Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke
For poetry lovers and students of literature and literary criticism, Robert Bly, the National Book Award-winning poet, brings his prowess as a translator and critic to bear on the work of one of the major German poets of the century.
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
April 22nd 1981
by Harper Perennial
(first published 1910)
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Aug 24, 2012
s.penkevich
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
The world
Recommended to s.penkevich by:
Pynchon
Looking up from my book, from the close countable lines
into the finished-full night outside:
how in starry measure my packed feelings scatter,
as though a bouquet of wildflowers
were being untied…
One needs only to thumb through any book of Rilke’s poetry for a mere minute to find a line or stanza that will captivate their heart and mind. Considered by many to be the preeminent German language poet, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 – 1926) has left us with a dazzling collection of poetry and prose that can...more
into the finished-full night outside:
how in starry measure my packed feelings scatter,
as though a bouquet of wildflowers
were being untied…
One needs only to thumb through any book of Rilke’s poetry for a mere minute to find a line or stanza that will captivate their heart and mind. Considered by many to be the preeminent German language poet, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 – 1926) has left us with a dazzling collection of poetry and prose that can...more
There are times in life when I feel as if I live in a parallel universe. You know the way it goes. The usual precipitating event - everyone else on the planet holds an opinion or belief that seems so outrageous and outlandish to me, we cannot be having the same experience. I've had this feeling all day today.
My current sense of profound alienation was triggered by looking down the list of other people's ratings for this book, the Robert Bly "translation" of selected poems by Rilke. Four-star and...more
My current sense of profound alienation was triggered by looking down the list of other people's ratings for this book, the Robert Bly "translation" of selected poems by Rilke. Four-star and...more
Feb 09, 2013
Holly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those who feel forgotten
Shelves:
poetry
I can't comment on the accuracy of this translation of Rilke poetry by Stephen Mitchell or how it compares to others but the English translations alone are beautiful. It contains a selective yet wide sampling of Rilke's many works, making it a good introduction to the poet. After reading many of the poems I've been inspired to seek out both the Book of Hours and his Letters to a Young Poet. My favorite poem at the moment comes from the former:
[I am, O Anxious One]...more
I am, O Anxious One. Don't you h
Nov 10, 2007
Jessica
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who don't know german (though the german's here too, if you do)
Shelves:
favorites
Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels'
hierarchies? and even if one of them pressed me
suddenly against his heart: I would be consumed
in that overwhelming existence. For beauty is nothing
but the beginning of terror, which we still are just able to endure,
and we are so awed because it serenely distains
to annihilate us. Every angel is terrifying.
And so I hold myself back and swallow the call-note
of my dark sobbing. Ah, whom can we ever turn to
in our need? Not angels, not humans,
and al...more
hierarchies? and even if one of them pressed me
suddenly against his heart: I would be consumed
in that overwhelming existence. For beauty is nothing
but the beginning of terror, which we still are just able to endure,
and we are so awed because it serenely distains
to annihilate us. Every angel is terrifying.
And so I hold myself back and swallow the call-note
of my dark sobbing. Ah, whom can we ever turn to
in our need? Not angels, not humans,
and al...more
It's National Poetry Month (April 2013) and I've been hoarding volumes of poetry all year in preparation. I've read Rilke before, and I'm still surprised at how sometimes a poem can start out with something mundane and end with greater emotional impact. Rilke is a master at this particular method.
When I requested this volume from Paperbackswap.com, I didn't realize it was on cassette tape - luckily I still had an old stereo with a working tape deck lying around. The poems are read by the transl...more
When I requested this volume from Paperbackswap.com, I didn't realize it was on cassette tape - luckily I still had an old stereo with a working tape deck lying around. The poems are read by the transl...more
[-I read the Albert Ernest Flemming translations published by Routledge.]
At the end of this collection, the epitaph that Rilke chose for himself suggests that he will not be able to be grasped for sure by anyone. Poetry expresses the inexpressible? I am just going to make some notes for myself, whether fair or not.
-Rilke is very good at creating very fine and condensed feelings. Many of the poems concluded in very moving places on a plane in between inner and external experience.
-I thought the...more
At the end of this collection, the epitaph that Rilke chose for himself suggests that he will not be able to be grasped for sure by anyone. Poetry expresses the inexpressible? I am just going to make some notes for myself, whether fair or not.
-Rilke is very good at creating very fine and condensed feelings. Many of the poems concluded in very moving places on a plane in between inner and external experience.
