(After an interval there appear on the meadow Cecilia and Thomas.)
Dear brother, when in fervent ecstasy Of silent prayer my soul did bow herself Unto the Fountain of the World, and yearn Whole-heartedly to be made one therewith, A light before my spirit would appear-- With gentle warmth and radiancy aglow; This then transformed itself into a man Who looked into my face with tender eyes, And spoke to me. These were the vision's words: 'Human delusion left thee once forlorn, And now thou art upborne by human love; Wait therefore until longing finds a way To bring the seeker safely to thy side.' Thus spake this human figure oft to me; Nor could I fathom what the words might mean; And yet a dim foreboding made me glad, That some time they should be fulfilled for me. And then, beloved brother, thou didst come, And when I first set eyes upon thy face, I felt my senses leave me; for thou wast That human figure's very counterpart.
Dream and foreboding told thee but the truth, Indeed 'twas longing guided me to thee.
And when thou didst request me as thy wife I thought the Spirit had ordained it so.
That in good truth the Spirit's purpose was To re-unite us, clearly may be seen, Although we read it not aright at first. As wife and helpmeet, sent me from above, So didst thou seem to me, when first we met. And then my long-lost sister did I find.
And henceforth nothing shall divide us twain.
Yet many obstacles between us rise. Thy foster-parents by close ties are bound Unto the brotherhood which I must spurn.
They are incarnate love and kindness both; And loyal friendship will they give to thee.
My creed will separate me from their love.
Through me you will find out the way to them.
Keane, the dear fellow, is so obstinate; He never will see aught but darkness there Where I perceive the very fount of light. In riper years it was first granted me To turn my steps toward this light of truth, Since all I learned of it in childhood's days Upon my spirit made but little mark; Whilst later on, my every thought was bent On scientific knowledge as a means To gain a livelihood. When I came here At last I found the teacher and the guide Who had the power to liberate my soul. The teaching he hath let me listen to Doth bear the very stamp of truth itself. Such is his speech that heart and head alike Must yield themselves as captives to his words, So full at once of gentleness and good. I took the greatest trouble heretofore To understand the other spirit type; And found it could but unto error lead. Since it clings only to those spirit-powers Which may be faithful guides in earthly ways But cannot lift one up to higher worlds. How shall I therefore ever find the way Into the hearts of people who believe That from this error all salvation springs?