JOANNA.
THE SHIP
Oh then, beneath the vaulted
Dome be our priest exalted !
[The two women and the warders lift the corpse, and stand
it against the tree, its arms extended on the boughs.
JOANNA.
Jui.
JOANNA.
JULIA.
Now be ye witnesses of truth!
Here let love’s lust yield youth!
Uncover, uncover the face of our lover!
He sleeps, but the woe of the winter is over!
With tears let us water the root of the tree!
With laughter be bold to awaken the stem!
Thy darling, thy daughter is calling to thee!
Thy warders uphold thee, make answer to them!
Let the bud thrill with blood. Let the force of
the flood
Of the sap thereof lap every anther unseen!
Let the shower of our power bring rebirth to the
flower,
And the one light of sunlight break scarlet and
green!
Alas, he does not stir!
Sorrowful, sinister
Is this day’s name,
The hour of shame!
Behold! Behold!
Rose breaks, and gold! [Dawn breaks in the wood.
And see the cold white pall
Funereal fall !
[The wrappings fall from the corpse, and the youth John is
seen beardless and smiling. He is dressed in the crown
and robes of his father.
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