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Petrograd, 1919
by Anna Akhmatova
Petrograd, 1919 (1920) bears witness to the hunger and isolation of revolutionary Petrograd, where Akhmatova and her fellow citizens chose to remain among the ruins of the city they loved. "No one wishes to come to our aid, / Because we choose to remain here."
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.
Crowd Score: 7.8
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