as I did
before. And the shock was like a blow, for I have waited so long, to
see thee again. And she looked at me with astonishment, and she said:
Before? Again? What dost thou mean? When have we ever met before? And
I said: In a dream. And it may be, even earlier, in some former birth.
I cannot tell. But instantly, I knew thee again, and my heart stopped,
unable to endure the unutterable joy, and the choking pain, and the
suddenness of the surprise: for it came upon me like a thunderbolt,
without warning. And as I said, I was white with terror, lest thou
shouldst have taken advantage of my swoon, to disappear, as thou didst
before. For if I had not seen thee, when I woke up, I should have
died.

And she looked at me for a while, with curiosity, and as if meditating
over what I said. And then she sighed. And she said in a low voice, as
if speaking to herself: This is my fault. Alas! I foresaw that there
would be danger in thy coming. And I exclaimed: Danger! Be under no
concern. Thou hast nothing at all to fear from me, or indeed from
anything whatever, as long as I am near thee. Then she said: Nay, but
thou dost not understand. It is not for myself that I was afraid, but
for thee. And as I looked at her, as if to ask her what she meant, she
said again: It is I who am the danger. For I know by experience that I
always act on thy sex like a spell: only in thy case, the spell was
very strong: so strong, as almost to destroy thee. And yet, it is not
my fault, after all. Blame me not, but rather blame the Creator who
made me as I am. And I exclaimed: Blame him! nay, rather worship and
adore him, for the wonder of his work: as thou art very certainly his
masterpiece. What! wouldst thou have me blame him, for producing a
thing that I could worship, instead of himself? And she shook her head
slowly as I spoke, and she said: Thou seest: it is exactly as I said.
I am a poison to thee. And I looked at her, trembling with sheer
ecstasy to look at her and listen to her: and suddenly I burst out
laughing, with my eyes full of tears. And I said: Poison! Thou! Ah!
let me only drink such poison to its dregs! I ask for nothing more.
And she said: Come! let us sit on the step, and thou wilt recover. And
when we were seated, she said, after a while: Forget me, if thou
canst, for a moment, and listen, and I will tell thee of the
difficulty which led me to summon thee to my assistance.

And then she began to speak to me of the musical in