SCENE: _The cloudy realms of space. At a point, halls of
illimitable and indescribable splendor, the colorings of the dawn.
Beyond, a swirling belt of suns and satellites glittering thinly
against the dark. Beyond this, in measureless nothingness, the
suggestion of other clouds of suns and planets, spinning. At the
center, the Presence, couched upon gold and porphyry, high-piled,
cloud on cloud. Poles of outpouring thought, great flames, radiate
from his brows; about him a nimbus of fire. He is now fully
self-materialized and concentrated, but sits quiescent, weary,
lonely, a compendium of vagrom, changeful, insane emotions and
ideas. Immediately before him_, BEAUTY, LOVE, PITY, HOPE,
REASON--_colorful shadows all--as well as beasts, birds, fishes,
reptiles, flowers, trees; men and women in cloudy, wraith-like
masses. Above him, immense legions of_ CHERUBIM _and_ SERAPHIM,
_figures of translucent light, radiant, choral. In the background_,
AMBITION; _about him swirl, darkling_, HATE, FEAR, GREED, DESPAIR,
_and behind them, cloud upon cloud, sinister figures, emissaries,
dreams, the darker products of the Lord’s fancy_.
SERAPHIM AND CHERUBIM
(_Fanning with glittering wings._) Hail, our Creator! Hail, Lord! Do
thou remain forever in thought our Creator, our Thinker! Blessed be thy
reality! Hail! Hail!
BEAUTY
(_Surveying from a glistering footstool, nearest of all the swarming
universe._) Am I not beautiful, Lord? Am I not thy thought of Beauty?
Art thou not content to think on me, thy first thought? And shall I not
be thy last? Thou hast but commanded, and they worship me! Thou but
thinkest, and I am supernal in beauty! (_She smiles._) They worship me!
They worship me!
THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE
(_Broodingly._) Sweet thought--my dearest thought!
AMBITION
(_Clanking ponderous armor, a cloudy giant in moody meditation._) We
wait! We wait! He thinks not on us! He thinks not on us. Now are his
thoughts of drooling pleasure--of Beauty, of Hope, Peace--pale nothings
all--Seraphim and Cherubim, mere fluttering figures of light! Beauty
reigns! Hope and Reason and Pity are at her feet! See how the universe
peoples itself with these, his fancies! He dreams but fair dreams!
THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE
(_To_ BEAUTY, _turning slowly and viewing complacently the immensity and
beauty of his fancy_.) Art thou pleased, then, with what I have made for
thee? See, see--dreams, dreams, sweet dreams all--mad fancies all--mad!
Mad! That which I make is madness all--disordered dreams! I am mad, mad!
BEAUTY
Wondrous, Lord, of whom I am the first! Great Creator! Thou art wonder
and beauty all. Sweet are thy dreams! Sweet thy madness! Sweet am I! But
sleep no more, Lord! Dream on. It is sweet to be worshiped so! I would
be worshiped! I would be worshiped!
THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE
Sayest thou so, perfect thought? It is sweet madness? Oh, ho, ho, ho! A
thing of now, and then no longer! Thou art a fair dream, a dear one, but
nothing--nothing! Is not that transcendant sorrow--madness?
BEAUTY
(_Caressingly._) Oh, think not so, Lord! Think not so! A dear dream! A
wondrous dream!
THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE
(_Darkly and broodingly._) What am I? What art thou? What are these?
(_He waves a vast hand._) What it all is I cannot think--or why--or
whence--or where. I dream and sleep--I sleep and dream! Oh, ho, ho, ho!
Oh, ho, ho, ho! A dream! A dream! Sayest thou a sweet dream? A sweet
dream! Oh, ho, ho, ho! I have lost the key! I have lost the key! (_He
laughs loudly, sadly._)
AMBITION
(_In the background, rumbling._) He has lost the key! He has lost the
key!
BEAUTY
A sweet dream, Lord! A sweet dream! Sleep no more, Lord! Sleep no more!
