Waiting for the Muse: Poems of Anna Akhmatova

Anna Akhmatova is considered to be one of Russia’s greatest poets. Her life, largely dominated by the turbulence of the restrictive governing of first Vladimir Lenin and then Joseph Stalin, was filled with challenge and suffering, but sustaining her through it all was her Muse. This Muse, the source of inspiration for all of her poetry “was a constant, though constantly changing companion throughout her life as a poet."

Waiting for the Muse: Poems of Anna Akhmatova, set against the backdrop of her dramatic life, is a compilation of new translations of her extraordinary poetry. The author, who has a master’s degree in Russian language and literature, has with meticulous focus brought Akhmatova’s poetry to life in as authentic translation as possible, based on her expertise.

Ms. Laird has structured this anthology in such a way that each of the nine chapters features a selection of Ahkmatova’s poetry, an analysis and interpretation by the author of the poems, as well as biographical details about the poet’s life. Woven into the narrative is ongoing exploration of the significance of The Muse as the source for all of Ahkmatova’s poetic inspiration.

The Muse, much like an intimate and trusted friend, never leaves her, although the nature of its voice changes throughout the years. Her poems reflect this. In her early writings the Muse embodies a capricious young woman, but as Ahkmatova’s life in Russia becomes oppressive her Muse, and subsequently her poetry, embodies the suffering, fear and torment that she is living under.

Ahkmatova’s poetry is replete with her attempts to make sense of the world around her; they are full of beauty, sadness, love, tragedy, loss, delight and even some joy. At times, she had to write the poems in her head, committing to memory the words she could not risk, for fear of imprisonment, putting on paper. Friends memorized her poetry, ensuring that it would not be lost or forgotten.

I think the urge to create is an amazing trait, one that drove Akhmatova throughout her life, even in her darkest times. The notion that thoughts must be committed to paper, that it’s not a choice but a calling, is what puts Akhmatova in the realm of great Russian poets. Her poetry captured, not just in words, but in tone and rhythm and meter the best and worst of the human condition — hers, as well as those around her. The significance of this anthology is not just in the new translations, it is in the power of each poem to awaken in us feelings of compassion, sympathy, tenderness, affection, empathy and passion. That is what this author has given us. That and an awakening to the vitality imbued is this remarkable poet’s work:

At night when I am waiting for her coming
It seems my life is hanging by a strand. — The Muse, 1924

- Pacific Book Review

"But later this epoch will surface,
Like a corpse on a spring-swollen stream"

The fabric of nearly all poetry is one's muse, the entity or experience that acts as a catalyst. Nevertheless, the muse is ever-evolving, as evidenced by Laird's commendable effort to capture the iconic Russian poet Anna Akhmatova's works through direct translation. On the surface, the poetry spans the spectrum of light and dark, featuring early poetry rooted in love and, later, the brutal chaos of Stalin's reign. However, digging deeper, one may surmise that the ultimate muse spearheading Akhmatova's poetry and subsequently Laird is life itself.

Some poems depict the yearning anguish in those lovers who dare to cross the line and face the possibility of unrequited love. Others reflect on a hopeful escape and peer into the future with a not-so-subtle nod to the torturous world that enveloped Akhmatova: a world of love that quickly dissipated into a world war, revolution, and Stalin's reign of terror. With her own words publically stifled by a regime's disapproving of the arts, Akhmatova understandably experienced a major shift in the tone of her poetry.

Laird's translation relies on his strong grasp of metaphor and imagery to illuminate the inferno raging within Akhmatova's later poetry. Visceral imagery like "bushes stained blood-red" is constantly integrated with compelling parallels of the narrator being a river to bring Akhmatova's plight to life. More than that, however, Laird's work seems to take it a step further and show that even within the chaos, the poet was resolute, like an immovable tree unflinchingly eyeing the storm ravaging its world. In its own right, Laird's translation clearly demonstrates his command of figurative language, routinely delivering evocative poetry that possesses the power to peel back the layers of time and give the reader a brief glimpse into a wondrous life.

- The US Review of Books