1. Behold
[The Imperial Palace, throne room, evening.]
[LEOPOLD, PORKEO, CARDINAL—blind, attended by altar boys—and COURTIERS assembled round the imperial throne and amid the obscene splendor of the Holy Roman court. The Emperor, MAXIMILIAN, seated in glory: dazzling, white-faced, pink-cheeked, red-lipped, with golden cloak and ermine mantle. LEOPOLD, in black, stands beside a telescope covered over by a tarp. A great window behind, through which the vast expanse of the empire may be seen, under a great blue sky. LEOPOLD uncovers the telescope. A chorus of thrill goes up among the COURTIERS, like a wail.]
LEOPOLD.
Behold, what bodies move
At great remove
In dim and darkly deep,
What schools of jewels
Above the moon
Will wander while you sleep!
Behold, what bodies move
In silver grooves,
And gliding in the gloom
The eye of Mars,
Inside a little tube!
[A wave of excited murmuring passes over the COURTIERS.]
COURTIERS.
What needs a shroud
Like thunder clouds
To keep it out of view?
What hidden face
In distant place
Keeps secret looks from you?
LEOPOLD.
I see that you are curious,
But which of you is serious?
[Frightened silence from the COURTIERS.]
And you, so little, too,
Can watch the moon
And catch it with your eye.