#Duineser Elegien

[aschenblumen]

Rainer Maria Rilke, «Décima elegía» en Elegías de Duino. Versión de Juan Rulfo.

[sprachgitter]

Look, it happens to me, that at times my hands become aware of each other, or that my worn face hides itself in them. That gives me a slight sensation. But who would dare to exist only for that?

—Rainer Maria Rilke, The Second Elegy from Duino Elegies tr. A.S. Kline

[henriduree]

Sonntagsverse 05 24

[poemshubs]

Who Was Rainer Maria Rilke?

Rainer Maria Rilke, born on December 4, 1875, in Prague, was a German-language poet and novelist whose work has had a profound influence on modern poetry and literature. Rilke is widely regarded as one of the most important poets of the 20th century, known for his deep exploration of existential themes, the human condition, and the spiritual dimensions of life. His poetry is often characterized by its lyrical intensity, rich imagery, and philosophical depth.

Early Life and Education

Rilke was born René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, into a family with a military background. His father, Josef Rilke, was an officer in the Austrian army, and his mother, Sophie Rilke, came from a wealthy Prague family. Rilke’s childhood was marked by the conflicting expectations of his parents. His mother, grieving the death of her first-born daughter, dressed Rilke in girls’ clothing for several years, which contributed to his sense of alienation and identity crisis.

Rilke’s early education was primarily in military academies, where he was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, the rigid and disciplined environment of these institutions conflicted with his sensitive and artistic nature. He eventually left the military academy and pursued a more academic education, studying literature, art history, and philosophy at universities in Prague, Munich, and Berlin.

Literary Career and Major Works

Rilke’s literary career began in the late 1890s, and his early works were influenced by the Symbolist movement, which sought to express the inner experiences of the mind through metaphor and symbolism. His first notable collection of poetry, “Leben und Lieder” (Life and Songs), was published in 1894, but it was his later works that would establish his reputation as a major poet.

The Book of Hours

One of Rilke’s earliest major works is Das Stunden-Buch (The Book of Hours), written between 1899 and 1903. This collection of lyrical prayers is presented as the meditations of a monk on the nature of God, love, and the spiritual journey. The poems reflect Rilke’s evolving spiritual beliefs and his fascination with the divine and the mystical. The Book of Hours is often seen as a pivotal work in Rilke’s development as a poet, marking his transition from youthful romanticism to a more mature and introspective voice.

The Duino Elegies

Rilke’s most celebrated work is Die Duineser Elegien (The Duino Elegies), a series of ten elegies that he began writing in 1912 while staying at Duino Castle near Trieste, Italy. These poems, completed in 1922, are considered some of the most profound and complex in modern literature. The Duino Elegies explore themes of existential anxiety, the search for meaning, the relationship between the human and the divine, and the transient nature of life. The elegies are characterized by their soaring language, philosophical depth, and visionary quality.

The first elegy begins with the famous line, “Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels’ hierarchies?” This opening sets the tone for the entire work, expressing a sense of alienation and the struggle to find meaning in a world that seems indifferent to human suffering. The Duino Elegies are also notable for their exploration of the role of the poet as a mediator between the visible and invisible worlds, a theme that recurs throughout Rilke’s work.

The Sonnets to Orpheus

In 1922, the same year he completed the Duino Elegies, Rilke also wrote Die Sonette an Orpheus (The Sonnets to Orpheus). This collection of 55 sonnets was inspired by the death of Wera Knoop, a young dancer who had been a friend of Rilke. The sonnets are dedicated to the mythical figure of Orpheus, the poet and musician who could charm even the gods with his music. The Sonnets to Orpheus are celebrated for their lyrical beauty, their exploration of the relationship between art and life, and their meditation on death and immortality.

The sonnets reflect Rilke’s belief in the power of art to transcend the limitations of the human condition. In these poems, Orpheus becomes a symbol of the artist’s ability to create beauty and meaning in a world marked by suffering and loss. The Sonnets to Orpheus are also deeply personal, reflecting Rilke’s own struggles with illness and mortality.

