The Children of Lucifer Act IV

The Garden of Phosphorus in Dionysia. — A garden with large, shady groups of trees; here and there steles bearing the busts of sages and heroes. Between the statues of Castor and Pollux, whose marble horses rear up toward the sky, one can see the shimmering sea in the distance. On the left, a small portico with Ionic columns. In its niche, the statue of Lucifer, who is about to take flight, his foot on the globe. In front of him stands the household altar. Below it lie weapons trophies. Nearby is a stone bench. On the right, in the distance, one can see the city with the Acropolis towering above it.

Act 1

Kleonis decorates him with leaf garlands and flower wreaths at the house altar, while Phosphoros sits on the bench. A guard stands beside him.

PHOSPHOROS:
Is there no message from Damis?

GUARD:
I have heard nothing! KLEONIS:
My fire and my light, listen!
On that evening of battle,
When, breathless from the horse,
I sank into your arms,
I felt our destiny.
Separated, we are powerless,
United, we can do anything.
Two vast expanses meet
In the stream of life that is our love,
And their encounter evokes
An echo at the boundaries of all existence,
Such acts of love allow new worlds
Rise from the womb of space.

PHOSPHOROS:
And nothing from Androcles either?
And nothing from the army?

GUARD:
I don't know anything about that either!

PHOSPHOROS:
And nothing from Phrygius?

GUARD:
Nothing from him either!

PHOSPHOROS:
Tell them, when they come,
That they should report to me!

[Guard exits]

KLEONIS:
It is now the third day,
Since my beloved Phosphoros
Has withheld the innermost part of his soul from me,
And today he has fallen completely silent.

PHOSPHOROS:
There are days when a person
Must remain alone with their soul,
To listen to hidden revelations.

KLEONIS [drops her unfinished wreath]:
Are you hiding something from me too?
That can only be if you
Want to hide from your own soul
Thoughts that weigh heavily on you. —
What has happened?

PHOSPHOROS:
You already know everything!

KLEONIS [rushes to the bench and sits down on it. She takes Phosphoros' hands, then takes his head in hers and looks deep into his eyes]:
That's not true! What's wrong with you?
Your eyes are clouded and sad.
O Phosphoros, trust me!
I am the soul of your life,
In me, love resounds
Often with tender, gentle tones,
And often with power;
But always like the harmony of heaven.
Phosphoros, deny me nothing,
Since I have given you everything.

PHOSPHOROS:
Kleonis, my lovely seer,
Who sees into the depths of my soul,
I can hide nothing from you!
It weighs heavily on my heart,
And robs me of strength and hope,
That everything I want to do,
Finds no echo
In the world for which it is intended.
I have challenged the powers of the earth
Caesar and the Church. —
But the people follow them,
And fate, which I oppose,
The fate I oppose.

KLEONIS:
You should not speak like that, Phosphoros!
Every victory is a goddess.
It would be ungrateful of you
Not to honor those who came to you,
To touch your forehead
With their white wings of flame.
Remember the greatest day of your life.
After your departure with the phalanx
I followed the urge of my heart,
And against your wishes
I went to the camp,
Your tent was empty, the battle began.
Before me, in the wide circle,
I saw Caesar's army,
I saw the dark metal of the Romans
And the bright colors of the barbarians.
I found myself on that hill,
Where the troops were fighting,
Who were under your command,
With Damis and Androkles
As leaders of your two wings.
Suddenly, on the other hill,
Horsemen and archers appeared.
They were the armies of Dyrapolis
Commanded by Phrygius.
One heard stormy cries: Phosphorost
From one side, from the other: Phrygius!
Seizing a handful of arrows
And storming into the middle of the phalanx,
You fire up the fighters, shouting:
“The free city with Lucifer as its god!”
I was not allowed to follow you.
The guard prevented me.
All day long I watched
The battle with all its terrible grandeur;
I saw fate ruling over everything,
Distributing good and bad lots,
The dice of death and life.
I saw the defeat of the enemies
And heard our phalanx cry out fiercely:
“The free city with Lucifer as its god!” —

PHOSPHOROS:
And in the evening I met my heroine
In the camp, like a goddess of victory.
Fire on her lips.
It was the greatest day of my life!

