“I stopped smiling...” Anna Akhmatova
I stopped smiling
The frosty wind chills your lips,
There is one less hope,
There will be one more song.
And this song I involuntarily
I'll give it to laughter and reproach,
Then it hurts unbearably
A loving silence for the soul.
Analysis of Akhmatova’s poem “I Stopped Smiling...”
The marriage of Anna Akhmatova and Nikolai Gumilyov was doomed to collapse from the very beginning. It was extremely difficult for two creative people to get along under one roof, although in many ways their views on literature coincided. However, Gumilyov knew that he was marrying a woman who would never agree to become a housewife in the usual sense of the word and would not be able to be content with the role of an exemplary wife and mother. In addition, Anna Akhmatova married not out of love, but out of a feeling of compassion for a person who had very strong feelings for her. However, very little time passed, and the spouses swapped roles: Akhmatova fell madly in love with her chosen one, and Gumilev lost interest in the one he once idolized. As a result, Akhmatova, in despair, began to depict images of imaginary lovers in her poems in order to hide her own feelings, although she secretly hoped that she could melt her husband’s frozen heart. However, in 1915, the poetess gave up trying to return Gumilyov, who spent less and less time with his family. This is confirmed by the poem “I Stopped Smiling...” - one of the few that the poetess addressed not to a fictional character, but to her relationship with her husband.
Akhmatova characterizes her family life simply and succinctly: “There is one less hope, there will be one more song.” Now she no longer has any illusions that this marriage can still be saved. And it’s not just about Gumilyov, who simply runs away from home at every opportunity, masking his reluctance to tolerate his powerful and purposeful wife with his love of travel. Akhmatova herself catches herself thinking that her feelings for her husband are gradually fading away. The lack of love depresses her so much that the poetess is ready to put her relationship with Gumilyov on public display, just to drown out the emotional pain.
Very soon Akhmatova realizes that this tactic does not bring the expected results. Indeed, against the backdrop of numerous poems dedicated to imaginary men, the lines addressed to the husband are simply lost. That is why the poetess will force herself to turn the situation around and forget the person who is dear to her. Proud and rebellious, she will start a new affair with a married man only in order to erase her legal spouse from her life, because “the silence of love is unbearably painful to the soul,” which deprives the meaning of the very existence of Akhmatova, who sings of love in every line.
Akhmatova, Anna Andreevna. "I stopped smiling..." 1915
Poem from Akhmatova's third book, The White Flock. Inspired by acquaintance with B.V. Anrep (1883-1969), poet and artist. According to his recollections, his acquaintance with Akhmatova took place in 1914, but this is obviously a memory error. Akhmatova recalled several times that they were introduced by N.V. Nedobrovo in Tsarskoe Selo, in the spring of 1915, on the eve of Anrep’s departure to the active army. At the same time, the first poems were dedicated to a new acquaintance - “Dream”, “I Stopped Smiling...”. In 1915-16 , when Anrep came from the front on business trips and vacations, they met, and acquaintance grew into a strong feeling on her part and, apparently, remained at the level of ardent interest on his part. According to Akhmatova, she dedicated 17 poems to Anrep in “The White Flock” and 14 in the collection. "Plantain" (for comparison, there are only 30 poems in "Plantain", that is, almost half are occupied by poems dedicated to Anrep). Anrep also dedicated several poems to Akhmatova. “There is one less hope, // There will be one more song,” Akhmatova wrote these lines to Anrep on a copy of the book “Evening” given to him on February 13, 1916, before Anrep left for the front.
In Anna Akhmatova’s work there are not many poems that are dedicated to real people and events. Basically, we are talking about invented, fictitious characters and plots.
One of the few real creations is the work “I Stopped Smiling...”. Akhmatova dedicated the created poetic lines to her relationship with Nikolai Gumilyov. After all, their marriage was not very happy.
Anna married Nikolai only out of compassion, because the man tried to commit suicide more than once because of unrequited love. However, over the years of family life, her husband’s feelings began to cool, while Anna simply fell madly in love with Nikolai.
Now she is trying to express her feelings to him in poetic form, to attract his attention, to return happiness to their family relationship. But everything is completely in vain. Against the backdrop of such experiences, the poem “I Stopped Smiling...” was written in 1915.
Gradually, the poetess stops entertaining herself with imaginary illusions that everything can still be returned. Nikolai disappears from home more and more often, hiding behind his desire to travel. Anna realizes that her feelings have begun to cool. She no longer wants to fix anything. Now, Akhmatova is ready to open the veil of her relationship with her husband in order to somehow get rid of the depressed state in which she is.
However, this tactic does not work. And now Akhmatova simply decides to forget about her husband. She begins to flirt with men, starts an affair just to get rid of thoughts about her husband. The poetess did not see any other way out, because it is so difficult and painful to experience “loving silence” on the part of a loved one.
The marriage of Anna Akhmatova and Nikolai Gumilyov was doomed to collapse from the very beginning. It was extremely difficult for two creative people to get along under one roof, although in many ways their views on literature coincided. However, Gumilyov knew that he was marrying a woman who would never agree to become a housewife in the usual sense of the word and would not be able to be content with the role of an exemplary wife and mother. In addition, Anna Akhmatova married not out of love, but out of a feeling of compassion for a person who had very strong feelings for her. However, very little time passed, and the spouses swapped roles: Akhmatova fell madly in love with her chosen one, and Gumilev lost interest in the one he once idolized. As a result, Akhmatova, in despair, began to depict images of imaginary lovers in her poems in order to hide her own feelings, although she secretly hoped that she could melt her husband’s frozen heart. However, in 1915, the poetess gave up trying to return Gumilyov, who spent less and less time with his family. This is confirmed by the poem “I Stopped Smiling...” - one of the few that the poetess addressed not to a fictional character, but to her relationship with her husband.
A love story in verse. Anna Akhmatova and Nikolai Gumilev.
Akhmatova characterizes her family life simply and succinctly: “There is one less hope, there will be one more song.” Now she no longer has any illusions that this marriage can still be saved. And it’s not just about Gumilyov, who simply runs away from home at every opportunity, masking his reluctance to tolerate his powerful and purposeful wife with his love of travel. Akhmatova herself catches herself thinking that her feelings for her husband are gradually fading away. The lack of love depresses her so much that the poetess is ready to put her relationship with Gumilyov on public display, just to drown out the emotional pain.
Very soon Akhmatova realizes that this tactic does not bring the expected results. Indeed, against the backdrop of numerous poems dedicated to imaginary men, the lines addressed to the husband are simply lost. That is why the poetess will force herself to turn the situation around and forget the person who is dear to her. Proud and rebellious, she will start a new affair with a married man only in order to erase her legal spouse from her life, because “the silence of love is unbearably painful to the soul,” which deprives the meaning of the very existence of Akhmatova, who sings of love in every line.
*****
I stopped smiling
I stopped smiling
The frosty wind chills your lips,
There is one less hope,
There will be one more song.
And this song I involuntarily
I'll give it to laughter and reproach,
Then it hurts unbearably
A loving silence for the soul.
