Anna Akhmatova, “Sketch” …

Anna Akhmatova

“Sketch”

               O Muse of Tears…
                         –Tsvetaeva

…I turned away from everything,
From earth’s every blessing.
The stump in the water became
The guardian spirit of this place.

We are akin to guests on this planet,
To live – is simply a habit.
In the air I seem to hear
Two voices exchanging thought.

Two? …But by the eastern wall,
Among its tangle of raspberries,
There’s a branch of elder, fresh and dark.
Ah! It’s a message from Marina.

          (Trans. A.S. Kline)
 
 
 
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~ by samofthetenthousandthings on August 3, 2015.