ACT II
BEFORE THE CURTAIN
NOON
The Man enters from his house, seats himself and sings:
Lo! Now the blazing banner of the sun
In noonday sky its victory hath won;
And even as on mighty battle plain
So lieth, stretched and stricken, everyone.
The Woman enters from her house, seats herself and sings:
Lo! Now in the harim I seek in vain
The shadowed cool of midnight to regain;
Yet though I burn, ’tis not the heaven’s eye
That dooms my senses to eternal pain!
The Man:
Wah! That some wondrous wizard passing by
Would charm to silence this my misery.
The Woman:
Wah! Might some mystic spell invade me so
That all my yearning would for ever die!
Both:
O Thou, Bestower of all things, bestow
This benediction on Thy servants low.
The Sorcerer enters and first reveals the Man to the Woman, and the Woman to the Man. When he has retired they rise and sing:
At last thou openest the future’s wall,
Revealing my desire’s inmost call,
O Fate, thou greatest sorcerer of all!
Then they draw together for an instant. But the hour is not yet ripe. So they turn and enter their respective houses. They have seen each other.