5 Must-Read Anna Akhmatova Poems

Anna Akhmatova, born in Odesa, Ukraine, under the Russian Empire, was a poet known for her evocative works that reflect her Russian and Ukrainian heritage. Her writing, steeped in the personal and the political, resonates deeply with readers seeking the poignant truths of her era’s struggles.

Despite her diverse ethnic background, her poetry is a cornerstone of Russian/Ukrainian literature, offering a window into the soul’s resilience against tyranny. Her works remain essential for their emotional depth and historical insight, enriching the user experience for those exploring Russian/Ukrainian poetry.

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You should appear less often in my dreams

‘You should appear less often in my dreams’ by Anna Akhmatova describes the difference between a dream relationship and the one that exists in real life.

Anna Akhmatova is celebrated for her poetry that delves deep into the human psyche and emotions. Her works are known for their rawness and emotional intensity, capturing the complexities of love, longing, and the human experience. In this particular poem, she demonstrates her ability to convey profound emotions with economy of words. It should be regarded as one of her best pieces of verse, if not her very best.

You should appear less often in my dreams, Since we meet so frequently;

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He loved three things, alive:

‘He loved three things, alive:’ by Anna Akhmatova is a short poem in which the speaker describes her husbands likes and dislikes.

Anna Akhmatova was a prominent Russian poet of the 20th century. Her poetry often delved into themes of love, loss, and the complexities of human emotions. In this poem, Akhmatova's style is characterized by its conciseness and precise language, allowing her to convey profound emotions and observations with brevity. Her ability to capture the essence of a relationship and evoke strong emotions in her readers is evident in the portrayal of love, sadness, and frustration within the context of the poem.

He loved three things, alive:

White peacocks, songs at eve,

And antique maps of America.

Hated when children cried,

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Lot’s Wife (translated by Richard Wilbur)

‘Lot’s Wife’ acknowledges the biblical figure’s famous look back as an all-too-human inability to relinquish the past despite the peril.

In four brief stanzas, Anna Akhmatova reimagines the scene of Lot's wife's transformation into a pillar of salt as a moment of understandable human weakness. Here, the tale is told more closely from her perspective, honing in on the attachment that exists between a person and the place they've called home for so long. The resulting poem presents the difficulty of this abandonment as a heavy weight on the mind of the family's matriarch, leading her to risk everything to capture a final memory of this city about to be wiped from the face of the earth.

And the just man trailed God's shining agent,

over a black mountain, in his giant track,

while a restless voice kept harrying his woman:

"It's not too late, you can still look back

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Courage

‘Courage’ by Anna Akhmatova is a passionate poem about courage in the face of war. Specifically, Akhmatova was writing about World War II.

We know what is now on History’s scales,

What is, in the world, going now.

The hour of courage shew our clock’s hands.

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I Taught Myself to Live Simply

‘I Taught Myself to Live Simply’ by Anna Akhmatova, a famous Russian author, is a beautiful and profound poem that promotes a life of elegance and simplicity.

I taught myself to live simply and wisely,

to look at the sky and pray to God,

and to wander long before evening

to tire my superfluous worries.

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5 Must-Read Anna Akhmatova Poems

You should appear less often in my dreams

He loved three things, alive:

Lot’s Wife (translated by Richard Wilbur)

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