She knows some one is following her —
Else why the commotion of her feet,
And why do her shrill heels cry and cry
To people passing: Quick! let me by?

She knows some one is following her
And fears to look backward down the street —
Else why does she always plunge ahead
Crying: Quick! let me pass! with her tread?

She knows some one is following her,
And: Mercy! Mercy! her footsteps beat.
Yet relentlessly her own Self steals,
Close as a shadow, forever at her heels.