Songs of the final meeting - Anna Akhmatova

“Song of the Final Meeting” is a poem by Anna Akhmatova, a famous Russian poet who lived most of her life in the early 20^th century. Owing primarily to the time into which she was born, a time in which many atrocities and horrific crimes were being perpetrated by the Communist government, she was a strong voice against Stalinism. This, combined with the fact that she was a woman, provided her poems with a unique touch, one not present in the other contemporary poetry of that time.

The poem, “Song of the Final Meeting”, examines, with the usage of colorful imagery and numerous apt metaphors, the end of a relationship between two lovers, as narrated by the female party.

The poem begins with the following lines:

_____________

My breast grew helplessly cold,

But my steps were light.

I pulled the glove from my left hand

Mistakenly onto my right.

_____________

The first line itself establishes the tone and emotions associated with the poem. The first line in this stanza serves to evoke a sense of impending doom, a cold unshakable dread that fills one’s chest. The use of the word, “helplessly”, in this line, induces a melancholic sense of bleak inevitability in the reader, the knowledge that the final outcome cannot be changed, try as one might. The second line can be interpreted as the poet’s mental response to these emotions.  It suggests that, bleak as the future may be, there is nothing that she can do about it (linked to concept of inevitability on first line), and being such, there is no need to worry about it, thus, her steps are light.

In the 3^rd and 4^th lines of this stanza, the poet, citing an apt example of her putting on the wrong glove, conveys her absence of mind to the reader. The probable and logical cause for her being preoccupied, based on the previous lines, would be her anticipation, and simultaneous dread, for the meeting

The second stanza is as follows:

_____________

                It seemed there were so many steps,

                But I knew there were only 3!

                Amidst the maples an autumn whisper

                Pleaded: “Die with me!”

_____________

In this stanza, the first line can be interpreted as being indicative of the ever growing sense of anticipatory dread felt by the poet. Anticipation so much that one can hardly focus on their surroundings, is the general concept put forth. The second line shows, once again, the absent-mindedness of the poet at this stage, linking back to the same concept in the last two lines of the first stanza.

In the third line of the above stanza, an important aspect is introduced which, if interpreted on a physical level, serves to describe the environment. The short phrase used by the author, of the maple trees through which the poet walks, combined with the reference to autumn, induces a powerful image of her surroundings in the reader’s mind. The usage of maple trees, in particular, contributes greatly to this effect, seeing as how they possess their telltale bright orange leaves during autumn.

The use of the word ‘autumn’ in the third line, if interpreted symbolically, could be understood as a metaphor for unavoidable change. Autumn, the season in which leaves turn orange and fall from their branches, is the end of the spring and the beginning of the long, hard, cold winter. As it affects nature so drastically, reflected in the mass migrations of animals, and the telltale orange color taken on by leaves of trees in the North West, it is bound to, and does, evoke very strong emotions in one. In the words of Ernest Hemingway in ‘A Moveable Feast’,

“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold wintery light…When the cold rains kept on and killed the products of spring, it was as though a young person died for no reason.”

The above quote quite aptly epitomizes the negative emotions induced in one during such a season. The writer, Anna Akhmatova, manages to link the above emotions related to autumn, with the emotions and feelings associated with the end of a relationship.

In many pieces of classical literature, autumn is symbolic of the earth with respect to beginning and end, harvest, and the end of spring, the leaves falling from the branches. It is also commonly used to represent an end, in the literal sense; the end of summer is naught but the beginning of fall.  In poetry especially, spring is associated with youth and new, budding life. Summer is the pinnacle of life, when you are older, but still young enough to have family, success, etc. Autumn is often the time of retirement, but you have a sense of fulfillment, richness, wisdom, freedom. Winter is old age, illness, the death of loved ones and, ultimately your own death. The author has managed to take the above symbolism, and twist it, ever so slightly, so that, rather than the seasons being indicative of the course of one’s lifetime, they represent the inevitable stages of a relationship. The stage in which the author is currently, autumn, represents the inevitable and unstoppable transition of summer to winter, happiness to gloom, and joy to melancholy.

In the third line of this stanza, the autumn whisper could be interpreted as being the voice of change inevitable. The words which precede it, the reference to the maple tree, further strengthens this concept. The maple trees, whose leaves are green during spring, turn a bright signature orange-red color during autumn. This fact would strengthen the aforementioned interpretation of autumn representing an inevitable change, unavoidable, destined by time to occur. The fourth line, the pleading of autumn to the author, for the latter to die with the former, if interpreted with relation to the above metaphor (autumn representing change), could be likened to the end of a relationship. The ‘death’ of which autumn speaks, could be nothing more than the inevitable coming of change, the unavoidable transition from summer to winter through autumn. Just as autumn is but a temporary season, so is the life of the author’s relationship, bound to eventually draw to an end.

