“And into the windows of my room …”

So many stones have been thrown at me,
That I'm not frightened of them anymore,
And the pit has become a solid tower,
Tall among tall towers.
I thank the builders,
May care and sadness pass them by.
From here I'll see the sunrise earlier,
Here the sun's last ray rejoices.
And into the windows of my room
The northern breezes often fly.
And from my hand a dove eats grains of wheat...
As for my unfinished page,
The Muse's tawny hand, divinely calm
And delicate, will finish it. (Anna Aknmatova)
Nathan Altman, Portrait of Anna Akhmatova, 1914

Anna! The woman who stood up to Stalin’s tormenting (psychological and emotional torture) – and outlived him by 13 years. A true warrior-poet. Earlier in her life Anna bewitched Amedeo Modigliani – theirs was a true meeting of hearts and minds.

Modigliani’s drawing of Anna Akhmatova, Woman Reclining on a Bed, c 1911

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