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- Liken thee, O earth's great treasure,
- to a horrible old cat!
PEER
- Child, from passion's standpoint viewed,
- may a tom-cat and a prophet
- come to very much the same.
ANITRA
- Master, jest like honey floweth
- from thy lips.
PEER
- My little friend,
- you, like other maidens, judge
- great men by their outsides only.
- I am full of jest at bottom,
- most of all when we're alone.
- I am forced by my position
- to assume a solemn mask.
- Duties of the day constrain me;
- all the reckonings and worry
- that I have with one and all,
- make me oft a cross-grained prophet;
- but it's only from the tongue out.-
- Fudge, avaunt! En tete-a-tete
- I'm Peer-well, the man I am.
- Hei, away now with the prophet;
- me, myself, you have me here!
- [Seats himself under a tree, and draws her to him.]
- Come, Anitra, we will rest us
- underneath the palm's green fan-shade!
- I'll lie whispering, you'll lie smiling;
- afterwards our roles exchange we;
