Two from Anna Akhmatova

On Reading Hamlet

A barren patch to the right of the cemetary,

behind it a river flashing blue.

You said: " All right then, get thee to a nunnery,

or go get married to a fool..."

It was the sort of thing that princes always say,

but these are words that one remembers.

May they flow a hundred centuries in a row

like an ermine mantle from his shoulders.

Three things enchanted him...

Three things enchanted him:

white peacocks, evensong,

and faded maps of America.

He couldn't stand bawling brats,

or raspberry jam with his tea,

or womanish hysteria.

...And he was tied to me.

--
see Philip Mc Donagh's Irish Times piece