A CONQUERING COWARD
And I sat myself square; I thrash’d her; I coax’d her and chirrup’d her on—
This thing I’d been told-off, ay, chosen to do,—it was going to get done!
Coward that I’d been! Ay, but that was a bill could be paid by-and-by.
My Message! By God, I would put through that message, or die!
It must still have been storming, for I can remember the snaky, bright path;
But I’d got no more time to attend to the fear of Omnipotent Wrath.
Back, to the Dead? Ay, and back to the Dread! What was either to me?
My duty, beyond them and waiting, was all I could see!
....Gallop, and gallop....Oh, when would we get to them? Streaming with haste,
Eagerly seeking them, we that had fled from them gallop’d and raced....
Suddenly! out ’twixt the Need and the Speed, there was one thing stood clear—
Fear, that had master’d me,—why, I was Master of Fear!
It was true! Running from them, the Fear that had ridden me, spurr’d me, nor spared,
Running right for them,—where was it? As little I knew as I cared!
From all care of myself, from all fear of the Power that still menaced and quiver’d,
From the False Fear of God, by the True I’d been snatch’d and delivered!
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