It is all too sweet! Sleep no more! (_She smiles._)
AMBITION
(_Restlessly._) He dreams but useless things! We grow to thin nothings!
(_He clanks his armor weakly._)
PITY
Think kindly, Lord! Kind and tender thoughts! It is best ever!
THE POWERS OF DARKNESS
(_Rumbling._) Hail! Let Hope be forgotten! And Love! And Pity! Hail!
BEAUTY
(_Rising and laying a hand upon his brow._) Lord, I am thy first-born.
After me came these. (_She motions to_ HOPE, PITY, REASON.) I am thy
first thought, thy thought of Beauty! Say it! Remember me! Forget me
not! All else avails so little! And think thou not on Ambition or Hate.
They would destroy--even me! Even me! (_She smiles._)
THE POWERS OF DARKNESS
(_Thundering_:) Yea, even Beauty, Lord! What is Beauty to thee?
THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE
(_Gazing dully._) Beauty! Beauty! Can I remember thee always, even
though I would? Thine eyes! What is it I meant by thine eyes? (_He
gazes into them._) Mad! Mad! Mad!
AMBITION
(_Angrily, clanking his armor._) He drools and dreams! Me, his best
thought--his greatest--he forgets! I am his horror, his strength, his
despair, his power--yet he thinks not on me! Beauty! Beauty! And I wait
in shadow! I, his rage--yet he sleeps in vagrom thoughts of beauty!
Awake, Lord! Forget these pale shadows! Are not thy darker thoughts
better? Think thou on me! On Power! Come, Hate! Come, Anger! Come,
Despair! Come, Fear! Sit ye all with me!
FEAR
Only let me return unto thee, Lord! I fear! I fear!
BEAUTY
(_To_ AMBITION, _angrily_.) And if he thought on thee, what then?
Storms, horrors, all blackness and rage! Thou art such! Is not Beauty
better?--this light?--this song?--these Cherubim and Seraphim? Wilt thou
have naught but shadow? Avaunt! To think on thee is death, destruction,
the end of all! Oh, no, Lord! Oh, no, no, no! Put them all hence! Think
thou on me! Are not all thy fair dreams, in which suns cluster and
lovely forms bud forth, more to thee than these, thy darker? (_She
smiles winningly._)
THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE
(_Heavily._) I am that I am!
AMBITION
(_Fiercely glowering and sulking._) Yea; Terror, Might, Strength, Death
thou art! Think thou on me!
BEAUTY
Nay--Love, Beauty, All Perfectness, Light, Joy, Song--so art thou, and
so only! Think thou on me, Lord! Think thou on me! (_She smooths his
hands._)
HATE, FEAR, GREED, DESPAIR
(_In chorus._) Think thou on us! Are not we of thee?
LOVE, PITY, HOPE, REASON
(_In chorus._) Think thou on us! Are not we of thee?
CHERUBIM AND SERAPHIM
Thou everlasting glory--Hail! Hail!
AMBITION
(_Angrily._) Vanish, vain things! Dream, Lord, no more! (_He glowers and
sulks._)
THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE
(_To_ BEAUTY _sadly_.) I know not whether thou art best or worst. But
stay, stay! Stay thou with me but yet a while! Let me not forget this
thing that thou art--wonder, light, a glorious dream! (_He sighs._) Oh,
ho, ho, ho! Let me think no more of horrors! Of that I am aweary! Mad!
Mad! Mad! Yet now I have thee--thou art a pleasant thought, thou joyous
dream of fair things! Beauty! Beauty! Oh, Beauty! (_He smooths her
cheek._)
A CLOUD OF SERAPHIM
(_Fluttering nigh._) He dreams of Beauty! We will not die! Hail! Hail!
A CLOUD OF CHERUBIM
He smiles on Beauty! We will not die! Hail! Hail!
AMBITION
(_A hovering, terrible figure in the gloom._) He rests and drools! All
is light and song! He thinks not on death!
(_The shadows recede into the darkness, to all but nothingness; the
endless legions of suns twinkle; the clouds of_ CHERUBIM _and_ SERAPHIM
_swirl and turn_.)