Temple of Orphalese

The Temple of Orphalese is the sanctuary at the center of the public farewell to Almustafa. The people gather in the great square before it, and the temple’s sanctuary and steps frame the meeting with Almitra and the movement from the assembled crowd toward the ship. It is the threshold of the leave-taking, though the final departure unfolds at the shore.

Setting and Function

The text places the great square before the temple and identifies the sanctuary as the place from which Almitra emerges. The distinction matters: the people and Almustafa proceed toward the square, while Almitra comes out from the sacred interior to meet him. The temple is thus both a physical landmark in the city and the setting that brings the crowd and the seeress into the same farewell scene.

Almitra and the Farewell

Almitra, a seeress, emerges from the sanctuary and hails Almustafa as the prophet who has long searched the distances for his ship. Their meeting carries the weight of their shared history: she was the first to seek and believe in him when he had been in the city for only a day. The temple setting therefore connects the public gathering to the earliest moment of her trust in him.

At evening, Almitra blesses the day, the place, and Almustafa’s speaking spirit. He answers by questioning whether he alone has spoken, presenting himself also as a listener. The exchange gives the place a role in a farewell that is not simply a final pronouncement: the gathered people have heard him, while his reply recognizes the reciprocal character of their encounter.

From the Temple Steps to the Ship

After this exchange, Almustafa descends the temple steps, followed by the people. He reaches his ship and stands on deck, where he turns again toward the crowd and raises his voice. The movement from sanctuary and steps to the ship makes the temple the point of departure for the farewell, while the deck becomes the platform for its continuation and the ship the means of leaving.

Once Almustafa signals the seamen, they weigh anchor and the ship moves eastward. The people’s collective cry carries across the sea; Almitra alone remains silent, watching until the ship disappears into the mist. She continues to stand alone on the sea-wall after the others disperse. This closing image lies beyond the temple itself, but completes the movement begun there: a gathering before the sanctuary becomes a parting, and the public leave-taking narrows to Almitra’s solitary vigil.