To Death

You will come in any case ___ so why not now 

I'm waiting for you ___ I can't stand much more 

I've put out the light and opened the door for you 

So simple and miraculous 

So come in any from you please , burst in as a gas shell 

Or , like a gangster , steal in with a length of pipe 

Or poison me with typhus fumes 

Or be that fairy tale you've dreamed up 

So sickeningly familiar to everyone __ In which I glimpse the top of pale blue cap 

And the house attendant white with fear 

Now it doesn't matter anymore . The Yenisey swirls 

The North Star shine 

And the final horror dims 

The blue luster of beloved eyes 

Ana Akhmatova

August 19 , 1939

Fountain House