Russian poet Anna Akhmatova's "Requiem," is about her experiences in the revolution, where she and many others were made to wait outside of labor camps for hours, in hopes of catching news or a glimpse of loved ones imprisoned within. In her case, it was her son as well as her lover who were being held. "Requiem" represents Anna's gift to the Russian people by describing for posterity the horrors they lived through. This translation, by D.M. Thomas, is used by arrangement with John Johnson Ltd. (London) as well as the estate of Anna Akhmatova (Moscow).