Scene II—The Confines of a Wood.
Giovanni enters prepared for the Chace.
Giovanni.
From this bold eminence how beautiful
The earth appears; the blue and golden air,
Filled with the vital essence, to the soul
Brings such invigorating influence,
My buoyant spirit seems to rise on wings
That would transport me through the boundless space
Of glittering ether, did not that bright world
That blooms below, entwine around my heart,
And tempt my lingering footsteps. Yon dark wood,
So deep, so silent, still bears sun-light paths,
Shining amid the gnarled and mossy track[1]
Of giant trees, whose aged arms embrace,
And form a living canopy above:
And there the roebuck springs; the dusky boar
Lurks in his lair. Down, down, my gallant hounds,
A moment yet, ere I let slip the leash,
And rouse the quarry. I must gaze awhile
