Related drafts for the first, second, and third scenes

MARIA: So it seems to your nature, You ruler in the realm of desires, And where you rule, you are right. But you do not count the powers Of my soul in your worldly reckoning, Therefore I myself have appeared before your throne As your adversary's faithful servant. And the purpose of my coming shall be To proclaim to you what lives in my soul And what you cannot see Despite all your spiritual eyes; What must therefore become your message. You will spare yourself The further pursuit of John's soul, When you learn What lives in my soul. When I once stood in a spiritual vision Before the world tree, Which in human sense lives as a symbol Of good and evil, And felt myself As in the heart of the mother of life, Listening to your tempting voice, I made a solemn vow to my soul. I have come to know the high bliss That can bring a person By entering the high worlds of wisdom. I know that whoever has felt the joys of knowledge Once in the true light, No other pleasure can compare with these; Therefore I also know That no renunciation can ever be harder for a human being Than that of the desire for knowledge. But I know from Benedict's high teachings That whoever strives alone for perfection But I know from Benedict's lofty teachings, That those who strive for perfection alone And immediately stifle in the bud Any pleasure in the knowledge they have attained, The power that consumes such pleasure In one's own self, Can flow into that gift Through which we can bring another person In their pursuit of knowledge, When we try to send our own spiritual content Lovingly into the soul of another. So I will continue to help John; Not that he may attain for himself The summit of the highest wisdom, But rather that he may succeed In becoming human, in eradicating the selfishness which has entered into all striving for knowledge through your calling. I know that Johannes alone would have to struggle for a long time if he wanted to detach himself from you. But I offer him the sacrifice that Benedictus has interpreted for me, and so the struggle will be easy for him. You proud ruler of the realm of desire, You must now choose Whether you want to prolong the struggle for his soul For so long, Until my power grows to its full strength. Since I am sure of my will, You will not be able to achieve anything But waste your power in a war, Which may last a long time, But can never yield you victory.