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04 - Anthem - Ayn Rand · Science Fiction Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter four. Many days passed before we could speak to
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  Speaker 1: the Golden One again. But then came the day when
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  Speaker 1: the sky turned white, as if the sun had burst
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  Speaker 1: and spread its flame in the air, and the fields
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  Speaker 1: lay still without breath, and the dust of the road
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  Speaker 1: was white in the glow. So the women of the
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  Speaker 1: field were weary, and they tarried over their work, and
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  Speaker 1: they were far from the road when we came. But
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  Speaker 1: the Golden One stood alone at the hedge, waiting. We stopped,
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  Speaker 1: and we saw that their eyes, so hard and scornful
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  Speaker 1: to the world, were looking at us as if they
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  Speaker 1: would obey any word we might speak. And we said,
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  Speaker 1: we have given you a name in our thoughts Liberty
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  Speaker 1: five three thousand. What is our name? They asked, the
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  Speaker 1: Golden One, Nor do we call you equality seven two
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  Speaker 1: five two one when we think of you? What name
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  Speaker 1: have you given us? They looked straight into our eyes eyes,
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  Speaker 1: and they held their head high, and they answered the Unconquered.
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  Speaker 1: For a long time we could not speak. Then we said,
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  Speaker 1: such thoughts are forbidden, Golden One, But you think such
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  Speaker 1: thoughts as these, and you wish us to think them.
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  Speaker 1: We looked into their eyes, and we could not lie yes,
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  Speaker 1: we whispered, and they smiled, and then we said, our
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  Speaker 1: dearest one, do not obey us. They stepped back, and
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  Speaker 1: their eyes were wide, and still speak those words. Again.
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  Speaker 1: They whispered. Which words we asked, But they did not answer,
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  Speaker 1: and we knew it. Our dearest one, we whispered, Never
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  Speaker 1: have men said this to women. The head of the
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  Speaker 1: Golden One bowed slowly, and they stood still before us,
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  Speaker 1: their arms at their sides, the palms of their hands
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  Speaker 1: turned to us, as if their body were delivered in
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  Speaker 1: submission to our eyes, and we could not speak. Then
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  Speaker 1: they raised their head and they spoke simply and gently,
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  Speaker 1: as if they wished us to forget some anxiety of
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  Speaker 1: their own. The day is hot, they said, and you
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  Speaker 1: have worked for many hours, and you must be weary. No,
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  Speaker 1: we answered, It is cooler in the fields. They said,
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  Speaker 1: and there is water to drink. Are you thirsty, yes,
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  Speaker 1: we answered, but we cannot cross the hedge. We shall
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  Speaker 1: bring the water to you, they said. Then they knelt
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  Speaker 1: by the moat, they gathered water into their two hands.
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  Speaker 1: They rose, and they held the water out to our lips.
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  Speaker 1: We do not know if we drank that water. We
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  Speaker 1: only knew suddenly that their hands were empty, but we
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  Speaker 1: were still holding our lips to their hands, and that
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  Speaker 1: they knew it, but did not move. We raised our
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  Speaker 1: head and stepped back, for we did not understand what
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  Speaker 1: had made us do this, and we were afraid to
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  Speaker 1: understand it. And the Golden One stepped back and stood,
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  Speaker 1: looking upon their hands in wonder. Then the Golden One
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  Speaker 1: moved away, even though no others were coming. And they moved,
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  Speaker 1: stepping back as if they could not turn from us,
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  Speaker 1: their arms bent before them, as if they could not
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  Speaker 1: lower their hands. End of Chapter four