Critics immediately dubbed the young Akhmatova the Russian Sappho, after the ancient Greek singer of love. The centuries-old spiritual energy of the female soul found expression in Russia in the poetry of Anna Akhmatova. For the first time, a woman found a poetic voice of such power: 'I taught women to speak.'
The poet's lyrics reflected the themes of 'great earthly love' and the psychology of the female soul; in her poetry, tragic notes alternate with bright, jubilant ones.