Anthem/Chapter 4

Many days passed before we could speak
to the Golden One again. But then came
the day when the sky turned white, as if
the sun had burst and spread its flame in
the air, and the fields lay still without
breath, and the dust of the road was white
in the glow. So the women of the field
were weary, and they tarried over their
work, and they were far from the road
when we came. But the Golden One stood
alone at the hedge, waiting. We stopped
and we saw that their eyes, so hard and
scornful to the world, were looking at us as
if they would obey any word we might speak.
And we said:
"We have given you a name in our
thoughts, Liberty 5-3000."
"What is our name?" they asked.
"The Golden One."
"Nor do we call you Equality 7-2521
when we think of you."
"What name have you given us?"
They looked straight into our eyes and
they held their head high and they answered:
"The Unconquered."
For a long time we could not speak.
Then we said:
"Such thoughts as these are forbidden,
Golden One."
"But you think such thoughts as these
and you wish us to think them."
We looked into their eyes and we could not lie.
"Yes," we whispered, and they smiled,
and then we said: "Our dearest one,
do not obey us."
They stepped back, and their eyes were
wide and still.
"Speak these words again," they whispered.
"Which words?" we asked. But they
did not answer, and we knew it.
"Our dearest one," we whispered.
Never have men said this to women.
The head of the Golden One bowed slowly,
and they stood still before us, their arms
at their sides, the palms of their hands
turned to us, as if their body were delivered
in submission to our eyes. And we could
not speak.
Then they raised their head, and they
spoke simply and gently, as if they wished
us to forget some anxiety of their own.
"The day is hot," they said, "and you have
worked for many hours and you must be weary."
"No," we answered.
"It is cooler in the fields," they said,
"and there is water to drink. Are you thirsty?"
"Yes," we answered, "but we cannot cross the hedge."
"We shall bring the water to you," they said.
Then they knelt by the moat, they gathered
water in their two hands, they rose and
they held the water out to our lips.
We do not know if we drank that water.
We only knew suddenly that their hands
were empty, but we were still holding our
lips to their hands, and that they knew it,
but did not move.
We raised our head and stepped back.
For we did not understand what had made
us do this, and we were afraid to understand it.
And the Golden One stepped back, and
stood looking upon their hands in wonder.
Then the Golden One moved away, even
though no others were coming, and they
moved, stepping back, as if they could not
turn from us, their arms bent before them,
as if they could not lower their hands.
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