From rich Mycenæ when to Pergama she came,
Her mother’s wondrous gift. And bring the scepter fair
Which once Ilione, the eldest daughter of
Our monarch, bore; the pearl-set necklace, and the crown,
Its double golden circlet spangled o’er with gems.
The Trojans withdraw to do his bidding. The music sounds, and as the entire court moves from the scene, Dido sends some of her maidens back to throw incense upon the flames. They kneel upon the steps and Anna advances to the altar. As the smoke ascends, Dido and Æneas turn to follow the rest. Curtain.
Act I. Scene 2
A place in the deep, green forest. Ferns and flowers strew the ground and the sunlight falls through the branches in flecks of gold. In the foreground are two great moss-grown rocks, on one of which sits Cupid, draped with garlands of wild flowers, shooting his arrows at a heart-shaped target hung from the branches of a tree in the center of the stage. At one side sits Venus, absorbed in deep, troubled meditation. She has resumed the flowing draperies befitting a goddess. Pink or canary yellow will harmonize with the scene.
Venus (657-662):
Ah me! I fear this Tyrian hospitality;