KLEONIS:
And if all this
Is so clear to you,
How can you be discouraged today?
Do you still remember how Damis,
How Androcles shone as heroes,
How Phrygius, to whom this day
Brought the royal dignity,
Proudly offered you his hand as a brother.
According to the nature of their hearts
Was the spoils of each victory:
For Damis it was a soul,
For Androkles it consisted of trophies,
And Phrygius had won a crown.
They thanked you as their master,
You had elevated them to their god!

PHOSPHOROS:
To create free people
Is my dream in life.
On that day, it became reality!

KLEONIS:
And reality it shall always be.

PHOSPHOROS:
Life has such heights
That can only be climbed once.
Then one stands eye to eye
With fate.

PHOSPHOROS:
You speak the truth.
A world tree sprouted from that deed.

KLEONIS:
And we are the trunk of that tree.

PHOSPHOROS:
And the tree will live
As long as its sap remains fresh.

KLEONIS:
As long as our souls
Resound as one.

PHOSPHOROS:
Nothing can defeat us! —

Act 2

The same characters. Lycophron approaches slowly, stops in front of the couple, leans on his staff, and looks at them.

KLEONIS:
The seer!

PHOSPHOROS:
O old man, you spoke of victory
When I first saw you.
What you said has come to pass! —
Is known to your seer's eye.
What else will happen to me?

LYCOPHRON:
You shall not slumber
On your victories, Phosphoros.
Bad times are coming.
The bishop is plotting something sinister.
The Christians are beguiled by him.
Guard your city!

PHOSPHOROS: We need fear neither bishop
Nor monk.
We have Damis, Androkles
And Phrygius as our strong pillars.
With me, they guard the city.

LYKOPHRON:
Damis' heart is as faithful as gold,
But his soul is tender;
The slightest storm is dangerous to him.
Androkles is certainly impetuous
And equal to any open battle,
But little to cunning and craftiness.
Distrust Phrygius!
His pride can easily
Turn to envy. —

PHOSPHOROS:
How can I distrust Phrygius,
Or Androkles and Da.rnis,
Even in the slightest?
I have no more confidence
In my own body than in them.

LYKOPHRON:
The body can betray its soul.

PHOSPHOROS:
So you want to rob me of my courage?

LYKOPHRON:
I want to steel him against misfortune!

PHOSPHOROS:
You sent me to the temple,
Where the bright spirit appeared to me.
You showed me the path to victory.
How can I not be afraid,
When you speak today
Of danger and death.

PHOSPHOROS:
The dreams of this seer,
Why test them?
I want to gather the phalanx.
It seems to be developing
The battle of the world with me.

KLEONIS:
I will fight at your side.

PHOSPHOROS:
So Kleonis
will become my comrade-in-arms!

KLEONIS:
It cannot be otherwise.
To immerse oneself in love
Until one forgets the world,
Is the desire of men,
But divine bliss is
To triumph together!

PHOSPHOROS:
So be thou, Kleonis,
The goddess of my victory!
[He takes her in his arms and exits.]

Scene 3

Kleonis, soon followed by the monk. — Kleonis, left alone, approaches the house altar, removes a palm branch from it, and sits down on the marble bench. The palm branch slips from her hands as she sinks into dreams. The monk emerges stealthily from a group of trees and approaches her cautiously, casting furtive glances around him. Once he is sure that no one is watching him, he assumes a dignified posture, puts his hands in his sleeves, stops at a certain distance, and stares intently at the archon's wife.

KLEONIS [turns around quickly and startles]:
There's a monk here!
What do you want?

THE MONK [extends his hands]:
Lost lamb of the Lord
May God's grace protect you.

KLEONIS:
By what right do you seek me?
Who sends you to me?

THE MONK:
His Reverence sends me
To the Archon's wife.
The bishop wants to admonish
The Christian woman who has abandoned The sanctuary of the desert.
However, the high lord remembers
The pious father of Kleonis.
You have fallen into Satan's clutches;
But you still stand under God's protection.
In the depths of your heart
You are still a Christian.
The bishop knows how terrible
The misery of your city weighs upon you,
And what dangers lie in wait for you.
The archon is in a very bad way.
So come with me to His Reverence,
He once baptized the child in the name of our God;
He will free you from grave sin
And give you advice from the wisdom
He faithfully administers as shepherd of the church;
Even if you remain the wife of Phosphoros,
He will give you the priest's blessing.
[He makes the sign of the cross.]

