Everything Poem by Anna Akhmatova

Everything

Rating: 3.5


Everything’s looted, betrayed and traded,
black death’s wing’s overhead.
Everything’s eaten by hunger, unsated,
so why does a light shine ahead?

By day, a mysterious wood, near the town,
breathes out cherry, a cherry perfume.
By night, on July’s sky, deep, and transparent,
new constellations are thrown.

And something miraculous will come
close to the darkness and ruin,
something no-one, no-one, has known,
though we’ve longed for it since we were children.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Daniel Brick 23 October 2014

Hi Frank I have two translations of this poem but this one is a third I don't have and It is clearly the best. Akhmatova frequently refers to miracles in a low-keyed casual way as she does here announcing new constellations and then declaring the miraculous will soon inhabit their town torn by civil war. In real terms, things only got worse. But Akhmatova never abandoned her fellow Russians - SHE STAYED as she wrote proudly in one of her poems. When friends told her the composer Shostakovich was too humble to meet her, she wrote this poem for him SOMETHING MIRACULOUS BURNS IN MUSIC...MUSIC STAYED, EVEN AT MY GRAVE, AND SANG LIKE EARTH'S FIRST SHOWER OF RAIN OR FLOWERS EVERYWHERE ALIVE.

8 0 Reply
Aftab Alam Khursheed 23 October 2014

A poem that is about the humanity that keeps-charity, love, hope, .....everything but it is very worst condition- poet says- Everything’s looted, betrayed and traded, black death’s wing’s overhead.- the Satanic way that sat overhead - misguiding - dragging..from everything to put us in fire ..lovely

5 0 Reply
Pranab K Chakraborty 23 October 2014

Fantastic the straight way of criticising those social perverts who never take any part in reformation but always shouting the negative terms to make people misguided from their own way of living. something no-one, no-one, has known, though we’ve longed for it since we were children.... Excellent the utopia which always tries to distract our social strength to keep our existence together with manliness....... Nice write.

4 0 Reply
Frank Avon 23 October 2014

The translator deserves credit, too. I suspect that this was a difficult poem to translate into English; furthermore, I suspect that the translator has made an attempt to recapature the form of the poem as well as its sense. If so, this is commendable indeed. Does anyone know?

4 0 Reply
Sally Plumb Plumb 23 October 2014

Anna was brilliant.

3 1 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 26 January 2024

To the family of the late famous poetess CONGRATULATIONS on being chosen by Poem Hunter and Team as The Modern Poem Of The Day. Truly an excellent poem

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 26 January 2024

THREE: the struggle to find hope and meaning in a world that can be cruel and unforgiving

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Sylvia Frances Chan 26 January 2024

TWO: Despite this, the poem ends on a hopeful note, with the poet describing a light shining ahead and something miraculous coming close to the darkness and ruin.

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Sylvia Frances Chan 26 January 2024

ONE: a commentary on the bleakness of life, with the poet describing everything as being "looted, betrayed and traded" and "eaten by hunger, unsated"..

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Kumarmani Mahakul 26 January 2024

By day, a mysterious wood, near the town, breathes out cherry, a cherry perfume. By night, on July's sky, deep, and transparent, new constellations are thrown....... nicely expressed. Beautiful poem. Thanks.

0 0 Reply
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