifer:
I will fight.
Benedictus:
And in fighting, serve the gods.
(Curtain falls.)