Bereczky Erzsébet (szerk.): Imre Madách: The Tragedy of Man. Essays about the ideas and the directing of the Drama (Budapest, 1985)

Endre Gellért: "I hear, I hear the coming epoch's song"

In Rome, Sergiolus finds that the bacchanalia is not enough for his happiness:

To perish painfully and suffer till Our day is come. If God is therre, elive,

And if we are subjected to His care,

Then He shall bring new people to this world To pour new blood into our shrunken veins,

And new ideals that noble souls may yearn For high accomplishments. Here everything We ever had is torn apart. I feel Our strength is much too small to recreate Another world-Listen to me, my God!

The new ideal is embodied by the Peter the Apostle, who preaches freedom, free will and love for Man „to bring to fulness that which lies in him”. And Adam responds:

We ashall take arms to battle for this creed;

And we shall build a world both new and free!

Them Adam, as Tancred in Constantinople, faces new disenchantment again. He says farewell to the city:

Lucifer, lead me to another life!

I started battling for a sacred goal

And found a curse, the wretched concepts’ toll.

For God’s glory men were sacrificed,

I shall not be inspired by new ideals,

And as it wills, the world may steer its wheels.

I shall not lead mankind to anything,

Apathetic I’ll watch its blundering —

I am exhausted, let me rest behind!

Away from it all! This is again the bitterness of disillusionment, an attempt to shut oneself away from the troubles of the world. Now

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