I don't know if you're alive or dead. Can you on earth be sought, or only when the sunsets fade be mourned secretly in my thought? All is for you: t… - Anna Akhmatova

" "

I don't know if you're alive or dead.
Can you on earth be sought,
or only when the sunsets fade
be mourned secretly in my thought?

All is for you: the daily prayer,
the sleepless heat at night,
and of my verses, the white
flock, and of my eyes, the blue fire.

No-one was more cherished, no-one tortured
me more, not
even the one who betrayed me to torture,
not even the one who caressed me and forgot.

poetry russian russian-verse
English
Collect this quote

About Anna Akhmatova

Anna Andreevna Gorenko [А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко] (23 June {11 June O.S.} 1889 - 5 March 1966) was a Russian poet, known primarily by her pen name Anna Akhmatova [А́нна Ахма́това]. Her work was condemned and censored by Soviet authorities and she notably chose not to emigrate, but remained in Russia, acting as witness to the difficulties of living and writing in the shadow of Stalinism.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Native Name: Анна Андреевна Ахматова
Alternative Names: Anna Andreyevna Gorenko • Anna Achmatova • Anna Ahmatova • Anna Gorenko • Anna Andreevna Gorenko • Anna Andreevna Akhmatova • Anna A. Ahmatova
All quotes from Anna Akhmatova Similar Quotes by other Originators
Try QuoteGPT

Chat naturally about what you need. Each answer links back to real quotes with citations.

Shorter versions of this quote

Originators like Anna Akhmatova:
Edna St. Vincent Millay Leonard Cohen Sara Teasdale William Butler Yeats Anne Sexton

Additional quotes by Anna Akhmatova

Works in ChatGPT, Claude, or Any AI

Add semantic quote search to your AI assistant via MCP. One command setup.

Set Up MCP
All's taken away: my love and my power.
The body, thrown into city it hates,
Finds no joy in the sunlight. With every hour
The blood grows colder in my veins.
sadness lost poetry
Find Similar