Quotes From "The Complete Poems Of Anna Akhmatova" By Anna Akhmatova

Flowers, cold from the dew, And autumn's approaching breath, I pluck for the warm, luxuriant braids, Which haven't faded yet. In their nights, fragrantly resinous, Entwined with delightful mystery, They will breathe in her springlike Extraordinary beauty. But in a whirlwind of sound and fire, From her shing head they will flutter And fall—and before her They will die, faintly fragrant still. And, impelled by faithful longing, My obedient gaze will feast upon them— With a reverent hand, Love will gather their rotting remains. . Anna Akhmatova

Let my heiress have full rights, Live in my house, sing songs that I composed. Yet how slowly my strength ebbs, How the tortured breast craves air. The love of my friends, my enemies' rancor And the yellow roses in my bushy garden, And a lover's burning tenderness—all this I bestow upon you, messenger of dawn. Also the glory for which I was born, For which my star, like some whirlwind, soared And now falls. Look, its falling Prophesies your power, love and inspiration. Preserving my generous bequest, You will live long and worthily. Thus it will be. You see, I am content, Be happy, but remember me. Anna Akhmatova

This cruel age has deflected me, like a river from this course. Strayed from its familiar shores, my changeling life has flowedinto a sister channel. How many spectacles I've missed:the curtain rising without me, and falling too. How many friends I never had the chance to meet. Anna Akhmatova

If you were music, I would listen to you ceaselessly, and my low spirits would brighten up. Anna Akhmatova

And in the depths of music, I didn’t find the answer, And again there was silence, and again the ghost of summer. Anna Akhmatova

I know: yes, no, even I must tear off The delicate daisy petals. Everyone on earth is destined to feel The torments of love. Anna Akhmatova

I have a lot of work to do today; I need to slaughter memory, Turn my living soul to stone Then teach myself to live again. Anna Akhmatova

I’m not weeping, I’m not complaining, Happiness is not for me. Anna Akhmatova

This land, although not my native land, Will be remembered forever. And the sea's lightly iced, Unsalty water. The sand on the bottom is whiter than chalk, The air is heady, like wine, And the rosy body of the pines Is naked in the sunset hour. And the sunset itself on such waves of ether That I just can't comprehend Whether it is the end of the day, the end of the world, Or the mystery of mysteries in me again. . Anna Akhmatova

We don't know how to say goodbye, We wander on, shoulder to shoulder Already the sun is going down You're moody, and I am your shadow. Let's step inside a church, hear prayers, masses for the dead Why are we so different from the rest? Outside in the graveyard we sit on a frozen branch. That stick in your hand is tracing Mansions in the snow in which we will always be together. Anna Akhmatova

But I am not allowed to forget The taste of the tears of yesterday. Anna Akhmatova

I defend Not my voice, but my silence Anna Akhmatova

And you know, I agree to everything: I will condemn, I will forget, I will give comfort to the enemy, Darkness will be light and sin lovely. Anna Akhmatova

Tomorrow the mirrors will mock me Anna Akhmatova

Song falls silent, music is dumb, But the air burns with their fragrance, And white winter, on its knees, Observes everything with reverent attention. Anna Akhmatova

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

Though you are three times more beautiful than angels, Though you are the sister of the river willows, I will kill you with my singing, Without spilling your blood on the ground. Not touching you with my hand, Not giving you one glance, I will stop loving you, But with your unimaginable groans I will finally slake my thirst. From her, who wandered the earth before me, Crueler than ice, more fiery than flame, From her, who still exists in the ether– From her you will set me free. Anna Akhmatova

Let whoever wants to, relax in the south, And bask in the garden of paradise. Here is the essence of north—and it's autumn I've chosen as this year's friend. Anna Akhmatova