Anna Akhmatova

And just having searched in the past, you�ll unlock
The gloves so long as to elbow,
The Petersburg night, in the theatre�s box
That smell, suffocating and mellow,
And winds from the bay. And not far � what a shock! -
Between lines, void passionate clamor,
Will once smile to you very spiteful Blok �
The century�s tragical tenor.

Translated by Yevgeny Bonver, August, 2002