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euge's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
As not a usual poet reader, this was as good as it can get.
The main themes of death, life, and, mostly, nature.
The main themes of death, life, and, mostly, nature.
bev_reads_mysteries's review
3.0
Suddenly a shaft of moonlight
shines out fiercely, as if somewhere
the archangel had unsheathed his brilliant sword.
~from "Townscape"
I'm really working on clearing out books that have been sitting on the TBR shelves for much too long. The Rose Window & Other Verse from New Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke has been hanging out for about 10 years or so. I fell in love with Rilke's poetry in college. I went out immediately and bought myself The Complete French Poems and have read and reread those. Then in about 2000, I found this pretty little book sitting in the clearance bin of a now defunct bookstore. And somehow managed to never read it. So...I put it down for a number of reading challenges just to ensure that I would finally do so.
This book of poetry isn't quite as compelling as translated French poems. I think perhaps it suffers from the fact that there are multiple translators rather than just one--nine translators in all. I would get into a certain rhythm (or rather the translator seemed to) and then a poem would come along that brought things to a screeching halt. Word choice and order seemed a bit off. Then there would be a few more good ones. It made for very uneven reading. My favorite poems were "Early Apollo" and "The Angel of the Meridian" (both translated by the same person), "The Poet" and "Townscape" (translated by a second person) and "Lullaby" (translated by a third). My rating for the entire collection: three and a half stars.
{This review is mine and was first posted on my blog . Please request permission before reposting any portion. Thanks.}
shines out fiercely, as if somewhere
the archangel had unsheathed his brilliant sword.
~from "Townscape"
I'm really working on clearing out books that have been sitting on the TBR shelves for much too long. The Rose Window & Other Verse from New Poems by Rainer Maria Rilke has been hanging out for about 10 years or so. I fell in love with Rilke's poetry in college. I went out immediately and bought myself The Complete French Poems and have read and reread those. Then in about 2000, I found this pretty little book sitting in the clearance bin of a now defunct bookstore. And somehow managed to never read it. So...I put it down for a number of reading challenges just to ensure that I would finally do so.
This book of poetry isn't quite as compelling as translated French poems. I think perhaps it suffers from the fact that there are multiple translators rather than just one--nine translators in all. I would get into a certain rhythm (or rather the translator seemed to) and then a poem would come along that brought things to a screeching halt. Word choice and order seemed a bit off. Then there would be a few more good ones. It made for very uneven reading. My favorite poems were "Early Apollo" and "The Angel of the Meridian" (both translated by the same person), "The Poet" and "Townscape" (translated by a second person) and "Lullaby" (translated by a third). My rating for the entire collection: three and a half stars.
{This review is mine and was first posted on my blog . Please request permission before reposting any portion. Thanks.}
silvio's review
5.0
My favorite poet - another confirmation. Beyond genius.
Pure Grace. Pure Beauty. Pure Truth.
I love Rilke's circular/spirallic way of perceiving.
And his circular/spirallic way of expressing.
The Spiral of Depth.
Dancing periphery.
Circling around God.
Deep looking.
Deep wonder.
Deep connections.
Deep recognition.
Being.
Expansion.
To live our lives in widening circles.
Circling around God.
PS: The German-English translation in this book was wonderful - but no translation can even come close to the fullness of the German originals.
Pure Grace. Pure Beauty. Pure Truth.
I love Rilke's circular/spirallic way of perceiving.
And his circular/spirallic way of expressing.
The Spiral of Depth.
Dancing periphery.
Circling around God.
Deep looking.
Deep wonder.
Deep connections.
Deep recognition.
Being.
Expansion.
To live our lives in widening circles.
Circling around God.
PS: The German-English translation in this book was wonderful - but no translation can even come close to the fullness of the German originals.
missmarauder2's review
4.0
This is a truly amazing book of poems for me, as someone who spends most of their poetry describing images to convey stories and emotions. Rilke, particularly in the second half, has the ability to write paintings. Due to tiredness, I can't truly explain effectively except to say that the sound and imagery make some of the best poetry I've read in an extremely long time.
Particularly useful in this volume was the notes at the bottom. The only problem with his poems, and the only reason it does not have the full five stars, is because sometimes they are so purposefully abstract all there is is pretty sound and imagery.
Particularly useful in this volume was the notes at the bottom. The only problem with his poems, and the only reason it does not have the full five stars, is because sometimes they are so purposefully abstract all there is is pretty sound and imagery.
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