Rosa Alchemica

In a quiet Dublin house lined with leather‑bound classics, a weary scholar narrates his recent obsession with alchemy. After publishing a modest treatise that blends science, philosophy, and poetry, he finds himself haunted by the tragic loss of his old friend Michael Robartes and his circle. The narrator’s introspection turns the rooms into a gallery of mythic symbols—bronze gods, a Virgin’s rose, tapestries of peacock feathers—each reflecting a different facet of his yearning for spiritual transmutation.

As he assembles an ancient set of alembics once owned by the mystic Raymond Lully, the old alchemist’s doctrine begins to echo in his mind: all matter longs to become something pure, yet the heart remains stubbornly bound to mortality. The narrative weaves his contemplation of art, faith, and the relentless ache of unfulfilled desire, hinting at a looming journey beyond the comfortable confines of his study. Listeners are invited to follow his fragile balance between awe and sorrow, and to wonder whether true gold can ever be forged from a human soul.