Must hide, must run, must flee—away!
To streamsides no hunter could e'er trace;
Must leave, O Stars!, be free as day,
When the starless time can glimpse the moon
Where can I look, love, to escape
When my eyes would lie to me?
Where can I tread, dear, or outrun
When my feet lead me far astray?
Breathe—and sighing breath robs a vital moment.
Must hide, must run, must flee today,
To mountaintops where skylarks fly;
And there, you Stars, would I e'er stay,
You'd not see, nor I feel your light
What can I trust, love, in you
When life departs your fading words?
What can I keep, dear, of olde
When the now so quickly turns to ash?
I cannot breathe—my breath tells lies
I cannot touch—I've killed a man
I cannot love—that much was lost
I cannot stay, or I would surely die
Do you see now? Know why I—
Must hide, must run, must flee your side?
Must leave, must curse, and ne'er be free?
Must lie that I have killed, when all I tried was love.
I ask endlessly, tirelessly, where,
O where I can hide, to escape?
Yet if I paused to listen for replies,
I would be lost, and duly found
Breathe!—and sighing breath has robbed this vital moment. |
Submission Name: For Now, I Must Hide
