Poetry Analysis

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Original Poetry

Translation

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Anna

I've always been a man of many words,

I've always been someone who talks a lot,

but when it comes to her my mind

but when it comes to her I can't think of anything.

suddenly draws blank. The thoughts I am

The thoughts I can gather are all

able to muster up though, are all

filled with what they call longing.

adorned with the feeling that they call

yearning.

She's so near, yet so far almost as if I'm

She's close, yet so distant as if I'm

observing her from outside the vitrine of

watching her from outside a museum display,

a museum exhibit, and I know she'll

and I know she'll never like me that way,

never like me like that, so I think I should

so I think I should stop hoping she'll see

just give up on hoping she'll actually see

me for who I am.

Everybody talks about the pain of giving

Everyone talks about the pain of loving

your heart to someone who already has

someone who loves another,

their own in another person's basket,

but I don't think it's painful, just...

but I don't think that it's painful, just...

unfortunate.

I could give her the stars, the moon and

I could give her everything, and still she wouldn't

the sun, and still she wouldn't even

notice me. But she can't control who she likes,

glance in my direction. Nevertheless,

and I can't either, but I wish

she cannot control who infatuates her,

she didn't make it so easy to fall for her.

likewise I cannot do the same, but I wish

she didn't make it so easy to fall for her.

Maybe it was that swinging braid that

Maybe it was her braid that

made her seem like Anna if she'd lived

made her seem like Anna in Rapunzel's story,

Rapunzel's fairytale instead, or

or something about her laugh I can't forget,

something about that damn laugh I still

or maybe it was how she tilted her head

can't get over, or maybe it was how she

and her eyes widened when surprised,

slightly tilted her head to the right and

or maybe it was in her kind words and laughs,

how her eyes widened when you told

or maybe it was that she was never afraid to be herself.

her something surprising, or perhaps it

was in all of the kind words and laughs

she's given me, or maybe it lay in the

fact that she was never afraid to simply be

herself.

I think it's not just the person she is, but the person

I think it's not just who she is, but who

she made you feel like when she was

she makes you feel like when she's around.

around. Then again, I surmise that this is

But maybe this is just my narrow view because,

tunnel vision speaking because, to me,

to me, she's the most priceless person I've met.

she's the most invaluable person I've

ever met.

She doesn't see it, but Anna, I want to

swim with you under the warmth of the

be with you in the summer sun,

summer sun, I want to take brisk strolls

I want to walk and bake with you till autumn ends,

and bake cookies with you till the last

I want to read with you by the fireplace in winter

leaf falls in Autumn, I want to read with

and spend spring afternoons in the garden with you.

you in front of the crackling fireplace

amidst the cold of winter and I want to

spend our spring afternoons tending to

our flower and vegetable gardens.

It doesn't matter where we'd be, or what

It doesn't matter where we are, or what

we'd do, because the adventure will

we do, because the adventure will

never be the journey, nor will it be the

always be you.

destination—it will always be you.

ever (and you know what they say about

Every romantic comedy reminds me of you,

that) and every single Rom-Com I see

and sometimes I wonder if I'll ever

reminds me of you, and sometimes it

get to tell you how I feel in the rain.

makes me wonder if one day I'll get to

tell you how I really feel in the pouring

rain.

But dearest "Indian Puzzle," I should be

But dear "Indian Puzzle," I'm grateful you're in my life,

grateful that you're in my life at all, and if

and if friendship is all I get, I'll admire you from afar forever.

your friendship is all I'll ever get, I think

I'll admire you from afar for the rest of

my life.

In hindsight, I'm overthinking this

Looking back, I'm overthinking this

because we are still young and

because we're young and

eventually I'll have to leave this exhibit,

I'll have to leave this display eventually,

but you'll eternally remain as an artifact

but you'll always be an artifact in this museum.

in the vitrine of this museum.

And I will forget about you... Right?

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Explanation

This poem, titled 'Anna,' captures the essence of unrequited love and the longing that accompanies it. The speaker, who is usually articulate, finds himself at a loss for words when it comes to expressing his feelings for Anna. This sets the stage for a narrative filled with yearning and introspection.

The imagery of observing Anna from 'outside the vitrine of a museum exhibit' suggests a sense of distance and unattainability. The speaker acknowledges the improbability of Anna reciprocating his feelings, yet he is unable to let go of the hope that she might see him for who he truly is. The metaphor of giving 'the stars, the moon and the sun' illustrates the speaker's willingness to do anything for her, despite knowing it might go unnoticed.

Emotionally, the poem oscillates between hope and resignation. The speaker's tone is one of wistful acceptance, as he grapples with the reality of his unreturned affection. The use of phrases like 'tunnel vision' and 'artifact in the vitrine' underscores the permanence of his feelings, even as he contemplates moving on.

The poem employs literary devices such as metaphor and imagery to convey the depth of the speaker's emotions. The comparison of Anna to Rapunzel and the detailed descriptions of her mannerisms create a vivid picture of the object of his affection. These elements enhance the emotional impact of the poem, drawing the reader into the speaker's world.

Ultimately, 'Anna' speaks to the universal experience of loving someone who may never love you back. It highlights the bittersweet nature of such affection, where the joy of having the person in your life is tempered by the pain of unreciprocated feelings. The poem's contemporary style and relatable themes make it resonate with anyone who has experienced similar emotions.

Word Dictionary10

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
vitrine	glass display case	a glass case for displaying items	vuh-treen
muster	gather	to collect or assemble	mus-ter
yearning	longing	a strong desire	yur-ning
infatuates	obsesses	to be intensely attracted to	in-fat-yoo-ayts
invaluable	priceless	extremely precious	in-val-yoo-uh-bul
artifact	object	an item of historical interest	ar-ti-fakt
tunnel vision	narrow focus	limited perspective	tun-nel vi-zhun
Rom-Com	romantic comedy	a genre of film that combines romance and comedy	rom-kom
unfortunate	regrettable	unlucky or disappointing	un-for-chuh-nit
admire	respect	to regard with respect or approval	ad-my-er

Poet & Context

Poet—

EraContemporary

The author of this poem is unknown, and it appears to be a contemporary piece without a widely recognized publication.

WhenUnknown

WhyThe poem explores themes of unrequited love and longing, possibly reflecting personal emotions and experiences.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

unrequited loveyearningself-reflection

Literary devices

metaphor: comparing Anna to a museum exhibitimagery: vivid descriptions of Anna's mannerismstone: wistful acceptance