Thank You, Anna Akhmatova

I have been making my way though the poems of Anna Akhmatova tonight–a birthday gift from two Russian-speaking friends. The translation is by Stanley Kunitz. How incredible that such a gifted, sensitive poet survived Stalinism. After reading one of her devastating poems aloud, my wife commented that it seems as though she realizes there is no time left to say anything but what matters most. And say it well.