INTRO:
After 100 years, Rilke's early works, which he jotted down as a secret collection of prayer-poems, are still deeply relevant today. In this untitled poem, Rilke pens an intimate conversation with the divine. The first three paragraphs are the prayer-ruminations of Rilke and in the fourth paragraph the divine replies to Rilke with some advice.
TODAY'S POEM: Untitled: I, 14
WORDSMITH: Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 - 1926), original text is in German
TRANSLATORS: Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy
SOURCE: Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God
Untitled: I, 14
You see, I want a lot.
Maybe I want it all:
the darkness of each endless fall,
the shimmering light of each ascent.
So many are alive who don't seem to care.
Casual, easy, they move through the world
as though untouched.
But you take pleasure in the faces
of those who know they thirst.
You cherish those
who grip you for survival.
You are not dead yet, it's not too late
to open your depths by plunging into them
and drinking in the life
that reveals itself quietly there.
QUERIES:
1. This poem starts with a type of honesty that is rarely heard in public discourse today: I WANT A LOT, MAYBE I WANT IT ALL... To what extent does this first paragraph resonate with you?
2. Do you want a lot too? Do you want a full, vibrant life, in which you are thriving not just surviving? How is your life different from where you are right now at this time and place, and from what you want? What type of wants do you have? What does "wanting it all" mean to you?
3. Over the past week, how have you "casual, easy, moved through the world as though untouched"?
4. Over the past week, when have you felt the exact opposite of being "casual, easy, untouched"? Is there a common pattern to these instances? What types of experiences cause you pain or discomfort or stress?
5. Do you "thirst" as Rilke does? How is that thirst reflected in your life? Does it show in how you dress? In how you interact with others or yourself? How are you "gripping" for survival?
6. What are the benefits or drawbacks of being aware of your wants? Of having thirst? Of being in a state of gripping for survival?
7. To what extent do you feel dead already? That it is already too late? How do you think your responses inform your outlook on life and the choices you make?
8. The divine in the fourth paragraph suggests that there are depths of life inside you right now? Do you agree? If there are these depths of life inside you right now, how do you plan on "plunging into them and drinking in the life that quietly reveals itself there"?
9. Instead of answering questions, try using another medium to express yourself and this poem.
A conversation has already started in the comments section, care to join? Click the link below. Remember that your words have power, so use them carefully and with love!
This is my favorite one from your gifts, so far. I want life to its fullest. In all its raw honesty, which means good and bad. Sometimes when you plunge the depths you experience a deep reflective and sometimes sad place but it is after you have surfaced you can share more of the life you have absorbed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful comment on this post.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you want life to its fullest. That is something we both share. However, I also appreciate your desire for "raw honesty, which means good and bad." In my experience, life is such a mixed bag. And, sometimes, that mixed bag of life has brought me down so low that I feel hopeless and in constant despair.
Many, many of us suffer from depression and the like. Yet, no matter who we are, or where we are on life's journey, I have found that the great wordsmiths of poetry use their gifts to affirm the truth of our lives and the possibilities for a future we might be unable to see at the present moment. It is in that sharing of healing art, that I feel like the words of the poets come off the page and begin to softly wrap around me as if they were a warm blanket, a blessing and a comfort, reminding us of who we are deep down inside, divine love incarnate. In in that, I often find healing.
Thanks again for your comment! Keep em coming and thank you for contributing to this blog with your thoughts!
ED M
It has been in my experience and observation that those of us past and present who have struggled with depression are people who understand life in its completeness. I am yet to find a great thinker who did not find themselves struggling with those exact same things. That is what made them marvelous!
ReplyDeleteWhat the outside world might label as failure to live life, I see the opposite. Experiencing the 'rabbit hole' can reveal such significant things about life. Now, climbing back out of it and being able to apply it yourself is even more amazing. I don't glorify depression. I hate experiencing it. It is something I never wish for for myself or others, but what I do understand is the deep wisdom and hopefully triumph that can be cultivated from such an experience. And the amazing healing that can come by sharing your life with others.
So thank you, ED M for sharing your life and healing ways with us. You have touched many lives. A great Wordsmith once said to me, "You are an amazing person." And so are you.