I count thy striving good. Yet can I not Grant to thee all that thou dost ask of me. For should I give thee to Johannes now In that same form wherein in former years Thou didst appear before his mind and soul, He would at present only give his love To thinking and to knowledge cold and bare; And all warm individuality Would seem unfeeling, meaningless and dead. It is not thus my power must fashion him. Through me he must discover in himself His living personality and self. I must transform thee, if the thing that's right Shall come forth for his health and progress now. I have a long time since prepared for all That now shall clearly show itself in thee. In future thou wilt seem another man. Johannes will no more Maria love, As he hath loved her in the days gone by. Yet none the less he'll love, with all the strength And all the passion he once gave to her.
The glorious work in which we've gained success Thou wouldst now turn unto thine own account. Thou hast Johannes through his power of heart Marked for thine own one day; and yet thou seest That thou must make the fetters stronger still If thou wouldst keep his being for thyself. His heart will be beneath his spirit's rule-- If that is so then all the knowledge-work Which he on Earth accomplished, must be giv'n In future, for their own, to those great Powers Which thou hast fought against since Time began. If thou succeed'st in lowering that love Which now Johannes for Maria feels And changing it by cunning to the lust Which thou dost now require for thine own ends, Then will he turn the good he did on Earth, To evil ends from out the Spirit-worlds.
Then he may yet be saved? 'Tis not decreed That he must fall a victim to the powers That want to gain his work now for themselves?
It would be so if all the Powers remained Just as at present they have formed themselves; But if at the right hour thou dost allow Thy vow to take effect in thine own soul Those powers must change their course in future times.
So work, compelling powers, 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.