Simple the tale unfolded by the dame,
And yet it rouseth powers of thought in me
That carry me away to worlds unknown.…
Therefore will I in this fair solitude
Myself to dreams abandon, which so oft
Have sought to usher thoughts into my soul,
Thoughts which have proved themselves of higher worth
Than many a fruit of weeks of close research.
(He disappears behind some thick bushes. Enter Johannes, sunk in deep thought.)
Johannes to himself: