03/10/2008

yet not alone


I am too alone in the world, and not alone enough
to make every minute holy.
I am too tiny in this world, and not tiny enough
just to lie before you like a thing,
shrewd and secretive.
I want my own will, and I want simply to be with my will,
as it goes toward action,
and in the silent, sometimes hardly moving times
when something is coming near,
I want to be with those who know secret things
or else alone.
I want to be a mirror for your whole body,
and I never want to be blind, or to be too old
to hold up your heavy and swaying picture.
I want to unfold.
I don’t want to stay folded anywhere
because where I am folded
there I am a lie.
And I want my grasp of things
true before you. I want to describe myself
like a painting that I looked at closely for a long time,
like a saying that I finally understood,
like the pitcher I use every day,
like the face of my mother,
like a ship
that took me safely through the wildest storm of all.


-Rainer Maria Rilke, trans. by Robert Bly
photo via anataman

4 comments:

Julia said...

Darling! Yet again with the poignant, beautiful, thought-provoking post!

Rilke is one of those poets that seem to have crossed over time and space for me. One of those kindred spirit type of poets. I hadn't heard this one in the full length. Beautiful!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Anonymous said...

That's beautiful!!! LOVE it! Thank you!

please sir said...

Great words and photo - I feel the same way at times - thank you.

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

enjoying all the artistic words...Feel free to drop by & hope you do say hi ok... Thanks dear* My blog is a complete opposite of your poetic gestures...hee!

~blessings

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