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cayleigh's review against another edition
Picked this up because Letters to a Young Poet is one of those rare books that genuinely changed my life, so I figured Rilke's poetry had to be pretty decent as well. My favourite lyrical poem was "You, neighbour God" and here are some of my favourite lines from the elegies:
“For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror
which we are barely able to endure, and it amazes us so,
because it serenely disdains to destroy us.
Every angel is terrible.”
“We don’t love like the flowers, with just
the force of a single year; when we love,
ancient sap is rising.”
Looking forward to reading more of Rilke.
edwardian_girl_next_door's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
I'm not sure if this translation is one that resonates with me, hence the low(ish) rating. I want to try out other translations in the future.
keelyanned's review against another edition
3.0
This collection was more difficult to get into, but I definitely settled into the style of writing and prose by the last two elegies. Beautiful words, difficult read.
foggy1218's review against another edition
4.0
2022 reads, 14/20:
The Duino Elegies are a collection of ten deeply religious and spiritual poems written by Rainer Maria Rilke from 1912 to 1922, taking various breaks in between. They cover heavy (and even overwhelming) themes such as religion, life, and death.
This in the first lines of the first elegy, Rilke makes a call out to ‘the Angels,’ but quickly realizes that biblically-accurate angels would be too powerful for a human to comprehend, thus concluding ‘every Angel is terror.’ The elegies continue in this manner, further exploring themes of childhood, parenthood, and even love, with some beautiful lines weaving their way throughout the deeply existentialist stanzas.
The theme of death makes its way front and center in the final three elegies – Rilke expresses his anger towards death, acceptance of death, and finally imagines what death would be like. To me, these were the heaviest of the ten, but the most powerful.
I don’t read much poetry, so I’m not adept to take a deep dive into these poems and what Rilke might have been feeling at the time, I could only really enjoy the ride as I read. But don't be fooled: each elegy may only be 3-4 pages, but you really have to step back and take in what Rilke is saying.
The Duino Elegies are a collection of ten deeply religious and spiritual poems written by Rainer Maria Rilke from 1912 to 1922, taking various breaks in between. They cover heavy (and even overwhelming) themes such as religion, life, and death.
This in the first lines of the first elegy, Rilke makes a call out to ‘the Angels,’ but quickly realizes that biblically-accurate angels would be too powerful for a human to comprehend, thus concluding ‘every Angel is terror.’ The elegies continue in this manner, further exploring themes of childhood, parenthood, and even love, with some beautiful lines weaving their way throughout the deeply existentialist stanzas.
“You see, we don’t love like flowers, the work of just one year; sap from time immemorial mounts in our arms when we love.”
The theme of death makes its way front and center in the final three elegies – Rilke expresses his anger towards death, acceptance of death, and finally imagines what death would be like. To me, these were the heaviest of the ten, but the most powerful.
I don’t read much poetry, so I’m not adept to take a deep dive into these poems and what Rilke might have been feeling at the time, I could only really enjoy the ride as I read. But don't be fooled: each elegy may only be 3-4 pages, but you really have to step back and take in what Rilke is saying.
briancrandall's review against another edition
5.0
And she leads him gently through the wide landscape
Of the laments and shows to him the temple
Pillars or the ruins of that fortress,
From which the chieftains of the sorrow race
Once ruled the country.
She shows him the tall tear-trees and the fields
Where the flowers of sadness blow (the living only
Know them as softest leavage). She points out
The animals of mourning, as they browse;
And often a bird, in sudden fright, flies straight Across their upward vision, drawing far
The image of its isolated cry.
As evening approaches
She takes him to the cromlechs of the ancients
Of the sorrow race — the sibyls and the prophets.
Then night comes on; they go more silently,
And soon the tombstone climbs up like a moon,
To watch o'er all. Brother to him of the Nile,
This awful sphinx — a face on the silent room.
And they are amazed at the crownworthy head, Which, soundlessly, once and for all, has laid
The face of man on the balance of the stars. [98–9]
ebruuuu's review against another edition
5.0
karşılaştığım en kötü şiir çevirisi olması bile rilke'nın etkisini kaybettiremedi. orjinal dilinden okuyamayacak olsam da bir de ingilizce okumayı düşünüyorum.