" The angel of God, having secretly
Betrothed us one winter day,
Watches over our carefree lives
With fixed, darkening eyes

Because of this we love the sky,
Keen air, the fresh wind
And the blackening branches
Behind the iron fence.

Because of this we love the stern
Dark city with its many waterways.
And we love our partings,
And our brief meetings. "

― Anna Akhmatova , The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova