Anna Akhmatova – Petrograd, 1919

Caged in this savage capital,
We have forgotten forever
The townships, the lakes, the steppes,
The dawns, of our great motherland.
In the circuit of blood-stained days and nights,
A bitter languor overcomes us…
No one wishes to come to our aid,
Because we choose to remain here,
Because, in love with our city,
More than the wings of liberty,
We preserved to ourselves,
Its palaces, flames, and waters.

Now another time draws near,
The wind of death chills the heart,
And Peter’s sacred city,
Will be our unsought monument.