Themes and Influence

Rilke’s poetry is characterized by its exploration of existential and metaphysical themes. His work often delves into the nature of existence, the search for meaning in a seemingly indifferent universe, and the relationship between the human and the divine. Rilke was deeply influenced by the existential philosophy of his time, particularly the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, whose ideas about the death of God and the emergence of the “Übermensch” (superman) resonated with Rilke’s own spiritual struggles.

The Human Condition

One of the central themes in Rilke’s work is the human condition, particularly the tension between the finite nature of human life and the desire for transcendence. Rilke’s poetry often reflects a sense of existential anxiety, as he grapples with the impermanence of life and the inevitability of death. This theme is particularly evident in the Duino Elegies, where Rilke explores the idea that human beings are caught between the earthly and the divine, striving for a sense of meaning in a world that is ultimately unknowable.

The Role of the Artist

Rilke also frequently explored the role of the artist in society. He saw the artist as a mediator between the visible and invisible worlds, someone who could reveal deeper truths through their work. In the Sonnets to Orpheus, Rilke portrays Orpheus as the ideal artist, whose music has the power to transcend the boundaries of life and death. This theme reflects Rilke’s belief in the transformative power of art and the artist’s responsibility to create beauty and meaning in the world.

The Search for the Divine

Another major theme in Rilke’s work is the search for the divine. Although Rilke rejected traditional religious beliefs, his poetry often reflects a deep spiritual longing and a fascination with the idea of God. In the Book of Hours, Rilke presents a vision of God as both immanent and transcendent, a presence that is both within and beyond the human experience. This theme is also evident in the Duino Elegies, where Rilke explores the idea of the divine as a source of both comfort and terror.

Rilke’s Legacy

Rainer Maria Rilke’s influence on modern literature and poetry is profound. His work has been translated into numerous languages and has inspired generations of poets, writers, and thinkers. Rilke’s exploration of existential themes, his lyrical mastery, and his philosophical depth have made him one of the most important and enduring voices in modern literature.

Influence on Modern Poetry

Rilke’s influence can be seen in the work of many modern poets, including W. H. Auden, T. S. Eliot, and Wallace Stevens. His exploration of existential and metaphysical themes resonated with the concerns of 20th-century poets, who were grappling with the aftermath of two world wars and the disillusionment of modernity. Rilke’s emphasis on the role of the artist as a mediator between the human and the divine also had a significant impact on the development of modernist poetry.

Rilke in Contemporary Culture

Rilke’s work continues to be relevant in contemporary culture, inspiring not only poets and writers but also artists, musicians, and filmmakers. His exploration of the human condition, his meditation on the nature of existence, and his search for the divine continue to resonate with audiences today. Rilke’s work is often cited in discussions of existential philosophy, and his ideas about the role of the artist and the power of art remain influential in contemporary thought.

Conclusion

Rainer Maria Rilke was a poet of extraordinary depth and vision, whose work continues to resonate with readers around the world. His exploration of existential and metaphysical themes, his lyrical mastery, and his philosophical insights have made him one of the most important and enduring voices in modern literature. Rilke’s legacy as a poet and thinker continues to influence and inspire, ensuring that his work will remain relevant for generations to come.

[sakrumverum]

Überfließendes Dasein

Rainer Maria Rilkes bekannte „Duineser Elegien“ feiern ihr 100. Jubiläum – ein Blick auf einen Zyklus, der Fülle allein im Angesicht der Leere zu finden weiß. https://www.die-tagespost.de/kultur/literatur/ueberfliessendes-dasein-art-240007

[sixtensason]

“Ist es nicht Zeit, daß wir liebend uns vom Geliebten befrein und es bebend bestehn: wie der Pfeil die Sehne besteht, um gesammelt im Absprung mehr zu sein als er selbst. Denn Bleiben ist nirgends.”

R.M. Rilke : Duineser Elegien - Die Erste Elegie, 1923

[raisehightheroofbeamcarpenters]

Rainer Maria Rilke: Duineser Elegien; Die erste Elegie

[aschenblumen]

Nosotros, derrochadores de dolores, cómo nos proyectamos para verlos de antemano, en la triste duración, cual si quizá jamás finalizaran, mientras ellos ya son, para nosotros, un follaje perenne e invernal, nuestro oscuro sentido verdeante, uno de los tiempos que componen todo el año secreto –mas no solo tiempo, sino sitio, cama, asiento, suelo, sí, lugar de habitación–.

