I am in love, hence free to live by Vera Pavlova

About Poet: 

Best-selling Russian poet Vera Pavlova was born in Moscow. She graduated from the Gnessin Academy, specializing in the history of music. She is the author of numerous collections of poetry, including If There is Something to Desire: One Hundred Poems (2010) and L’ Animal Céleste (2004). She has also written several opera librettos, lyrics to four cantatas, and many essays on musicology. Her works have been translated into over 20 languages. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. (poetryfoundation.org)

Poem: 

Translated By Steven Seymour

I am in love, hence free to live

by heart, to ad lib as I caress.

A soul is light when full,

heavy when vacuous.

My soul is light. She is not afraid

to dance the agony alone,

for I was born wearing your shirt,

will come from the dead with that shirt on.

Summary:

The speaker says that she is in love, and this love makes her free to live. She feels free in love, with no restrictions or control to bind her. Love brings complete freedom to her life.Her soul feels joy and happiness when she receives love. However, she feels empty if there is no love. Love gives her strength, making her ready to face any situation. In the end, she feels eternal love—from birth to death—and believes that love remains alive even after death. The shirt is the only image in the poem that symbolizes eternal love.

Analysis given by ChatGPT from above summary and poem:

This poem expresses a deep, almost spiritual love, emphasizing the speaker’s freedom and lightness that come from being in love. Let’s break it down:

Love as Freedom – The poem begins with a declaration: “I am in love, hence free to live”. Love, in this context, is not a burden but a liberation. The speaker feels free to express themselves spontaneously (“to ad lib”), as they embrace love without constraints.

The Soul’s Weight – The speaker contrasts a full soul with an empty one: “A soul is light when full, heavy when vacuous.” This suggests that love brings fulfillment, making the soul feel light and joyful, while emptiness or loneliness creates heaviness and sorrow. Since the speaker’s soul is light, it implies that they are content and fulfilled in their love.

Strength in Solitude – The line “She is not afraid to dance the agony alone” reveals resilience. Love has given the speaker (or the person they refer to as ‘she’) the strength to face suffering alone, transforming pain into a dance, a form of expression rather than mere sorrow.

Eternal Connection – The poem ends with a powerful, almost mystical image: “For I was born wearing your shirt, will come from the dead with that shirt on.” This suggests a love that transcends time, existing from birth to death and even beyond. The shirt symbolizes a deep connection—perhaps a sense of belonging, devotion, or identity tied to the beloved.

The poem conveys a love so profound that it grants freedom, resilience, and an eternal connection. The speaker is not weighed down by love but lifted by it, embracing both joy and pain. The final lines hint at a spiritual or fated bond, one that exists beyond the limits of life and death.

This image is generated by ChatGPT.