KLEONIS:
You want to trap me with cunning?
You sneaked into my house like a thief
And you want to become a thief of my heart.
There is only hypocrisy in your words;
For your deeds teach only hatred.
The bishop wants me to appear as a penitent
And beg for mercy.
But you shall bring him word
That I, who was once a virgin in the desert,
Want to be nothing else today
Than the wife of Phosphorus.
If the bishop wants to speak to me,
Let him come here;
I will not go to him.

THE MONK [after making the sign of the cross again, suddenly approaches her and speaks with cunning familiarity]:
I have something else to tell you:
It is a secret,
A message that Caesar
Sent in confidence to our shepherd.
The life of the Archon is in danger!

KLEONIS [rises in great agitation]:
The life of my Phosphorus! ... [regaining his composure]
But no; it is only a trap.
Ouch] They want to know our plans in Rome
And see you as the right intermediaries
You may keep what has been entrusted to you
Kleonis will protect her husband's life.
She has already proven it.

THE MONK [stepping back, haughtily]:
Bewitched woman, hear the whole truth
You are threatened not only by Caesar
You have enemies in your own city!
The people of Dionysia
Have long been stirring up rebellion.
It is said that through your sacrilege
You have brought God's scourges upon the city;
Everywhere you are called the Satanic couple.
At this very hour, the Christians
Those in the crypt, To hurl the “anathema”
At you.
He still hesitates in his mercy;
He wants to save you. But he can only do so
If you obey the demand
He sent you through me.

KLEONIS:
I will not obey!
Let God alone be my judge.

THE MONK [contemptuously]:
Very well; I will go.
But heed the voice of the people.
It has been said that Kleonis possesses
the faith of the best Christians;
But now it will be said
that she has the cowardly spirit of a pagan,
that her courage is only present
as long as the guard stands by her side.
He only shows himself when she parades
With her husband before the phalanx;
But she lacks the Christian's courage of faith.
Instead of remaining faithful to her god,
She hides behind her idol.

THE MONK [following her with his eyes]:
I have succeeded! — —
The devil's children are caught by their pride.
The bishop has wisely arranged everything.
“Kleonis is the darling of the people,
Through her, her husband's power is increased,
They must be separated,
Before the house is stormed.”
That has been achieved!
She runs to the crypt,
She is trapped there.
As soon as she is inside,
I will lock the door.
She may die in her dungeon.
Now let us stir up the riot!
Before evening, the devil's house
Must be consumed by flames, —
[He leaves quickly]

Act 4

Phosphorus, a guard, soon followed by Damis

PHOSPHORUS [returning]:
How deserted the city is.
No sign of life from Damis or Androcles!
Does the silence herald misfortune?
Could Lycophron be right after all?
[to the guard]
Where is Cleon?

THE GUARD:
She just left with the monk.

PHOSPHOROS:
With a monk?
Where did they go?

THE GUARD:
To the church.

PHOSPHOROS:
How strange!
[Damis enters]
Damis! At last!

DAMIS [rushing quickly to him from the background]:
Your life is in danger, Phosphoros!
The people are already surrounding your house.
Call the phalanx to guard it.
Don't delay, I beg you!

PHOSPHOROS:
What do I care about my house!
You come from our camp?
How is Androcles?

DAMIS:
O terrible is the message
That I must bring you.
I ran all night long
To bring you the news,
And now my courage fails me
As my lips are about to utter it.
[He sinks down on the bench.]

PHOSPHOROS:
I am prepared for anything!
Tell me what has happened!

DAMIS:
The camp is destroyed, and Androcles is dead...
He was taken by surprise by the Romans.

PHOSPHOROS:
How could this have happened?

DAMIS:
That is the most terrible thing:
Phrygius betrayed us! —

PHOSPHOROS:
Phrygius betrayed us?

DAMIS:
He always envied you.
When Caesar emerged victorious
In the war he waged against the Parthians,
This was the sign Phrygius needed
To separate his cause from yours.
He informed the emperor
How Androcles led the armies.
Caesar showed his gratitude
By recognizing his royal title.
Soon other cities of Ionia followed
The example set by Phrygius,
And the time is not far off
When all our friends will abandon us.

PHOSPHOROS:
Betrayed by Phrygius, then,
He whom I called a brother?
I gave him the kingship.
He does not want to be a free king;
He prefers the yoke of Caesar.
But all is not yet lost.
My phalanx is still loyal to me.
I am still archon of my native city
And Lucifer's star shines upon me!

DAMIS [stands up anxiously]:
I am weighed down by worry, Phosphoros.
Caesar is already approaching our city.
Spies are inciting our people to revolt,
The bishop is leading them against you.

