15. Once in a Dream
[Leopold’s observatory. Midnight.]
[Seated at his telescope and bathed in rays of clearest moonlight, LEOPOLD gazes into the night sky, making note of all he sees.]
LEOPOLD.
What I would spy
In deepest sky,
No man but I,
No man but I.
[SUNS, MOONS, and WORLDS enter into the observatory. They dance slowly, perfectly, circling, turning in sidereal ballet.]
Look for the fires,
I would fall
Under Orion,
Look for the stars or signs of night.
(Where the light goes,
Where the light goes)
Drawn like a curtain,
I should sleep
Under the moonlight,
Look for the raft of far-flung night.
(Where the light goes,
Where the light goes)
Once in a dream
It seemed you were beside me
And dreams only seem.
Once in a dream
It seemed that you would come
And kiss as you pass
In the long dance.
Burn like a censer,
We should go
Like birds to Heaven,
Look for the stroke or hands of night.
(Where the light goes,
Where the light goes)
Once in a dream
It seemed you were beside me,
And dreams only seem.
Once in a dream
It seemed that you would come,
And kiss as you pass
In the long dance.
What I would spy
In deepest sky,
No man but I,
No man but I.
[A shadow passes briefly over all. LEOPOLD notices the change, his eyes, like opened mouths, insatiable. The dancers change their movement – now strange, seductive.]
You are watching
From the center,
You, who slumbers
With one eye open,
I see you now—see me!
[Dancing bodies start and scatter in confusion. A long shadow falls over all as LEOPOLD staggers backwards from the eyepiece. Then, darkness.]