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16
I ask,—thou speakest not,—and still
I ask, and look to thee;
And lo, without or with a will,
The answer is in me.
Without thy will it came to me?
Ah, with it let it stay;
Ah, with it, yes, abide in me,
Nor only for to-day!
Thou claim 'st it? nay, the deed is done;
Ah, leave it with thy leave;
And thou a thousand loves for one
Shalt day on day receive!
Light words they were, and lightly, falsely said;
She heard them, and she started,—and she rose,
As in the act to speak; the sudden thought
And unconsidered impulse led her on.
In act to speak she rose, but with the sense
Of all the eyes of that mixed company
Now suddenly turned upon her, some with age