—Rainer Maria Rilke, «Décima elegía» en Elegías de Duino (v. 10-15). Traducción de Juan Barja.

[sprachgitter]

Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the Angelic Orders? And even if one were to suddenly take me to its heart, I would vanish into its stronger existence. For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror, that we are still able to bear, and we revere it so, because it calmly disdains to destroy us. Every Angel is terror. And so I hold myself back and swallow the cry of a darkened sobbing. Ah, who then can we make use of? Not Angels: not men, and the resourceful creatures see clearly that we are not really at home in the interpreted world. Perhaps there remains some tree on a slope, that we can see again each day: there remains to us yesterday’s street, and the thinned-out loyalty of a habit that liked us, and so stayed, and never departed. Oh, and the night, the night, when the wind full of space wears out our faces – whom would she not stay for, the longed-for, gentle, disappointing one, whom the solitary heart with difficulty stands before. Is she less heavy for lovers? Ah, they only hide their fate between themselves. Do you not know yet? Throw the emptiness out of your arms to add to the spaces we breathe; maybe the birds will feel the expansion of air, in more intimate flight. Yes, the Spring-times needed you deeply. Many a star must have been there for you so you might feel it. A wave lifted towards you out of the past, or, as you walked past an open window, a violin gave of itself. All this was their mission. But could you handle it? Were you not always, still, distracted by expectation, as if all you experienced, like a Beloved, came near to you? (Where could you contain her, with all the vast strange thoughts in you going in and out, and often staying the night.) But if you are yearning, then sing the lovers: for long their notorious feelings have not been immortal enough. Those, you almost envied them, the forsaken, that you found as loving as those who were satisfied. Begin, always as new, the unattainable praising: think: the hero prolongs himself, even his falling was only a pretext for being, his latest rebirth. But lovers are taken back by exhausted Nature into herself, as if there were not the power to make them again. Have you remembered Gaspara Stampa sufficiently yet, that any girl, whose lover has gone, might feel from that intenser example of love: ‘Could I only become like her?’ Should not these ancient sufferings be finally fruitful for us? Isn’t it time that, loving, we freed ourselves from the beloved, and, trembling, endured as the arrow endures the bow, so as to be, in its flight, something more than itself? For staying is nowhere. Voices, voices. Hear then, my heart, as only saints have heard: so that the mighty call raised them from the earth: they, though, knelt on impossibly and paid no attention: such was their listening. Not that you could withstand God’s voice: far from it. But listen to the breath, the unbroken message that creates itself from the silence. It rushes towards you now, from those youthfully dead. Whenever you entered, didn’t their fate speak to you, quietly, in churches in Naples or Rome? Or else an inscription exaltedly impressed itself on you, as lately the tablet in Santa Maria Formosa. What do they will of me? That I should gently remove the semblance of injustice, that slightly, at times, hinders their spirits from a pure moving-on. It is truly strange to no longer inhabit the earth, to no longer practice customs barely acquired, not to give a meaning of human futurity to roses, and other expressly promising things: no longer to be what one was in endlessly anxious hands, and to set aside even one’s own proper name like a broken plaything. Strange: not to go on wishing one’s wishes. Strange to see all that was once in place, floating so loosely in space. And it’s hard being dead, and full of retrieval, before one gradually feels a little eternity. Though the living all make the error of drawing too sharp a distinction. Angels (they say) would often not know whether they moved among living or dead. The eternal current sweeps all the ages, within it, through both the spheres, forever, and resounds above them in both. Finally they have no more need of us, the early-departed, weaned gently from earthly things, as one outgrows the mother’s mild breast. But we, needing such great secrets, for whom sadness is often the source of a blessed progress, could we exist without them? Is it a meaningless story how once, in the grieving for Linos, first music ventured to penetrate arid rigidity, so that, in startled space, which an almost godlike youth suddenly left forever, the emptiness first felt the quivering that now enraptures us, and comforts, and helps.

