From the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Galway Kinnell and co-translator Hannah Liebmann comes The Essential Rilke, with newly translated selections of the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke and an informative introduction. This collection also features all of the poems in their original German on facing pages. German poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) enjoys ever-increasing popularity. His Duino Elegies is generally considered one of the greatest long poems of the twentieth century. The Essential Rilke includes all the celebrated Duino Elegies as well as a number of shorter poems--the favorites and the less familiar. Throughout his poetry, Rilke addresses questions of how to live and relate to the world in a voice that is simultaneously prophetic and intensely personal. Kinnell and Liebmann's translations put accuracy first and yet retain the power and grace of poetry. The Essential Rilke adds a valuable bilingual edition to Ecco's popular The Essential Poets series and these translations offer new insight into this complex German poet whose work is read and admired throughout the world.

Introd. in English; poems in German with English translation on opposite pages. German collection.

Introduction --from The book of images -- From a childhood / Aus einer Kindheit -- Autumn day / Herbsttag -- The beggar's song / Das lief de bettlers -- from New poems -- Pietà -- The panther / Der panther -- The swan / Der schwan -- Going blind Die erblindende -- Orpheus. Eurydice. Hermes / Orpheus. Eurydike. Hermes -- The bowl of roses / Die rosenschale -- Archaic torso of Apollo / Archaïscher torso Apollos -- Leda -- Don Juan's childhood / Don Juans Kindheit -- The flamingoes / Die flamingos -- The requiem (1909) -- Requiem for a friend / Requiem für eine freundin -- from The life of Mary (1913) -- The quieting of Mary with the Resurrected one / Stillung Mariae mit dem Auferstandenen -- Uncollected -- [Long you must suffer / Lange mußt du leiden] -- Death / Der Tod -- [I'm not sure yet when / Von meiner Antwort weiß ich noch nicht] -- [Beside the road used to sun / An der sonngewohnten Straße] -- from Duino Elegies (1923) -- The first elegy / Die erste elegie -- The second elegy / Die zweite elegie -- The third elegy / Die dritte elegie -- The fourth elegy / Die vierte elegy -- The fifth elegy / Die fünfe elegy -- The sixth elegy / Die sechste elegie -- The seventh elegy / Die siebente elegie -- The eighth elegy / Die achte elegie -- The ninth elegy / Die neunte elegie -- The tenth elegy / Die zehnte elegie -- from The sonnets to Orpheus (1923) -- [And almost a girl it was / Und fast ein Mädchen wars] -- [A God can do it / Ein Gott vermags] -- [Erect no memorial / Errichtet keinen Denkstein] -- [Though the world changes quickly / Wandelt sich rasch auch die Welt] -- [Be ahead of all parting . Sei allem Abschied voran]

Aiso Library Poetry month selection