An analysis of Akhmatova’s poem “Prayer” is appropriate to begin with a replica of her great contemporary, Osip Mandelstam. Once he noticed that the poetry of Anna Andreevna is close to becoming one of the symbols of the greatness of Russia. The poet’s mission has become the defining, underlying meaning of her life.
Prerequisites for the creation, genre analysis of the poem "Prayer"
Akhmatova wrote this small lyric work in 1915, during the most difficult years of the First World War, on the fronts of which her husband, the poet Nikolai Gumilev, fought with the enemy. War, of course, was the tragedy of the century, and this was especially acutely felt by people of art. And it was they who were tormented by guilty feelings for not being able to resist the spiritual and moral downfall, expressed in the “apocalyptic” massacre that swept the world and ruined Russia.
Compositionally, this small, eight-line poem corresponds to the genre stated in its name: prayer. This is a truly trusting and fervent appeal to God, a prayer that begins with a climax. The lyrical heroine sacrifices the most precious for the welfare of the homeland. She asks God for “the bitter years of the disease”, intensifying the plea with expressive details: “suffocation, insomnia, fever”. Then the poet’s muse goes even further - asks the Almighty: “By the feet and of the child and friend.” She is finally ready to give up the most precious: "mysterious song gift" in exchange for the desired miraculous transformation to take place "the cloud over dark Russia has become a cloud in the glory of the rays." The poetic antithesis of the clouds over the country and the clouds in the glory of the rays appeals to the biblical contrast, where the former is an evil metaphor that brings death of power (as, for example, in the book of the prophet Ezekiel, chap. 38, p. 9), and the latter refers to Christ sitting in the cloud of glory.
Analysis of Akhmatova’s poem “Prayer”: the power of a patriotic impulse
Anna Andreyevna was a deeply religious person and well understood the power of the word spoken in prayer. What was the spiritual tension that broke through these expressive lines? The internal struggle, throwing, doubts - everything is behind us, and now this sacrificial liturgical petition sounds. She could not help but realize that all that was said would come true. And it came true.
A peace agreement was signed, the war ended - although not with glory for Russia, but with the preservation of millions of lives, rest after long exhausting days and nights. And soon a revolution broke out, a civil war. Akhmatova’s husband, Nikolai Gumilev, was shot and killed according to a fictitious verdict for communication with the White Guards, her son was arrested. Personal tragedy was compounded by the horror of the bloody terror of the Bolsheviks. What happened was what Anna Akhmatova wrote about. “Prayer” (analysis of the poem confirms this) not only demonstrated the power of the poetic word, but confirmed the feature that distinguishes the poems of this deep poet: the ability to go beyond the intimate psychological sphere and rise to the poetic declaration of love in its global manifestation. This is true patriotism and true piercing love for one’s country.
Lyrical language
God didn’t take one from Akhmatova, an original poetic gift that became the precious property of Russia, which she loved so much. A characteristic feature of her lyrics is a dialogue with an imaginary interlocutor. This artistic device is present in her early poems, in which the lyrical heroine explains to her beloved or describes her inner state. The analysis of Akhmatova’s poem “Prayer” makes it clear: now a new scale and intonation appear in her creative range. But poetics does not change. There is still an invisible interlocutor who knows all her secrets and details of life and who has the power to decide her fate. And just as capacious and figurative, as in all previous and subsequent verses, is the finale of the work: a visually tangible and striking beauty picture of a magnificent and familiar metamorphosis, when a dark cloud is suddenly pierced by sunlight from the inside, and it suddenly turns into a dazzlingly shining cloud.
Finally
In the work of Anna Andreevna Akhmatova, the word, faith and love are inseparable . She understood love in a Christian way broadly: it was a reverent relationship between two people, and a passionate, sacrificial love for the motherland and people. An analysis of Akhmatova’s poem “Prayer” at one time led the poet Naum Korzhavin to the conclusion that her lyrics make it possible to call this great woman in the full sense of the word a folk poet.