-I thought the...more
Honorary "dragons" shelving for being just that awesome.
EDIT:
Also, I think I've read all the poems and most of the extra stuff, but I'm not sure if I consider this as "read," yet. I think it's going to stay on the currently-reading shelf until I learn German and French so as to be able to read the pre-translated half (so it's quite possible that this book shall never be "read"). Seriously, Rilke has made me want to learn German and French so I can read his stuff in the original languages (and un...more
EDIT:
Also, I think I've read all the poems and most of the extra stuff, but I'm not sure if I consider this as "read," yet. I think it's going to stay on the currently-reading shelf until I learn German and French so as to be able to read the pre-translated half (so it's quite possible that this book shall never be "read"). Seriously, Rilke has made me want to learn German and French so I can read his stuff in the original languages (and un...more
Jun 23, 2008
Peter
added it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who carefully absorb and reflect on experiences around them
Shelves:
poetry,
partly-read
I'm racing my way up to page 43 so far (it's been about 5 months). It's funny, his poems are so image intensive, I never really know how to read, say, 20 at one sitting. That said, here's one of the three I read this morning--its images have some real gems:
Spanish Dancer
As on all its sides a kitchen-match darts white
flickering tongues before it bursts into flame:
with the audience around her, quickened, hot,
her dance begins to flicker in the dark room.
(full post)
http://intuitivechef.vox.com/libra...more
Spanish Dancer
As on all its sides a kitchen-match darts white
flickering tongues before it bursts into flame:
with the audience around her, quickened, hot,
her dance begins to flicker in the dark room.
(full post)
http://intuitivechef.vox.com/libra...more
Hi, new favorite poet, where have you been all my life?
I'm cheating with this review, because I'm currently only halfway through this volume, yet I know it's a five-star review. (EDIT: Finished it - everything rocked!) I can blow through a novel in a day, but I can only read a few pages of Rilke at a time, or else the profundity and sheer awesomeness of it all overwhelms me.
I don't know if I've ever encountered a poet like this before. To paraphrase from the back cover, he is poise, power, speed...more
I'm cheating with this review, because I'm currently only halfway through this volume, yet I know it's a five-star review. (EDIT: Finished it - everything rocked!) I can blow through a novel in a day, but I can only read a few pages of Rilke at a time, or else the profundity and sheer awesomeness of it all overwhelms me.
I don't know if I've ever encountered a poet like this before. To paraphrase from the back cover, he is poise, power, speed...more
I'm not the world's biggest poetry buff, but Rilke's work is more like lyric philosophy, and the depth of ideas and richness of imagery is overwhelming. It's been way too long since reading these, and I've thoroughly loved the re-read over the last few weeks.
Last time I read this, I did not speak German, so this is the first time I was able to assess Stephen Mitchell's translations of the poems from German. They are truly amazing; accurate, graceful, and lovely. I can't imagine any better.
Last time I read this, I did not speak German, so this is the first time I was able to assess Stephen Mitchell's translations of the poems from German. They are truly amazing; accurate, graceful, and lovely. I can't imagine any better.
I marked this as "read" although I haven't read every single poem yet, and I think I will never really be done reading this book. Poetry is a funny thing, and even though I don't love every single one of these poems, some of Rilke's words pierce straight to my heart. And that's why I have to give it five stars. (And oh, how I am desperately wishing I spoke German right now so I could read his own words for myself.)
Here is one of the poems that I have been loving lately. For me, this poem captur...more
Here is one of the poems that I have been loving lately. For me, this poem captur...more
I had a strange reaction to reading this extensive selection of Rilke again after about a ten year gap. Though I cannot possibly not give him five stars, he is an amazing amazing poet after all, I did find myself a little put off at times. I'd put the book down and think, "How cold." Perhaps, I was reading too much Lorca and Neruda on the sly (Bly's wonderful petite collection, "Leaping Poetry"), but I think there's an undeniable distance in Rilke. He's staring up at the stars, such a romantic s...more
Rating a book of translations which include the originals is annoying. So 6 stars for Rilke, 2 stars for Bly´s translation, I´ve called it a 4 star read. I just take a lot of issue with Bly´s liberal translations, "Herbsttag" to October Day, "Jubel-Baum" to oak tree of joy, which call for far simpler translations- Fall Day, Tree of Joy. I lose a lot of respect for purposefully erudite or indulgent translators. Clearly a translation is going to catch some of the translator´s character, but it sho...more
The side by side German/ English text is most welcome and encouragement enough to learn Deutsche. I have read only a few other translations of Rilke and Stephen Mitchell's flows very well, although I cannot speak to how many liberties he takes with the original German. This book contains arguably Rilke's best works: the Duino Elegies, Sonnets to Orpheus, and others that he wrote during different stages of his life. The poems are arranged chronologically, and its fascinating to see his developmen...more
Jun 28, 2010
Alan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
The moody and blue (as long as you're not *too* moody)
Recommended to Alan by:
Die Sache spricht für sich selbst.
