I Taught Myself to Live Simply

"I taught myself to live simply and wisely,
to look at the sky and pray to God,
and to wander long before evening
to tire my superfluous worries.
When the burdocks rustle in the ravine
and the yellow-red rowanberry cluster droops
I compose happy verses
about life's decay, decay and beauty.
I come back. The fluffy cat
licks my palm, purrs so sweetly
and the fire flares bright
on the saw-mill turret by the lake.
Only the cry of a stork landing on the roof
occasionally breaks the silence.
If you knock on my door
I may not even hear."

-Anna Akhmatova

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Anna Akhmatova's poem "I Taught Myself to Live Simply" beautifully portrays the theme of living simply and contentedly in nature. The poem contains many images of nature, from rustling burdocks to a “yellow-red rowanberry cluster.” If this poem only had good imagery, it would not necessarily qualify for inclusion in my lists of works of significant merit. However, this poem contains more than an appreciation for nature. The speaker’s contentment in nature is absolute, to the point of distraction, as evidenced by the possibility that the speaker might not hear someone knocking at his/her door. It is as if the self-reliance and connection to nature that is present in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden has been condensed into a poem without any loss of impact. Having read passages from Walden, I find “I Taught Myself to Live Simply” both more approachable and at least equally meaningful.

It is interesting to note the contrast between Anna Akhmatova’s troubled life and the peaceful serenity of this poem. Akhmatova was born Anna Gorenko in the Ukraine in 1899 (Gutman). She took on the name Akhmatova at the insistence of her parents who were afraid she would become a “decadent poetess (Academy of American Poets).” She and her first husband Nikolai Gumilyov were important figures in the Acmeism movement. She lived a difficult life in which two of her husbands died prematurely, one executed at the hands of the Bolsheviks in 1921 and the other at a Siberian hard labor camp in 1953. Though they banned her writing for from 1925-1940, the Stalinist regime would not directly attack her because of her early popularity (Gutman). However, government officials did repeatedly refer to her as “half nun, half harlot (Academy of American Poets).” Later in her life, she received multiple awards, including an honorary doctorate from Oxford, before passing away in Leningrad in1966 (Gutman).

"If you knock on my door/ I may not even hear." -Anna Akhmatova

This poem addresses the critical thinking and Christian elements of the general education requirements. As this poem calls us to live simply and contentedly, as the readers must think critically about our lifestyle. In a very complex and unsatisfied culture, we must find a way to find simple contentment. This poem reflects Biblical values as it calls us to live humbly, lovingly, and faithfully. Every student at SNU should read this poem because it provides an important contrast with our busy lives, and would perhaps provide them with a motivation to find some kind of occasional restful solitude in nature.

I chose this piece because I appreciate some naturalistic writings, although not nearly to the extent of Walden. I found this poem to be an important reminder to be content in my circumstances, to appreciate nature, and to dispel “my superfluous worries.” Also, no list of works of superior merit would be complete without some work relating to mankind’s interactions with God’s natural creation.

Works Cited:

Academy of American Poets. "Anna Akhmatova." Poets.org. 14 December 2009 .

Gutman, Huck. "Anna Akhmatova." 1999. University of Vermont. 14 December 2009 .

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Photo of forest from:
http://wirednewyork.com/parks/central_park/ravine/ravine_december.jpg

Photo of Anna Akhmatova from:
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/1