Das Marmorbild

The romantic longing for the lost paradise and the endangerment of man in search of it are the subject of this narrative. This longing for the "good old days" appears in many different, often symbolic ways: the young poet Florio, on his journey to Lucca, encounters Fortunato and Donati, who symbolise the redeeming and demonic power of poetry. In the nocturnal garden of an inn, he discovers a marble image that awakens in him an indeterminate longing; in search of the fulfilment of this longing, the young poet finds himself at a masked ball where Fortunato introduces him to the goddess Venus in the form of Bianka; the confusion reaches its climax in the goddess' palace. From the demonic enchantment Florio only rescues the song Fortunatos, sung in the distance. Florio recognizes his true destiny.