The Introduction, by one Robert Hass, seemed interminable, and I'm not sure that his idiosyncratic interpretations and biographical snippets would add much for someone who is already familiar with Rilke's life and work. But I felt obliged to struggle through its forty-some pages, and did glean some tidbits of understanding about this remarkable poet, even if I felt a little afraid to embark on actually reading Rilke's poems afterwards.
The main thing I learned is that I don't know all that much a...more
The main thing I learned is that I don't know all that much a...more
Rilke occupies a spot on my shelf of late-nineteenth century sturm und drang artists melding beautifully with Mahler, Bruckner, Hesse and Delequoix. Considered one of the German language's greatest 20th-century poets his haunting images focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety: themes that tend to position him as a transitional figure between the traditional and the modernist poets. (I lifted that sentence from Wikipedia, but...more
(from THE FIRST ELEGY)
Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels'
hierarchies? and even if one of them pressed me
suddenly against his heart: I would be consumed
in that overwhelming existence. For beauty is nothing
but the beginning of terror, which we still are just able to endure,
and we are so awed because it serenely disdains
to annihilate us. Every angel is terrifying.
THE SWAN
This laboring through what is still undone,
as though, legs bound, we hobbled along the way,
is like the awkward...more
Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels'
hierarchies? and even if one of them pressed me
suddenly against his heart: I would be consumed
in that overwhelming existence. For beauty is nothing
but the beginning of terror, which we still are just able to endure,
and we are so awed because it serenely disdains
to annihilate us. Every angel is terrifying.
THE SWAN
This laboring through what is still undone,
as though, legs bound, we hobbled along the way,
is like the awkward...more
Very pretty; lyrical; what we mean when we say "poetic," I suppose.
His early poems show he has a great eye, a real knack for observation. He effaces his ego, transforming himself into an empty receptacle for perceptions (a Transparent Eyeball, maybe?). It's a spiritual feat, of the Buddhist ilk. If he doesn't quite succeed in becoming one with the Void, he at least sings the Void's praises.
His later poems showcase his talent for crafting highly complex metaphors. Some float in one ear and out th...more
His early poems show he has a great eye, a real knack for observation. He effaces his ego, transforming himself into an empty receptacle for perceptions (a Transparent Eyeball, maybe?). It's a spiritual feat, of the Buddhist ilk. If he doesn't quite succeed in becoming one with the Void, he at least sings the Void's praises.
His later poems showcase his talent for crafting highly complex metaphors. Some float in one ear and out th...more
Rilke is a strange companion to take on a trip, always trying to draw your attention inwards into yourself, or else towards death, rather that out onto the sights around you. The writing is beautiful, sometimes a little too German-philosophical (filled with words like "Thing" with a capital T, "heart space" and other vague metaphysical pointers), but usually just beautiful. And big credit to whoever compiled the notes section, which felt essential to pulling out the meaning of the poems. The not...more
Oct 01, 2012
Scarlett
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
20th-century,
poetry
I see that there's a lot of talk concerning the quality of the translations of these poems. I am not sure I am one to decide whether the translation was good or not because 1. I do not know German; 2. this was my first Rilke, so I am not sure how he is supposed to sound.
In any case, one of the things that I admired greatly about his poetry was his sense of rhythm. These poems are definitely meant to read aloud so you can easily feel their musicality (I admit that I had to re read some lots of ti...more
In any case, one of the things that I admired greatly about his poetry was his sense of rhythm. These poems are definitely meant to read aloud so you can easily feel their musicality (I admit that I had to re read some lots of ti...more
POEMS by Rainier Maria Rilke
5 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ and numerous lyrical notes ♪♪♪♪♪♪( ´θ`)ノ
(OK, so I love this man! Does it "show?")
