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“We hadn’t breathed the poppies’ somnolence …” by Anna Akhmatova 🇷🇺 (23 Jun 18895 Mar 1966)
Translated from the Russian by Judith Hemschemeyer
We hadn’t breathed the poppies’ somnolence,
And we ourselves don’t know our sin.
What was in our stars
That destined us for sorrow?
And what kind of hellish brew
Did the January darkness bring us?
And what kind of invisible glow
Drove us out of our minds before dawn?