"Cleopatra"

I am the air you breathe; I am the air that keeps you alive. I am the fire that rages in spirit destroying any enemies that fall in my path. I am Cleopatra. I have already kissed the cold dead lips of my love, Antony. I have already endured the embarrassment of bowing myself down to weep before Caesar. Still, I stand strong before everyone even though I have been betrayed by my own servants, who have lost their loyalty for me. Darkness begins to fall and death creeps closer. Am I now supposed to endure more mortification by walking, in the triumph, as a slave? That is what I am not, I am not a slave; people bow down to me, I do not bow down to them. Through this humiliation, I shall have my neck and head held high just like that of a swan’s. I will make sure to be in tranquility during this animosity. I will not let them belittle me; I walk and bow before no one, I am Cleopatra. Not a soul will take away from me the one thing I still hold; I refuse to give away my dignity. I refuse to let my children be put into chains and shame. I will do what I must. “Nothing remains except to tease this fellow out of mind.” I must end my life before I ruin it. I must take the black snake to my breast as “a parting act of pity.” I would rather face death than see my reputation die.

In this response, I decided to make it as if I was Cleopatra. I spoke the meaning of the poem through what I interpreted as Cleopatra’s point of view. By doing this, I believe that I got a better sense of the message that Akhmatova tried to portray through this poem. Cleopatra is a very strong-willed woman who refuses to be looked down on. She would rather die with her dignity than allow it shatter in front of her.

"Requiem: 1935-1940" – "Dedication"

This poem is a dedication to the victims of Stalin who have fought through countless years of suffering. The poem begins with the lines, “such grief might make the mountains stoop” and “reverse the waters where they flow.” These two quotes are significant because they oppose the nature of life; mountains do not “stoop” but rather are held solid and high furthermore, rivers never change the course or direction they flow. From here, we realize that everything is in turmoil; nothing is how it was. Akhmatova, in the poem, goes on by saying “we cannot burst these ponderous bolts that block us from the prison cells crowded with mortal woe.” This quote shows us that we cannot escape the restrictions in life, we, like prisoners, are captivated in a cage even though we are outside prison walls. Akhmatova continues mentioning that “for some the wind can freshly blow, for some the sunlight fade at ease.” These lines in the poem show us that there are those who are blessed in life with no worries or troubles; however, there are some who watch the sunlight fade at ease. Fading sunlight will eventually turn to night and night is a symbol of death. Therefore, it could be concluded that those who see “sunlight fade at ease” are fading too. The next few lines of the poem portray the extent of damage that the country is in. We realize that “less live than [die].” The Poem, “Dedication” concludes with the final lines describing the pain that overwhelms anyone and everyone that has lost someone, or even themselves in the midst of the war. One woman, who had a “sudden spurt of […] tears,” was described as if she had been “knocked […] to the ground [with her heart wrenched] out of her breast.” Everything around her was unknown, even the people, who were “nameless friends” that she had only met in the two years she spent in hell. She did not know them, and they did not know her, but they were alike in that they suffered through all the hardships they faced, together. This poem stood out to me among the other poems in “Requiem” because this poem, to me, showed the real strength that the victims have during times of trouble. They still find the ability to fight for what the think is right even if they are out of breath. Although they realize that what they do has not affect on anything, they continue to fight hoping for a miracle. This poem shows the true courage that victims obtain when they are faced with any sort of problem, like the loss of a loved one. Therefore, I felt really passionate towards this poem as it was a poem dedicated to the victims, more specifically, Stalin’s victims. This poem appreciates those who suffer, which I believe is crucial; we need to show appreciation to those who are sufferers.

“I Am Not One of Those Who Left the Land…”

This poem shows Akhmatova’s very strong patriotic feelings. From the start, we know that Akhmatova looks down to those who fled Russia at the “mercy of its enemies.” We see this through the words, “my songs are not for them to praise,” which in this case means that the words she outlines through her poems, that speak of the patriotism that she feels for her country, does not associate with those who “left the land” because they chose to run away rather than stay back and fight for what they believe is right. Akhmatova feels a sense of shame for those who left the land saying that “[t]heir flattery leaves me cold.” In addition, Akhmatova also bears pity on those who fled their land because those who choose the path of the wanderer are destined to a dark and infected pathway ahead of them. Akhmatova continues by saying that “in the murk of conflagration” or through the shade of this inferno, there is hardly “a friend that is left to know” because most of them have fled in fear of the growing power of their enemies. She notes that she believes that the people who did not leave the land are the true survivors because they did not “flinch” or drawback from anything. They did not cringe from “a single blow.” These “survivors” stood strong while their worlds slowly fell apart around them. Akhmatova adds that “after the passing of this cloud,” we will all realize the true survivors that still remain. After this cloud, which is a symbol of the hostility of nature, passes, the people who remain are those who are the strongest, those “without tears” and those who are “more proud.” This poem stood out to me among the other four poems because through this poem, we finally see the true colors of Akmatova’s patriotism. She is a woman who knows what she believes and makes sure to stand up for it. She believes that anyone that does not do the same is shameful to themselves, their country as well as to the world around them. Akhmatova is truly a survivor in the eyes of her country as well as her fellow readers.

"The Guest"

It seems as though Akhmatova has just experienced a very life-changing moment in her being. She realizes that nothing has changed around her though she now looks at the world through different eyes. Her new outlook notices that similarly to the physical features all around her, like the snow grains plastered to the window, that are positioned how they began, she lies there changed forever mentally and emotionally but physically, she is what she was. The underlying change that she has made is, as the reader can clearly see, with a man. The man tells her that he wants to be in hell with her after Akhmatova asks, “What do you want?” This shows that perhaps Akhmatova has done something that could send her to hell, the place where sinners are banished to in their after-life. Akhmatova does not seem to be very affected by what the man has to say in that she laughs and says plainly, “[…] you mean to have us both destroyed.” This shows that Akhmatova is hiding something that will destroy her if it slips out. By realizing that no one but the man and Akhmatova know about this “hidden secret” that will have both of them destroyed, we also realize that this man is in a way threatening to take them both down by revealing the secret. The man then takes his hand and “lightly stroke[s] the flowers” this could be interpreted as perhaps that the flowers symbolize hair, more specifically, the hair that covers Akhmatova’s face. He asks her to tell him “how men kiss [her]” and how she kisses. This shows that there is some sort of romantic relationship between Akhmatova and this unidentified man. The man stands with his eyes fixed on the ring that wraps around one of Akhmatova’s fingers, with a very stern “sardonic face” as if somehow he is proud of himself through guilt that is shown through his expressionless face. The man looks at her and realizes that “there’s nothing from [her] he wants,” showing that the man has won and received everything she can offer; however, the poem ends with Akhmatova’s words “I have nothing to refuse.” These final words portray the knowledge that Akmatova has received, which is that the man has won, she is in a sense his “slave.” She has given him all she could and now that he knows she has, he can use it against her. Therefore, she cannot refuse satisfying his needs, which requires her to sin once again. This poem stood out to me between the other two poems because I felt an inner connection with Akhmatova. This does not necessarily mean that I have been through the same experience she has, it just merely means that I could in a sense capture some of the emotions she had clearly felt through this poem. Throughout this poem, I see Akhmatova as a woman who feels entrapped as well as diminished; just two of the many feelings that many of Akhmatova’s readers can relate to.