“The only way I know to describe the beauty of Rilke's poetry is to say it this way: Imagine God Himself or His choir invisible or a Seraphim Angel breathing soft,
ohhh, with such pure divine tranquility, akin to a whispered, mellifluous lullaby, with all the transcendence that IS the sublime Word Painter Rilke, being sung directly
into your heart, indeed, to the deepest cor...more
5 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ and numerous lyrical notes ♪♪♪♪♪♪( ´θ`)ノ
(OK, so I love this man! Does it "show?")
“The only way I know to describe the beauty of Rilke's poetry is to say it this way: Imagine God Himself or His choir invisible or a Seraphim Angel breathing soft,
ohhh, with such pure divine tranquility, akin to a whispered, mellifluous lullaby, with all the transcendence that IS the sublime Word Painter Rilke, being sung directly
into your heart, indeed, to the deepest cor...more
I chose to do Rilke for a project for Poetry class because I've read clips of his poems in one of my favorite series, The Wolves of Mercy Falls. I chose him not only because I thought it would be fun to learn about Sam's (one of the main characters from that series) favorite poet, but because the excerpts from his poetry that are spread out through the books always were good and I wanted to read more.
I'm really glad I chose Rilke. I love his poetry a lot. He is a really good poet; his poems are...more
I'm really glad I chose Rilke. I love his poetry a lot. He is a really good poet; his poems are...more
Rilke is truly incredible. his style is so vaporous- the images linger and cloud together, broken up by indefinite semicolons and dashes, and the final lines are like cold glass against the cheek. he's overwhelmingly receptive to beauty and intensity in the world; in letters, he wrote to a friend about the hours he spent watching deer at the zoo. i recognized a lot of romantic sublimity in his earlier poems, in the descriptions of potential in the animals' limbs and gazes, the latent power sugge...more
Jun 11, 2008
Andy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Prose prozacs
Shelves:
poetry-corner,
kool-imports
Anybody who tells you that Germans are a gruff, unromantic bunch never read Rilke. This is the most delicate, romantic poetry I've ever read.
"If you are the dreamer, then I am the dream.
But when you want to wake, I am your wish."
"If you are the dreamer, then I am the dream.
But when you want to wake, I am your wish."
I liked his early stuff better.
Really, though, I had no idea Rilke was so goth. Poems with first lines like, "You darkness that I come from," and "I am too alone in this world,"; I would have loved this in high school, although I was pretty into it now. Selections from A Book for the Hours of Prayer were my favorite, although the Sonnets to Orpheus were pretty cool too, and I found very interesting the translator's commentary about Rilke's beliefs that the poems were almost dictated from an outs...more
Really, though, I had no idea Rilke was so goth. Poems with first lines like, "You darkness that I come from," and "I am too alone in this world,"; I would have loved this in high school, although I was pretty into it now. Selections from A Book for the Hours of Prayer were my favorite, although the Sonnets to Orpheus were pretty cool too, and I found very interesting the translator's commentary about Rilke's beliefs that the poems were almost dictated from an outs...more
This book is worth fifty stars alone for the opening essay by Robert Hass, which traces the evolution of Rilke from an artist who craves an understanding of the unknown space within him, to his comprehension that this space represents death, and finally to the idea that writing poetry about this space is the life that arises from death. (I'm not really doing it justice, but just to give you an idea.) As for the poems themselves, the translations seem very adept and beautiful to me (not that I ca...more
I have read many of the poems in this collection dozens of times, by a handful of different translators, and I never, ever tire of Rilke. No modern poet goes as far into himself, into "the invisible, unheard center", and returns with such gems, really revelations. Revelatory image succeeds revelatory image. Am I being a bit too grandiose? That's fine, I think Rilke is the greatest poet of the 20th century, and high praise is not praise enough. A pure writer. Mitchell's translations are gorgeous...more
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| Book reviews | 1 | 8 | Dec 10, 2012 04:09am |
Rainer Maria Rilke is considered one of the German language's greatest 20th century poets.
His haunting images tend to focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety — themes that tend to position him as a transitional figure between the traditional and the modernist poets.
He wrote in both verse and a highly lyrical prose. His two mos...more
More about Rainer Maria Rilke...
His haunting images tend to focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety — themes that tend to position him as a transitional figure between the traditional and the modernist poets.
He wrote in both verse and a highly lyrical prose. His two mos...more
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Aug 29, 2012 11:40am
May 20, 2013 08:56pm