Scene I

(Heaven. The Lord, on his throne, surrounded by a halo. Hosts of kneeling angels. The four archangels standing by the throne. Dazzling brightness.)

CHORUS OF ANGELS.
Glory be unto our Lord on high,
Whose one commanding word to all gave birth ;
Who all can end with one glance of his eye.
Praise him ye Heavens above, praise him, O earth !
He is all might, all wisdom, all delight ;
Our part is but the shadow o'er us thrown ;
And for this boundless grace, we now unite,
Our songs of adoration, to intone.
Embodied is the thought, great, infinite,
Complete, the whole creation, and our Lord
Awaits from all that breathe, but to unite,
To pay their worship's dole, with one accord.

THE LORD.
The mighty masterpiece at last is done ;
The wheel revolves ; the master on his throne
Doth rest. A million aeons now 'twill move,
Before the smallest spoke shall faulty prove,
Arise, ye genii of my worlds ; I send
You now, upon a course which has no end ;
And rolling 'neath my feet, but let me gaze
Entranced, upon you, filled with proud amaze.
(The genii of the planets storm by, rolling stars of diverse magnitude; double stars, fixed stars, nebulae and comets swarm about the throne. Soft music of the spheres.)

CHORUS OF ANGELS.
See the haughty ball of flame,
As he proudly rides the sky ;
Serving, though unwittingly,
Starry groups that 'bout him lie.
Here, like a dim and flick'ring lamp,
A tiny twinkling star appears;
But 'tis a measureless great world,
Which full a million creatures bears.
See! flashing, whirling now apart,
In combat those two spheres that meet,
Onward bearing in their course,
Traces of the struggle fleet.
One, trembling in the distance shines,
As thundering it rolls below ;
While on its bosom sweetest peace,
To a million hearts it doth bestow.
How modest shineth yonder star,
Soon to be called the star of love ;
The earthly race, with tender hand
She guards, a solace from above.
Here are the tombs of worlds destroyed;
Yonder rise others, newly born;
A warning voice unto the vain,
A ray of hope to the forlorn.
And there too, all order leaving,
The comet's image dread finds place ;
But to the Lord's voice harkening,
In order moves. Then beams thy face,
O youthful spirit dear, who bear'st
The ever changing mundane sphere,
In mourning garments, festal robes;
In green, then white, thou dost appear.
Upon thee, Heaven's blessing rest!
Then forth, come forth, without delay.
Within thy narrow boundary,
Great minds will be at strife alway;
Both good and ill, both smile and tear,
Winter and spring, each will find place;
Light and shadow will be near;
The wrath of God, his tender grace.

(The genii of the stars retreat.)

THE ARCHANGEL GABRIEL.
O thou who measurest infinite space,
All matter therein that is, hast made;
All greatness, boundless time and place,
Called into being, thy command obeyed:
Hosanna, Mind, to Thee!

(Prostrates himself.)

THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL.
Thou all that's mutable or firm,
United hast by law divine ;
To time unending set a term,
Made man, and race of men for thine:
Hosanna, Force, to Thee!

(Prostrates himself.)

THE ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL.
And thou, o'erwhelming floods of bliss dost send,
The body waking thus to consciousness ;
Thy wisdom whereso'er it doth descend,
The whole earth blessing brings and happiness:
Hosanna, Love, to Thee!

(Prostrates himself.)
(Silence.)

THE LORD.
Thou, Lucifer, in gloomy silence, stand'st
Apart. Hast thou no word of praise for me?
Or finds my work no favor in thy sight?

LUCIFER.
Wherefore should I be pleased, that elements
Diverse, new properties assume, existent
Before, though unrevealed, but still of which
Thou hadst not an idea; and if thou hadst
Thou would'st have had no power to alter them.
A few spheres, drawn and kneaded, together welded;
Just a few worms, to conscious being waked;
Till all shall be completed and cooled off,
When naught but senseless dross thereof remains,
Which man, espying, eagerly would seize
For his retort, as even thou mankind
In thine immense retort hast placed, and see'st
How he doth seethe and boil and simmer there,
And look upon himself as God, like thee.
But should he sometime spoil and waste the broth,
Then all thy tardy wrath o'er him would burst.
But then, what would'st thou of a dilettante?
Thou'st written but a poem in thy praise,
But placed it in a mechanism poor,
And growest never weary of this lay,
This ever limited eternity.
But is this worthy of an aged sire,
This toy, fit but to move a childish heart?
Treading the mire, a tiny spark that mimics
Its Lord ; a caricature, and no true image;
With fate and liberty, pursuing each

The other, with all lack of harmony.
THE LORD.
Homage, not censure, best beseemeth thee.

LUCIFER.
Other than my nature, can I not
Appear; enough for praise, is this mean host

(Pointing toward the angels.)
Of faithful ones, and it beseems them too,
Thou brought'st them forth, as light the shadow

casts ;
But I have lived, from all eternity.

THE LORD.
Ha! shameless one! wast not of matter born?
Where was thy place, thy power, before I was?
LUCIFER.
'Tis even this I fain would ask of thee.

THE LORD.
Before all time, it was my plan, and lived
In me, that which thou now accomplished see'st.

LUCIFER.
Didst thou not ever feel a rift, a void;
A hindrance to thy mind, which still compelled
Thee to create, despite thyself? The name
Of this gigantic rift, is — Lucifer,
The spirit of Negation from all time ;
And thou didst triumph o'er me; thus, my fate
Did seem, in that great struggle, calm to yield;
But now with powers renewed, I rise again.
Creating matter, thou didst give me scope,
Wherever life is found, there lurketh death,
And near to happiness, despondency.
With light the shadow dwells; with hope, despair;
And whereso'er thou art, there too am I.
Thus knowing thee, thou deemest I could praise?

THE LORD.
Begone, rebellious spirit, far from me!
I could destroy thee, but 'tis not my will.
For aye, thou'rt banished from the spirit hosts
To battle with the dross, as alien scorned ;
And in thy never ending solitude,
Thou shalt be tortured with th' undying thought,
That vainly thou wilt shake thy chain of dust;
For 'gainst the Lord, thy strife can naught avail.

LUCIFER.
Not so! thus easily thou canst not cast
Me off, like some mean tool, useless become.
Together we created ; I lay claim
Now to my part.

THE LORD (scornfully.)
Then be it as thou wilt!
See! on the earth, amid fair Eden's trees,
There in the centre, rise two mighty ones:
Henceforth they are accurs'd, and they are thine.

LUCIFER.
How niggardly thou portionest; but thou
Art a great Lord. A foot of ground, for me,
Will serve; for whereso'er Negation's foot
Shall tread, 'twill bring destruction to thy world.

CHORUS OF ANGELS.
Curs'd spirit, go, and from His face withdraw !
Hosanna, Lord! whose word gave us the law.