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Three spirit-rappers appeared, carrying a table, which they placed on one side of the stage:
1.
Carefully the table place,
Let our gifted brother trace
A ring around the enchanted space.

2.
Let him tow'rd the table point,
With his first fore-finger joint,
And, with mesmerized beginning,
Set the sentient oak-slab spinning.

3.
Now it spins around, around,
Sending forth a murmuring sound,
By the initiate understood
As of spirits in the wood.

ALL.
Once more Circe we invoke.

CIRCE.
Here: not bound in ribs of oak,
Nor, from wooden disk revolving,
In strange sounds strange riddles solving,
But in native form appearing,
Plain to sight, as clear to hearing.

THE THREE.
Thee with wonder we behold.
By thy hair of burning gold,
By thy face with radiance bright,
By thine eyes of beaming light,
We confess thee, mighty one,
For the daughter of the Sun.
On thy form we gaze appalled.

CIRCE.
Gryllus, too, your summons called.

THE THREE.
Him of yore thy powerful spell
Doomed in swinish shape to dwell:
Yet such life he reckoned then
Happier than the life of men.
Now, when carefully he ponders
All our scientific wonders,
Steam-driven myriads, all in motion,
On the land and on the ocean,
Going, for the sake of going,
Wheresoever waves are flowing,
Wheresoever winds are blowing;
Converse through the sea transmitted,
Swift as ever thought has flitted;
All the glories of our time,
Past the praise of loftiest rhyme;
Will he, seeing these, indeed,
Still retain his ancient creed,
Ranking, in his mental plan,
Life of beast o'er life of man?

CIRCE.
Speak, Gryllus.

GRYLLUS.
It is early yet to judge:
But all the novelties I yet have seen
Seem changes for the worse.

THE THREE.
If we could show him
Our triumphs in succession, one by one,
'Twould surely change his judgment: and herein
How might'st thou aid us, Circe!

CIRCE.
I will do so:
And calling down, like Socrates of yore,
The Clouds to aid us, they shall shadow forth,
In bright succession, all that they behold,
From air, on earth and sea. I wave my wand:
And lo! they come, even as they came in Athens,
Shining like virgins of ethereal life.

The Chorus of Clouds descended, and a dazzling array of female beauty was revealed by degrees through folds of misty gauze. They sang their first choral song:
CHORUS OF CLOUDS.