Selected Poems

158 Pages·1988·2.881 MB·English

by  Anna Akhmatova

PENGUIN INTERNATIONAL POETS
ANNA AKHMATOVA: SELECTED POEMS
AnnaA khmat ovaw asb orni n1 889i nO dessoan theB lacSke a
coast. eHaerrl Jyi fwea s spenta t TsarskSoeyleo t.h ei mperial
summerr esidenIcne1 .9 1o shem arreidN ikolGa uim ilcwvh.o w ac;
a poet andle adero ft he' Acmeispto'e timco vementI.n 1 921h e
was shto as an allegecdo unter-revolutiaolntahroyu�gA hn na
Akhmat ovah adb eend ivorcferdo mh imf ort hreyee arhse,r r epu­
tatiwoans t or emaitna intbeyd t hiesv enta,n ds hep ublishveedr y
littolfhe e rp oetriynt hey ears1 923t o1 940H.e rs onw asa rrested
ands entto a laboucra mp,a sw ash erl oveNri,k olPauin inw,h o
wasr eleasaefdt etrh ed eatohf S talin.
She remaineidn Leningraddu ringt hes iegbeu t was later
evacuatteodT ashkenHte.r c ollecwtoerdk s wedrueef orp ublica­
tioinn 1 945b utn evearp peareDdu.ri ng thitsi mes hew asp er­
secuteedx.,p ellferdo mt heW riterUsn'i ona ndf ollowbeyd t wo
secrepto licaeg en.t Isn the thaafwt eSrt al"'isnd eathh erp oetry
begant ob ep ublishaegda in., wahnedn s hew asa llowteodv istihte
Wests her eceivaend h onoraDry.L ittf.r omO xfordi n1 965S.h e
dieidn 1966.
D.M . Thomasw asb orni nC ornwlali n1 935H.e ist hea uhtoro f
fiven ovelisn,c ludiTnhgeW hitHeo teAlr.,a raantd S walloswi;xv erse
collectiionncsl,u diDnrge amiinngB ron<,aen d SelecPtoeedms ;a nd
fouvro lumeosf v erster anstliaoni,n cludiTnhgeB ron<,Heo rseman:
SelecPtoeedm ofs PushkiHne .l iveisnH ereford.