PHOSPHOROS:
The angel who fell through the beam of lightning,
Is also the angel of immortality
And we are his sons,
And heirs to his eternity. —

DAMIS:
It weighs heavily on my soul,
But I must tell you, O Phosphoros!
If only Lucifer could succumb
To the other Son of God, Christ,
Who humbly descended from heaven's heights, Into our earthly darkness,
Who rose again strong and glorious!

PHOSPHOROS:
So Damis doubts my God?
Now I stand alone!
[He sinks down onto the bench.]

MAMIS [alarmed]:
You are suffering, my friend—I cannot bear to see you like this.
Answer your faithful Damis.

DAMIS:
Forgive my weakness, my friend;
It came upon me only out of love for you.
Damis' heart knows in gratitude
What Phosphoros has done for him.
You unfolded my soul
In the golden days of my youth.
In my mature life, you have become
My guide to the heights of truth.
The bright lights did not lie,
Which you, as my friend and brother,
Showed me to wisdom and beauty.
I thank you for the new life of my soul.
Nothing can take away my faith
In your God and mine.

PHOSPHOROS [embracing him]:
Forgive me, weakness has overcome me.
How could I have doubted Damis?
And now go to Kleonis.
She went to church with the monk.
I fear a ruse by the bishop
And sense that danger is approaching.
Call Kleonis here at all costs.

[Twilight— Voices, noise behind the stage.]

THE GUARD:
The people are pushing toward the garden,
They are stormily demanding that the gate be opened.
How can we chase them away?

PHOSPHOROS:
You shall open the gates.
I will stand before the people.
At such a moment, one cannot hide
who calls himself the son of Lucifer,
and the people's anger would be enormous.
So open the gates wide.

Act 5

Phosphorus, the monk, a crowd of people, later Kleonis. The monk enters, followed by a mob armed with pikes, spears, and clubs, shouting angrily, “Where is he?” — At the sight of the Archon, standing alone and calm before his house altar, the crowd, seized with awe, forms a semicircle on the right.

THE MONK [to the people]:
Recognize, people of Dionysia,
the source of the misfortune that has befallen you.
He is with Phosphoros.
The Caesar has said in his wrath:
He will turn your city to ashes.
He will throw fire into all your houses,
And lead the plowshare over those cities,
Where once the proud Dionysia stood.
Unless you hand over Phosphoros.
He wants him, dead or alive.
See Phosphoros, and judge for yourselves,
Whether he is aware of the misfortune.
He looks with pride at Lucifer,
Whom he has chosen as his idol.
But I tell you:
He serves Satan.

[Gesture of horror among the people]

He has lost all his friends,
Even Kleonis, his wife, has left him!

VOICE FROM THE CROWD:
Where is she?

THE MONK:
She is at the feet of our bishop,
She is confessing and begging for mercy.

[Murmurs of astonishment from the crowd]

THE OLD MAN:
Abandoned him, Kleonis?
[He approaches Phosphoros.]
Then he cannot hold his ground.
Caesar is advancing,
The city is in danger,
We want peace and protection
For our lives!

THE YOUNG MAN:
We want our festivals back.

THE WOMAN:
We want the sacraments
For the salvation of our souls!

THE OLD MAN:
WHAT good is this god?
He brings ruin to the city.

PHOSPHOROS:
The last-born of the tribe of gods,
You ask what use he can be?
He makes you free human souls.
He frees you from the slave mentality,
He teaches you to seek justice and truth
In your own hearts,
And to be masters of yourselves.
Only if you recognize Lucifer,
In the core of your own being,
And would rather die in freedom
Than bow down to Caesar and the Church,
Are you worthy of this spirit of God.

THE MONK:
There you see what he wants!
He wants to sacrifice you to his pride
And lead you into Satan's clutches.
The son of the demon must be killed,
Lest your lives be lost.
The Church's mercy will be yours,
Once you are free of this enemy of God.

THE MONK (dismayed).
But I had her locked up.

THE OLD MAN:
Kleonis!

THE WOMAN:
The Christian!

THE PEOPLE:
The virgin from the desert!

KLEONIS:
Hear what this monk has done:
He took me by surprise with his cunning.
After his words, I had to believe
That he would take me to the bishop,
So that I could testify before the Christians
Of my faith
in Phosphoros and his god.
Instead, he dragged me into the crypt.

[Damis enters, holding the pieces of a chain in each hand.]

