Wild honey smells of freedom The dust - of sunlight The mouth of a young girl, like a violet But gold - smells of nothing.
Anna AkhmatovaRead
And you know, I agree to everything: I will condemn, I will forget, I will give comfort to the enemy, Darkness will be light and sin lovely.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a willingness to bend moral absolutes in the face of suffering and complexity.
In this quote, Anna Akhmatova expresses a profound acknowledgment of the moral ambiguities that arise in tumultuous times. It suggests a resigning acceptance of behaviors and emotions that typically would be condemned, highlighting the complexities of human nature and the trials of life where traditional notions of right and wrong can become blurred. The imagery of 'darkness' turning to 'light' and 'sin' appearing 'lovely' underscores the desperation and distorted perceptions that can emerge during dire situations, emphasizing that the human experience often involves navigating these contradictions.
Themes
MoralityAmbiguityHumanitySufferingComplexity
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on the moral dilemmas faced in wartime actions.
More from Anna Akhmatova
All quotes βWho will grieve for this woman? Does she not seem too insignificant for our concern? Yet in my heart I never will deny her, Who suffered death because she chose to turn.
Anna AkhmatovaRead
I myself, from the very beginning, Seemed to myself like someone's dream or delirium Or a reflection in someone else's mirror, Without flesh, without meaning, without a name. Already I knew the list of crimes That I was destined to commit.
Anna AkhmatovaRead
If you were music I would listen to you ceaselessly And my low spirits would brighten up.
Anna AkhmatovaRead
Not, not mine: it's somebody else's wound; I could never have borne it. So take the thing that happened, hide it, stick it in the ground; whisk the lamps away.
Anna AkhmatovaRead
I know beginnings, I know endings too, and life-in-death, and something else I'd rather not recall just now.
Anna AkhmatovaRead
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