Anna Akhmatova
And when in suicidal anguish...

And when in suicidal anguish
I’he nation awaited its German guests,
And the stern spirit of Byzantium
Had fled from the Russian Church,

When the capital by the Neva,
Forgetting her greatness,
Like a drunken prostitute
Did not know who would take her next,

A voice came to me. It called out comfortingly,
It said, “Come here,
Leave your deaf and sinful land,
Leave Russia forever.

I will wash the blood from your hands,
Root out the black shame from your heart,
With a new name I will conceal
The pain of defeats and injuries.”

But calmly and indifferently,
I covered my ears with my hands,
So that my sorrowing spirit
Would not be stained by those shameful words.

Translated by Judith Hemschemeyer