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Emily Dickinson's Collected Poems

Part Four: Time and Eternity 66. I lived on dread; to those who know

I lived on dread; to those who know

The stimulus there is

In danger, other impetus

Is numb and vital-less.


As 't were a spur upon the soul,

A fear will urge it where

To go without the spectre's aid

Were challenging despair.