KLEONIS:
Here, Damis can testify.

DAMIS:
The monk locked the gate with this chain
after Kieonis was in the crypt.
But I broke it;
Here are the pieces!
[He throws the two pieces of the chain at the monk's feet.]

PHOSPHOROS [taking his wife and Damis' hands and approaching the people]:
So must all chains be broken,
With which you subjugate souls.

[At the archon's words, a group of armed young men from the phalanx and a group of young girls rush with sudden enthusiasm to the statue of Lucifer and the house altar. The young men draw their swords to defend him, the young girls spread out palms to protect him. At the head of the two groups, a young girl and a young man raise bright torches. The people recoil in amazement.]

6th scene

The same.

The bishop appears between the Dioscuri, accompanied by two church servants carrying red burning and smoking torches.

THE BISHOP:
Kleonis, you stubborn woman,
Who once consecrated herself to our God,
I tell you that I will curse The seducer of the people, your Phosphorus. May damnation befall him forever! He is subject to the anathema of the Church, But I will try to save you. Leave the messenger of the black powers of hell, Or your soul will also be anathematized.

KLEONIS:
Save yourself the trouble, Bishop.
You will not be able to cast
The net over my head a second time.
The hero's faithful friend has broken
The bars of your church,
Through which you prepared my dungeon,
To kill my love
With your false shepherd's crook.
What is the church you want to serve,
Compared to the vast kingdom of God,
That lives in my heart?
It is illuminated by a star,
Which Lucifer has kindled in God's heart.
[She wraps her arms around Phosphoros.]
I am his and his hero forever.
And as your curse grows boundless,
My love will grow immeasurable;
For this love is a part of life,
Born before the world
And which will be after the world's end.
The souls themselves originate from this love. —
It flows from God's own heart,
It knows that it lives immortal,
And is therefore not burdened with fear.
It has the power to resist your chains,
And to disregard your curses.

THE BISHOP:
Woe to your soul!
The curse on earth
Also closes the gates of heaven to you.

KLEONIS [ironically]:
And would your God's heaven
Also bought my Phosphoros,
If I could detach myself from him?

THE BISHOP:
That is not possible;
Only those who come from God can find the way to God.
But those who come from the demon
Will return to the demon.
He is cursed for eternity.

KLEONIS:
O be silent about your heaven!
It has become clear to me
That your words do not come from God.

THE BISHOP:
So you are both cursed
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let it be said: Anathema!
May the power of Satan rule over you.
You are children of the spirit of lies for all time,
The terror of all people and all spirits.
May the light of day flee from you,
May the ghosts of the night cling to you.
May every Christian turn their face away from you!
May they chase you from their table and their work.
In your hour of death, may you lack the priest's blessing,
May your marriage bear no fruit.
May peace never come to your house.
Whoever gives you water, bread, and fire,
May he be cursed, as you are.
May your walk on earth be lonely;
May terror go before you,
May death pursue you everywhere.
May the peoples of all countries chase you away,
May the mountains collapse upon you.
The rivers shall bury you in their waters.
May these words ring in your ears from above and below:
Anathema to the couple of Satan, anathema!
[To the church servants]
Let the torches fall!
[The church servants throw the torches to the ground and
stomp on them with their feet.]
May your lives be trampled
like these torches,
and may your souls die
like these flames!

THE MONK [pointing the couple out to the people]:
The Antichrist and his harlot!

THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE PHALANX [guarding the house altar, rush at the monk with drawn swords]:
You wretch!

PHOSPHOROS [restraining them with a gesture]:
We will bear your curses calmly
And also the insults of your slaves.

[The bishop leaves with the church servants. The people have recoiled in horror, but remain spellbound by the sight of the shining couple, who stand solemnly before the altar between a forest of swords, torches, and palms between the phalanx and the virgins, solemnly before the altar.]

THE MONK [aside]:
I believe that despite the curse
he will still seduce her.
[loudly to the people]
Leave this place, you heathens!

7th scene

Phosphorus, Cleonis

Evening mood

PHOSPHORUS:
What a sudden, gloomy silence reigns here.
Night is falling and loneliness surrounds us.
The torches, their light extinguished.
Are they really our dead souls?
Is everything over?

PHOSPHORCIS [takes her in his arms and holds her close]:
We want to show them
That people who love each other
With that love that is immortal,
Can build a world.

KLEONIS:
And we want to be temples to this world!

[Curtain]