The sun., 1903-12-13

and intmates that only Death can flll the
definition. He Is carried forward to the
bath, while Kundry remains PROSTATE
upon the earth.
The conversation. between the knights
| remaining with Gurnemdnx brings out the
story Of ,kingsor, the sacred spear and the
wound, which have already been told here
We also gain some inklng of the fact that
kundrv is sometimes under the spell Of
khnpsor and that then she is the most
dangerous OF his sirens. Gurnemdnz has
just told the knights how the Grail itself
in graphic symbols foretold the redemp-
ton of Amfortas by the pure fool, Through
pity enlightened, when there is,an outcry
and Porutal is led in. charged With having
wounded swan. - ~
In answer to questions of Guraen,dnz,
Porsial shows that. he was ignorant of the
wrong he did, that he does not know his
own name. nor that of his father. He
tells the name Of his mother Heart of
Sorrows" and how he left her to follow
three splendid knights. whom he wished
to emulate Kundry names his father
Gamuret, and tells him that his mother
is dead 4She bade me greet thee, Fool, v
she says. Pdrsifal. enraged, rushes at her.
but he is restrained by GWne.ndnz. A
moment later Kundrv, shivering with
horror. tells us that "the time is nigh
and she becomes powerless. She sinks
down behind some bushes She has passed
under the magic spell Of klingsor, who has
summoned her,
Gurnemanx, hoping that Pdrsifdl is the
long expected pure fool leads him to
Monsalvat. They do not leave the stage,
but the scenery passes them in panorama,
and Wagner accounts for his device in this
interesting bit Of dialogue
Parsirdl--I scarcely move.
Yet ween that far we've gone
Guraenan:-Dost sec. my son
Here Time and Space are one.
The two at length reach the great hall
of the Castle Of the Grail. where they see
the knights arranging themselves at table
for the ceremony OF the Last Supper = M
fortos and the Grail are borne in and Iituret'
the aged father of A mfortds, asks from
vaulted recess at the rear whether his son
will perform his Office and unveil the Grail.
Amjortds asks his father to take the burden
! from him because his suffering is so sore
| and then makes what is described
on concert programmes as his lament. "
| In this he bewaiis his condition, stricken
| by the sacred spear, and suffering IN MS
minor human way such agonies as the
| Saviour had suffered. At the end he be-
I seechss God to heal the wound. that he may
die fitted for Heaven.
The choir OF boys chants the prophecy
Of salvation through the pure fool. ana
| 7'iturel bids Amtortas unveil the Grail.
The cup is taken from its shrine and set be-
fore Amfortoe who bows in prayer The
boys sing: ..
| Take aud drink Of my blood
-Tis OF our love the token;
Take OF my body and eat.
| Twas once for sinners broken
The Grail is illumined by light from above
and Amtortas lifting it, waves it slowly
from side to side, while all sink upon their
knees, When I he radiance dies out, tine
c,,ps before the knights are seen to be filed
with wine and beside each cup is piece
of bread. Thus. we are given to under
st and that the Grail itself supplies the
Last Supper. The,knights partake OF the
solemn ieasv and durnemdnz invites Par
alta! to do 80, but he remains silent and
stupid and motionless through il all He
has moved but once, with , single start
at Amfoytas's cry Of agony. When all is
over Our nsmans asks Pdrsifnl II he knows
what he has seen. and the young man shakes
his head. Thereupon Gurnemanz. in dis
gust, turns him out Of the castle, and the
/ first act ends. e.
| The second act shows us the inner Keep OF
! KknRsor's tower. The magician !s watch
ing for the coming OF PdrafdI he gees
| him afar OF, and then summons hundry
| from the depths. She struggles valnly
against the power OF the magician, VINO
| tsunts her with having been the temptress
Of Amfortas KRngsor describes the ap-
| proach Of Parsfal which he Watches
telling how the boy fights for entrance to
| the garden, and at last how he succeeds III
winning it, The evil one turns to knndry
hut she. shrieking, has disappeared. and
| KHngsor knows that she is at her wicked
work, still the minion Of his power.
The tower sinks, and in its place stands
revealed the magic garden. From every
side" according to the stage directions
.rush in, frst singly, then in greater NUM-
hers. beautiful girls in garb hastily thrown
about them, as if they had been suddenly
wakened by fright" They bewail theiI
misfortunes. Their lovers have fed OIL
been wounded, and there, standing on the
/ wall, is Paysifdi, the cause Of 1t all. why
hast thou slaught cred our lovers?' they cry
And Parntol, with a fine vein OF the genuine
Wagnerian Siegfried swelling within him
| not 30 much of q fool now-answers:
! We winsomc women. how could help IT,
! To such Iovcincss did they bar not the way
A moment later Wagner and Pdrs'fdl
recollect themselves and the latter asks
the girls if he is not right in calling them
| lovely. That makes them laugh, and they
begin TO talk of their lovers as "playmatcs,
and to invite Parstfdl to come and play
| with them. As Porsiiai comes down among
them they put on fowerike garments. and
the pure fool innocently asks them if they
are really flowers. However, as they
say that they will close his mouth witt
kisses and teach him the meaning of bliss
thew cannot be said to he lilies, PdrsTd
ia in the midst Of the temptation Of king
sor's garden, the temptation OF the carna
nassion of man. always held out by Wagner
as the worst to which mere man is subjected
| Some dull inking of what 1t all means
seems to pierce the mind of the pure fool
or at least he realizes that the conduct o
the flower maidens is not ladylike. anc
he tries to repulse them. At this moment
the voice of Kundry is heard calling, "Pdrst
| .nIr II ia the first time the youth has hearC