Rainer Maria Rilke

New New books on writing poetry. Highlights of Poetry. Index of poetry. How to Write Poetry. New Books read.

How to write specific forms:
Haibun. Haiku. Hay(na)ku. Rengay. Tanka.
Concrete. Ghazal. Lai. Pantoum. Prose poem. Rondeau. Rubáiyát.
Sestina. Skaldic verse. Sonnet. Terza rima. Triolet. Tritina. Villanelle.

Poets: Adam Zagajewski. Aleda Shirley. Anne Carson. The Beowulf Poet. Billy Collins. Billy Collins exercise.
Snorri's Edda. Carl Dennis. Charles Atkinson. Chase Twichell. Corey Marks.
François Villon Franz Wright. Galway Kinnell. Gary Young. The Gawain Poet.
Jack Gilbert. Jane Hirshfield. Jean Vengua. J. Zimmerman. J. Zimmerman (haiku).
Jorie Graham. Karen Braucher. Karl Shapiro. Kay Ryan.
Laureate Poets: Britain; USA.
Len Anderson. Les Murray. Li-Young Lee. Linda Pastan. Louise Glück. Nordic Skalds.
Pulitzer Poetry Prize (U.S.A). Rainer Maria Rilke. Richard Hugo. Robert Bly.
Sara Teasdale. Shiki (haiku). Snorri's Edda. Stephen Dunn. Ted Kooser. W.S. Merwin.

Poetry. Prose. Time line. Links and Books.

Poetry.

Book title Translator(s) and Editors Parallel text (with original German) Comments

The Best of Rilke Walter Arndt Yes. Tries to reproduce the rhyme and meter of the originals. To achieve the rhyme, Arndt sometimes adds words (such as "wrist" in the sample below) that are not in the original.

Duino Elegies Stephen Mitchell No (in little Shambala edition).

New Poems [1907] Edward Snow Yes.

Rainer Maria Rilke: Translations from the Poetry M.D. Herter Norton Yes.

The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke Stephen Mitchell (Introduction by Robert Hass) Yes. Adds words not in the original and without Arndt's excuse (such as "wrist" in the sample below) that they are needed for the rhyme.

Sonnets to Orpheus M.D. Herter Norton Yes. 32 interesting pages of notes. Translation sometimes stilted; prefer Mitchell's versions.

Comparative translations of Sonnets to Orpheus with original German for the start and end of Sonnet 4 in Book II, about the unicorn and the lady:

O dieses ist das Tier, das es nicht giebt. ... Und die gab solche Stärke an das Tier, dass es aus sich ein Stirnhorn trieb. Ein Horn. Zu einer Jungfrau kam es weiss herbei -- und war im Silber-Spiegel und in ihr.

Translator(s) Translation

Stephen Mitchell
Oh this is the animal that never was. ... And finally this gave it so much power that from its forehead a horn grew. One horn. It drew near to a virgin, white, gleaming -- and was, inside the mirror and in her.

M.D. Herter Norton
Oh this is the creature that does not exist. ... And this gave the creature such strength, it grew a horn out of its brow. One horn. To a virgin it came hither white -- and was in the silver-mirror and in her.

Walter Arndt
Behold, this is the beast that never was. ... And this imparted to it such a spur It drove a sprout from out its brow -- a horn And gliding whitely to a virgin's wrist, Grew patent in her mirror and in her.

Prose.

Book title Translator(s) Comments

Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke: 1892-1910 Jane Bannard Greene and M.D. Herter Norton Interesting comments on Rilke's writing: very neat and calligraphic, with letters copied and recopied.

Time Line.

1875: Birth.
1926: Death.

Links and Books.

Links and Books.

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Book title	Translator(s) and Editors	Parallel text (with original German)	Comments
The Best of Rilke	Walter Arndt	Yes.	Tries to reproduce the rhyme and meter of the originals. To achieve the rhyme, Arndt sometimes adds words (such as "wrist" in the sample below) that are not in the original.
Duino Elegies	Stephen Mitchell	No (in little Shambala edition).
New Poems [1907]	Edward Snow	Yes.
Rainer Maria Rilke: Translations from the Poetry	M.D. Herter Norton	Yes.
The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke	Stephen Mitchell (Introduction by Robert Hass)	Yes.	Adds words not in the original and without Arndt's excuse (such as "wrist" in the sample below) that they are needed for the rhyme.
Sonnets to Orpheus	M.D. Herter Norton	Yes.	32 interesting pages of notes. Translation sometimes stilted; prefer Mitchell's versions.

Translator(s)	Translation
Stephen Mitchell	Oh this is the animal that never was. ... And finally this gave it so much power that from its forehead a horn grew. One horn. It drew near to a virgin, white, gleaming -- and was, inside the mirror and in her.
M.D. Herter Norton	Oh this is the creature that does not exist. ... And this gave the creature such strength, it grew a horn out of its brow. One horn. To a virgin it came hither white -- and was in the silver-mirror and in her.
Walter Arndt	Behold, this is the beast that never was. ... And this imparted to it such a spur It drove a sprout from out its brow -- a horn And gliding whitely to a virgin's wrist, Grew patent in her mirror and in her.