ANNA AKHMATOVA
SELECTED POEMS
Translbayt eDd. TMh.o mas
PENGUIN BOOKS
PE�GUIN BOOKS
Publisbhyet dh eP enguiGnr oup
27W rightLsa neLo,n donw 8 STZE,n gland
VikinPge nguiInn c.4,0W est 23rdS treet�,e w YorkN,e w York1,0 010U,S A
PenguiBnoo ksA ustraLltidaR, i ngwood,V ictorAiuas,t ralia
PenguiBnoo ksC anadaL td,2 80J1o hnS treeMta,r khamO,n tarioC,a nadaL 3R1B 4
PenguiBnoo ks( �Z)L td,1 82-19W0a iraRuo ad,A ucklan1d0 ,N ew Zealand
PenguiBnoo ksL tdR,e gisteOrffiecde sH:a nnondswortMhi,d dlesEenxg,l and
TranslatoifoR nesq uainemdP onn WithaoH uertofi rstp ublishedin G reaBtr itabiyn E leBoko ks1 976
TranslatoifWo na yof altlhE ea rfitrshtp ublishineG dr eaBtr itabiynM artiSne eke&r W arburLgt d
1979
Thisse lectfiirsotpn u blishuendd,e trh eu tlYe oWuil lH eaTrh undiernG, r eaBtr itabiynM artiSne eker
& WarburLgt d1 985
PublishienP de nguiBono ks1 g88
Translatcioopny ri©gh tD M.. Thomas,1 9761,9 791,9 85
Madea ndp rintiedn G reaBtr itabiyn
RicharCdl ayL tdB,u ngayS,u ffolk
Excepitn t heU niteSdt atoesf A merica,
thibso oki ss olsdu bjectto t hec ondition
thaitt s halnlo tb,y w ayo ft radoer o therwise,
be lentr,e -sohlidr,e odu to,r o therwicsier culated
withotuhte p ublishperiro'rsc onseinnta nyf orm of
bindionrgc oveort hetrh ant haitn w hiciht i s
publishaenddw ithoau ts imilcaorn dition
includtihnigcs o nditbieoinn igm posed
ont hes ubseeqnutp urchaser
Contents
.
Acknolwe gde me nt s IX
Introduicotn I
from Eveinng
'Thpel ilow .h o.t . ' 13
ReadiHnagm let 13
EveniRnogo m 14
'Ih avwer ittedno wnt he wo.rd.'s . 14
'Memryo ofs uns eepfrosm theh ear.t . . ' 15
Sonogf t heL asMte eting 16
'Hel ovetdhre et hinaglso n.e. ' . 16
Imitiaotno fA nnensky 17
'Ic ameh erien i dlene.ss . . ' 17
Whi teN ight 18
Legendon a nU nfinishePodr trait 18
form Rosary
'Ih avceo me ttakoe y ouprl a,cs eist.e.r' . 21
'Itg oeosn woiutthe nd. .. 22
'
'We'er aldlr nukarhdesr .e .' . 22
A
Ride 23
'Nobocdaym et om eemte . .. ' 23
'Som anyr euqetss . .' . 24
TheV oicoefM emory 25
8 Novembe1r91 3 25
'Buleh eavebnu,tt heh ig.h. ' 26
'Doy ouf orgivmee . .' . 27
TheG uest 27
'Iw on'tb egf ory our l.o.v'e . 28
'Ic amet oh ima sa guest . ' 28
• .
Byt hSee ashore
from WhitFel ock
Lonelsisn e 41
'Howc any oul ooakt t heN eva. .' . 41
'Threo ad bliasc .k . . ' 42
Flight 42
'Id on'tk nowi fy o'uera liovred eda . .' . 4
3
'Theirsea forntier-.l i.n e. ' 44
'Fressho nfew sord.s .' . 44
'Under eamnpy t dwellifnrogz'esrn o o.f .' . 44
'Thceh urchryd'asq uie.t .' . 4
5
'Neitbhyec ra rnto rb oa.t .' 4
. 5
'Lyiinng m.e. ' . 46
'0t heraer e wo.r.d's . 46
from Plantain
'Nowf arewelcla,p i.ta.'l . 4
7
'Ih eatrh eo rieo'lasl wyasgri e vingv oic.e.' . 48
'Nown o-owniel blel istetnois nogn g.s . . ' 48
'Thceu kcooI a ksed. '. . 49
'Whyis ourc etnurwyo rse tahnayon t h?e r. . .4 9'
from AnnoD omini
'Everythiisln ogo t.ed.' . 51
'Thewyi peydo usrl a.te.' . 51
Bezhtsek 52
'Toe artyh slola.c e. . ' 52
'I'nmo to ft hosweh ol etf. .' . 52
'Blowss wtahne w.i nd. . ' 5
3
'Tof alli lalso nes hou.l d . . ' 5
3
'Behitnhdel ak.e '. . 54
Rachel 54
LotW'isef 55
form Reed
Muse
5
7
To anA rtist 57
TheL asTto ast 58
• 'Dusstm elolfas s u-nra.y .' . 58
'Somgea zien ot tendfeacre .s .' . 59
BorisP asternak 59
Voronezh 6o
*Imitatino from theA rmenian 6 1
Danet 6 1
Cleopatra 62
Willow 62
• InM emoryo fM ikhaBiull goavk 6g
'Whean m an d.i e's. . 6g
• 'Notth el yroefa love.r.. ' 64
Way oft haeEla lr th 64
from ThSee veBnotohk
In1 940 6g
Courage 71
'Andy oum,y friend.s . ' 7 2
.
'Thath'oswI a m. ..' 72
•
ThreAeu tumns 7
3
'Thseo uolfst hosel ovI.e ' 74
. •
'Thefi fth acotf t hed ram.a . . ' 74
'It is lyyxone uyre Ass,i .a. .' 75
InD ream 75
'Soa gaiwne t irump!h. .' . 76
'Leatn yw,h ow ilslt,i ll btahsesk o uit.nh. .' 76
froNmo rtheErlenge is:T heF itfh 7 7
TheS ixth 78
SeaidseS onnte 79
Fragemnt 8o
SummerG arden 8o
'nI b\amcekm ory . .' . 8 1
'Cou\dB eat reiw cri.t..e ' 8 1
Deaht ofa Poet 8 1
TheD eatho fS ophocles 82
Alexandre atT hebes 82
Nauv Soil 83
Theraer eFo uro fUs 83
* 'Iaflwl hoha veb eggehde l.p. '. 84
LastR ose 84
• 'tIis now ond.e.r. ' 85
'Whatw'as? rW hat'psl ag?u e .' 85
. .
InM emoryo fV. C .S reznevskaya 85
'Yowui ll . . ' 86
hear thuannddre er membmeer
.
Requiem 87
Poewmi tohutH ero
a 97
Noets 133
• Poems notp ublishedi n thceo llectibountwri tten in thesame epoch.
Acknowleedments
g
In thes piroifta n appretnicpea intJeOri nian gm aster's
workshoIp h,a veh adt hree spelolfst ranstlianAgk hma­
tovai:nI 946 (RequieIm9)47,( Poewmi thoauH te roa)n,d I 977
(as electoifom ons tly shpooretmse)r.T h efi rsttw ow orks
werep ublishteodgt ehera sR equie&m P oemw ithoau Hte ro
(EleLko.n do,n andO hioU .P.I,9 76)t;h et hirbdo dyo f
translatwiaosnp su blishuendd ert het itWlaey ofA llt he
Eart(hS eek&e rW arburLgt d.L,o ndon,a ndO hioU .P.,
I979T)h.e fi rsotf t hese volhuamsle osn bge eno uto fprint
inB ritaainnd,I a m gratetfoum ly publisherpsr ofvoird ing
an opportuniItnyt ,h ep resebnoto ko,f b ringianlglm y
transtliaonosfA khmatovtao gether.
Akhmatovao ncer eferrteod' hte blessednoefsr se p­
eittionA't the orfsi osmke c lumsionfer sesp ettiio(np arctui­
larliynt heI ntroudctionIsh )a ved eicdetdo l eavteh eI 967
andI 9 79t extess sentiaaslt lhye wye re.
M prmiaryt etxw ast het wo-voluAmkeh matoSvoac:h in­
enl)'a Inter-LangLuiatgeer aArsys oicatess,e conedd tiion,
1967-6e8d)ti,e db yG .P .S truvaen dB .A .F illipIo avm.
grateafluslto o P rofseosrS truvef orh eplfuald vicienc orre­
spodne:QceM y introudctiaonnd n otetsoP oemw ithoauH te ro
drawh eaviolnyt heisrc holarsahnidap l,s o onl attMheae x
Hayward'esx ceelntl introudctiona nd notiensP oems of
Akhmatosvelae,tc eda ndt ranstleadb yS tanleKyu nizt with
Max Hayward( ColliHnasr-vilI9l 7,4)
.
AmandaH aigth'bsi ograp(hAyk hmatAov Pao,e tPiicl grim­
ageO,x forUd. P.I,9 76w)a si nvaluaibnls eup pliyngb ack­
grounidn fortmiaoann di nterprteitvaceo mmentT.o her