The second stanza, particularly the second half, deals primarily with the obstacles faced by the author (the symbolism of autumn, and the oncoming inevitable change the author is faced with, depicted through metaphors). The third stanza however, deals primarily with the author’s reaction to aforementioned events. The third stanza goes as follows:

_____________

I’m led astray by evil

Fate, so black and so untrue.

I answered: “I too dear one!”

“I too, will die with you…”

_____________

                The tone of the third stanza is quite dark. A sense of depression and treachery permeates the paragraph. The personification of evil in the first line, combined with the usage of the phrase, “Led Astray”, evokes a sense of betrayal in the reader. The second line, “Fate, so black and so untrue,” is reflective of the extremely bleak and seemingly desolate future faced by the poet.  The word ‘untrue’, links back to the concept of betrayal and misleading, as shown in the previous line.

                The third line of this stanza consists of the poet’s response to autumn’s whisper (concept introduced in the final two lines of the second stanza). She accepts the latter’s proposition, as stated in the next line. Her answer, her agreeing to die with autumn, is indicative of her acceptance of change, her indomitable will to move on. The ellipses, however, that is present at the end of the sentence, provides the image of doubt in the reader’s mind. Despite the poet’s attempt to accept the change, there is still a part of her that dares to hope for a brighter tomorrow.

                The fourth and final stanza, is the conclusion of the poem. It also descriptively portrays, for dramatic effect, the environment, the house, in which the poet is, presumably with her lover. It is as follows:

_____________

                This is a song of the final meeting.

                I glanced at the house’s dark frame.

                Only bedroom candles burning

                With an indifferent yellow flame.

_____________

                A dramatic effect is created by the iteration of the title in the first line of the stanza. It instills a sense of ending, a culmination of sorts, in the reader. The second line of the stanza gives the reader the first image of her current surroundings. The context in which the word ‘glanced’ is used in the second line could indicate a lack of interest of sorts, on the writer’s part. The usage of the word ‘dark’ to describe the house, is partially responsible for the gloomy and depressing atmosphere that permeates the final stanza.

                The third line, if interpreted on a physical level, completes the setting of the environment. The burning of the candles may also be simultaneously interpreted on a symbolic level. Just as the candle burns bright with a beautiful flame, it is this very flame which, over time, takes its toll on the candle, devouring more and more of it, until finally, the flame is extinguished. Many parallels can be drawn between this process and a relationship. The candle may represent the energy and efforts put forth by each respective party into the relationship, the flame, the fruits or products of aforementioned efforts, the flame of love. Over time however, the flame begins to dim, as the candle shortens. Eventually, there is no wick left in the candle, no more than has been can be given. At this final point, the flame of love is extinguished.

                The final line of the poem is, by far, the most powerful, in terms of the emotions evoked in the reader, and, at the same time, the line most open to interpretation in the poem. Before I continue, let me elaborate on the rather small, yet still quite ironic concept, introduced in the last two lines of the final stanza.

                Candles, as a whole, are extremely linked to romantic settings and intimate environments. Just as people find the sight of the setting or rising sun romantic, so is the same with candles. The dim light of the flickering candle flame seems to hide one’s imperfections and bring one’s strengths and positive qualities to the forefront. For these reasons, candles are generally associated with romance and love. In this case however, candles illuminate the room of the lovers’ final meeting. The fact that a symbol for romance and love is present in such a depressing and melancholic atmosphere, evokes a sort of dark irony in the reader.

                The ‘yellow’ color of the flame mentioned in the final line, represents a good deal. The color yellow, in general, as it is the color of the sun, is associated with feelings of joy, happiness, and well being. As can be gleaned from the general tone of the poem, the above effect is far from the effect the writer was trying to convey. It can be noted however, that certain negative emotions and feelings are associated with this same color. Dull (dingy) yellow represents caution, decay, sickness (owing to jaundice), and jealousy. As the phrase, “Yellow-Bellied coward”, indicates, yellow can also be associated to feelings of cowardice, unfaithfulness, and most importantly, betrayal. This concept of betrayal can be linked back to the sense of the same, generated in the first two lines of the third stanza.

                Finally, the indifference of the flame, of which the author speaks, has a great deal of symbolism. The candle seems unperturbed by the events unfolding around it. Be it on a romantic date or a tragic setting, such as the one painted verbally by the author, the candle still shines the same, not altered in the slightest by heavy-hearted tears or the laughter rife with mirth of those around it. While, in the minds of the once lovers, an indescribable amount has changed, the candle is not altered in the slightest, still flickering in the darkness, with its dim yellow flame.

                Also, the concept of nature, despite being one that is not directly referenced throughout the poem, still pervades the overall essence of the piece by providing a vivid image in the back of the reader’s mind of the poet’s surroundings, and, at the same time, being used symbolically and metaphorically by the poet. On a physical level, the usage of nature, primarily in the 3^rd line of the 2^nd stanza, provides a vibrant setting of the author’s environment for the reader. On a metaphorical level however, the use of nature in the poem is symbolic of change, unstoppable and inevitable, likened, by the author, to the changing of seasons.