Act I
When Cassano heard his wife was sick,
He expected to find her in bed,
But by the time he arrived at their country house,
She was already tragically dead;
His heart was completely broken,
For she was a compassionate and loving wife,
So then he journeyed to a distant land,
Because something was missing in his life.
Cassano’s wife had spoken of a wise old man
Who lived in the Magic Mountains,
He lived for years in a craggy cave
Above the enchanted Lake of the Fountains;
It is said this sage knew of a hidden city
That was paved with precious pearls,
And rumors say that he knew of an isle
Filled with beautiful fairy-like girls.
Hence he decided to set out alone,
To try and find this most mysterious man,
So the sun soaked Cassano for several weeks,
Until his skin became very tan;
When he saw the Magic Mountains,
They were like stalagmites touching the sky,
The stunning spires were of gold and silver,
And they towered so very high.
The Lake of the Fountains was nearly circular,
And its sky-blue waters inspired peace,
Around the lake were lovely fountains,
Whose watery spires would not cease;
Each of the twelve fountains gushed water,
As much as three hundred feet high,
They were like volcanic eruptions of crystal,
Glimmering as they touched the sky.
When he had finally reached the lake,
It was very scenic to behold,
As the sun rose over the mountains,
The frolicking fountains glistened with gold;
He rested that day near this delightful lake,
For he was really beginning to tire,
But at night he looked up towards the summit,
And he was sure that he saw a fire.
The next day he got up very early,
And climbed the steep and rugged trail,
He was determined that his daring journey
Would not ever be doomed to fail;
After three long days, he found the cave,
In a clearing through the trees,
And he found himself wonderfully cooled
By a mystical and refreshing breeze.
The giant sun slowly sank down,
And it glowed a fiery red,
Then the darkness of night fell abruptly,
Like a heavy curtain made out of lead;
Cassano peered around the corner of the cave,
And saw a man with a very big frown,
The old man had a hood on his head,
And his coarse cloak was all in brown.
This man had a long, ruffled gray beard
That was visible in the torch’s light,
Being relatively short of stature,
He was certainly not known for his height;
The old gentleman, named Petrio,
Was perusing an ancient scroll intently,
Then, completely lost in his thoughts,
He put it down quite gently.
To be continued tomorrow…