I go forth to seek To seek and claim the lovely magic garden Where grasses softly sigh and Muses speak.
Anna AkhmatovaWho will grieve for this woman? Does she not seem too insignificant for our concern? Yet in my heart I never will deny her, Who suffered death because she chose to turn.
Anna AkhmatovaFlowers, cold from the dew, And autumn's approaching breath, I pluck for the warm, luxuriant braids, Which haven't faded yet. In their nights, fragrantly resinous, Entwined with delightful mystery, They will breathe in her springlike Extraordinary beauty. But in a whirlwind of sound and fire, From her shing head they will flutter And fallยand before her They will die, faintly fragrant still. And, impelled by faithful longing, My obedient gaze will feast upon themย With a reverent hand, Love will gather their rotting remains.
Anna Akhmatova