This was so good half of it is now in my notes app so I can read it whenever. Goodness gracious I feel enlightened! Rilke is the entire world

This man could write poetry better than 90% of those who tried in the last century. He wrote with a haunting and unflinching eye toward humanity at its best and its worst.

I’ve been reading a collection of poetry each month this year, and I knew early on that I wanted a collection of Rilke’s to be one of my selections. I had never read a single poem of his, but I love the What Should I Read Next? Podcast with Anne Bogel, and she ends every episode with a quote from him: “Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.” Because I’ve heard his name and this quote so many times, I thought that his work would be a good bet for me. I wasn’t wrong. Though I was reading a translation, instead of the original German in which he wrote, I found Rilke’s poetry to be lovely. For the most part, Rilke’s work came across as wonderfully tangible, even when philosophizing and probing into the metaphysical. Something about his poetry, even in translation, feels solid and real where it could easily have come across hazy or ephemeral. I think this has to do in large part with the timelessness of his style. His verses felt classical, nearly ancient in their construction, but in the best way possible. I could easily see him being a favored and studied poet in some novel of dark academia, and yet I could also see certain lines being quoted from the pulpit during a church service. His writing is romantic without being saccharine, and thoughtful while still feeling grounded. Upon further observation, I believe that one of the main reasons his work feels so solid is due to its structure. Even via translation, there’s a firm structure to almost every poem and verse in the majority of this collection. It never feels rigid, but it seems to keep the thoughts corralled in such a way that I never lost track of them. All of his ideas and musings felt securely supported by the structuring. And I could always sense the meter without fail in that same majority, which helped keep me focussed. That’s a huge accomplishment for a work of poetry, or for a translation, but especially for a combination of the two. I really liked the songs from the perspectives of different people, i.e. the blind man, the drunkard, the dwarf, etc. I also loved the verse representing different animals. He also writes beautifully about music periodically in the collection. But I truly loved the poems inspired by and retelling various classical pieces of mythology. This of course added to my view of Rilke being classical and timeless in tone. I did, however, feel like the collection weakened as it progressed. The back half didn’t have nearly the resonance of the first half, though I think this is a common danger with such large collections of poetry encompassing a poet’s life versus a shorter, chapbook-like offering that they compiled themselves regarding a particular theme or style or moment in their writing lives. Overall though, this was a lovely, thoughtful collection that I’m very happy to have added to my shelf.

I think this may have been my third time reading this book cover to cover. Honestly, I read it in spots constantly. I carry it with me everywhere, like Linus with his blanket. Whether it gives good luck or simply makes me feel safe, I'm not sure. Rainer Maria Rilke is one of the few people that I can say is my favorite artist. You will never get my favorite movie, or book, or painting, or song, because they change constantly and I am never able to think of any single one as more meaningful than another. I love them all. But Rilke holds this special place as my "favorite" poet. In the words of Marina Tsvetaeva, writing to Rilke on his deathbed in 1926: "You are not the poet I love most. 'Most' already implies comparison. You are poetry itself." I am inclined towards those sentiments. Rilke is the poet that spoke to the lost, confused, endlessly yearning child within me that was drawn towards beauty and the infinite without the slightest hint as to why. He helped me find where to step when I started down a hidden path that no one among my family or friends knew. He taught me that writing could be precisely what it wanted to be, and all that I had to do was listen. Listen and gather the world inside of myself and transform every Thing that I could carry. Do that, and perhaps there will be a few lines to show for it. Even if there aren't, life will become incredibly beautiful, and that was reason enough for me. Rilke taught me how to love myself, even though the wiring of my brain places me on the autism spectrum and has caused me more than a little trouble and alienation throughout my life. Rilke spoke to me as someone who understood, and could teach me to understand. This man's work is my life, not in the sense of obsession or possession, but in the sense that it is a part of me just as the hair on my head, or the shape of my nose. I first read Letters to a Young Poet, over and over. That was how I found out about Rilke. When I decided I wanted to read his poetry, not just read him writing about poetry, I found this book. It changed my life, and I keep it with me wherever I go now.

dude loves to write about God. it's at its most interesting when he personifies God (the OG What if God Was One of Us) in contemplation of loneliness and responsibility

I sometimes wish instead of an inner monologue I had a handful of German poets reciting their own work. Rilke's work allows that for a while.