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“Your palms are fiery …” by Anna Akhmatova 🇷🇺 (23 Jun 18895 Mar 1966)
Translated from the Russian by Andrey Kneller
“Your palms are fiery,
The Easter bells ring loud,
You’re tempted, like St. Anthony,
By visions all around.”
“How was such day’s affair
Mixed with the holy days,
Like thick and tangled hair
Of Magdalenes half-crazed.”
“Thus only children love,
Just once, and then it dies.”
“No light is strong enough—
To match those tranquil eyes.”
“This is the devil’s bluff,
Such longing—an offense.”
“No white is white enough—
To match that of her hands.”