Selected Poems/Ausgewahlte Gedichte: A Dual-Language Book

Rainer Maria Rilke

Jul 2012 · Courier Corporation

About this ebook

A native of Prague, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) was relatively unknown during his lifetime but has since come to be regarded as a master of verse. This career-spanning selection features his best works, in both the original German versions and excellent English translations. Selections include verses from Sonnets to Orpheus, Duino Elegies, Requiem for a Friend, The Book of Hours, and The Life of the Virgin Mary, plus samples of the poet's earlier and later works.
Lucid and accessible, the English translations by Stanley Appelbaum appear on pages that face the original German text. Literature lovers, German-language students, and other readers will find this dual-language anthology a rewarding exploration of Rilke's poetry and an excellent aid to mastering the German language.

About the author

More than any other modern German writer, Rainer Maria Rilke seems to match our romantic idea of what a poet should be, though, as with many writers, separating artistry from affectation is often difficult. Restless, sensitive, reverent, yet egotistical, Rilke often seems to hover in his poems like a sort of ethereal being. He was born in 1875 to a wealthy family in Prague. After a few years devoted to the study of art and literature, he spent most of his adult life wandering among the European capitals and devoting himself single-mindedly to poetry. His early poems reflect his interest in the visual and plastic arts, as he tries to lose himself in contemplation of objects such as an antique torso of Apollo.His later books of poetry, such as Duino Elegies (1923) and Sonnets to Orpheus (1923), on the contrary, focus intently on internal realms. The poetry of Rilke is noted, above all, for metaphysical and psychological nuances.