Rainer Maria Rilke, The First Elegy from The Duino Elegies tr. A.S. Kline

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

我在這個世界上太孤獨了，但還不夠孤獨。 ─ 萊納．瑪利亞．里爾克（Rainer Maria Rilke，1875～1926），生於布拉格，逝於瑞士。被譽為繼歌德之後，再度將德語詩歌推向高峰的詩人，發掘了德語的音樂性及可塑性。除了創作德語詩歌外，還撰寫小說、劇本以及一些雜文和法語詩歌，其書信集也是里爾克文學作品的重要部分。

他的詩對19世紀末的詩歌裁體和風格以及歐洲頹廢派文學都有深厚的影響。他開發了一種新的抒情語言，將個人置入群體之中，凸顯其孤獨、迷失、矛盾與終究的回歸。詩作不僅反映了現代式的憂鬱，也協助我們踏上一條走出憂鬱的神奇道路。

He was an Austrian poet and novelist. Acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, he is widely recognized as a significant writer in the German language. His work is viewed by critics and scholars as possessing undertones of mysticism, exploring themes of subjective experience and disbelief. His writings include one novel, several collections of poetry and several volumes of correspondence. Rilke traveled extensively throughout Europe, finally settling in Switzerland, the inspiration for many of his poems. While Rilke is best known for his contributions to German literature, he also wrote in French. Among English-language readers, his best-known works include two poetry collections: Duino Elegies (Duineser Elegien) and Sonnets to Orpheus (Die Sonette an Orpheus), a semi-autobiographical novel The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge), and a collection of ten letters published posthumously Letters to a Young Poet (Briefe an einen jungen Dichter). In the later 20th century, his work found new audiences in citations by self-help authors and frequent quotations in television shows, books and motion pictures.

“I am much too alone in this world, yet not alone enough.”

—Rainer Maria Rilke, Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God

[metacarpus]

Rainer Maria Rilke. "Die Erste Elegie". Duineser Elegien. traduction de Lorand Gaspar. 1923.

Annemarie Schwarzenbach. La Mort en Perse. traduction de Dominique Miermont. circa 1935.

William J. M. Turner. Study for The Angel Standing in the Sun. 1846.

Rainer Maria Rilke. Gedichte an die Nacht. traduction de Gabrielle Althen et Jean-Yves Masson. circa 1916.

William J. M. Turner. The Angel Standing in the Sun. 1846.

[feuilletoniste]

Die erste Duineser Elegie

Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen? und gesetzt selbst, es nähme einer mich plötzlich ans Herz: ich verginge von seinem stärkeren Dasein. Denn das Schöne ist nichts als des Schrecklichen Anfang, den wir noch grade ertragen, und wir bewundern es so, weil es gelassen verschmäht, uns zu zerstören. Ein jeder Engel ist schrecklich. Und so verhalt ich mich denn und verschlucke den Lockruf dunkelen Schluchzens. Ach, wen vermögen wir denn zu brauchen? Engel nicht, Menschen nicht, und die findigen Tiere merken es schon, daß wir nicht sehr verläßlich zu Haus sind in der gedeuteten Welt. Es bleibt uns vielleicht irgend ein Baum an dem Abhang, daß wir ihn täglich wiedersähen; es bleibt uns die Straße von gestern und das verzogene Treusein einer Gewohnheit, der es bei uns gefiel, und so blieb sie und ging nicht.

(Quelle; oder)

[bluestblau]

Und plötzlich in diesem mühsamen Nirgends, plötzlich

die unsägliche Stelle, wo sich das reine Zuwenig

unbegreiflich verwandelt -, umspringt

in jenes leere Zuviel.

Wo die vielstellige Rechnung

zahlenlos aufgeht.

Rainer Maria Rilke

[inertescapist]

und die findigen Tiere merken es schon, daß wir nicht sehr verläßlich zu Haus sind in der gedeuteten Welt.

Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies: The First Elegy

[findepartida]

Und wir. Zuschauer, immer überall, dem allen zugewandt und nie hinaus! Uns überfüllts. Wir ordnens. Es zerfallt. Wir ordnens wieder und zerfallen selbst.

Rainer Maria Rilke, Duineser Elegien, “Achte Elegie“