'Duino Elegies: The Fourth Elegy' by Rainer Maria Rilke

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O trees of life, oh, what when winter comes?
We are not of one mind. Are not like birds
in unison migrating. And overtaken,
overdue, we thrust ourselves into the wind
and fall to earth into indifferent ponds.
Blossoming and withering we comprehend as one.
And somewhere lions roam, quite unaware,
in their magnificence, of any weaknesss.But we, while wholly concentrating on one thing,
already feel the pressure of another.
Hatred is our first response. And lovers,
are they not forever invading one another's
boundaries? -although they promised space,
hunting and homeland. Then, for a sketch
drawn at a moment's impulse, a ground of contrast
is prepared, painfully, so that we may see.
For they are most exact with us. We do not know
the contours of our feelings. We only knowwhat shapes them from the outside.Who has not sat, afraid, before his own heart's
curtain? It lifted and displayed the scenery
of departure. Easy to understand. The well-known
garden swaying just a little. Then came the dancer.
Not he! Enough! However lightly he pretends to move:
he is just disguised, costumed, an ordinary man
who enters through the kitchen when coming home.
I will not have these half-filled human masks;
better the puppet. It at least is full.
I will endure this well-stuffed doll, the wire,
the face that is nothing but appearance. Here out front
I wait. Even if the lights go down and I am told:
"There's nothingmore to come," -even if
the grayish drafts of emptiness come drifting down
from the deserted stage -even if not one
of my now silent forebears sist beside me
any longer, not a woman, not even a boy-
he with the brown and squinting eyes-:
I'll still remain. For one can always watch.Am I not right?You, to whom life would taste
so bitter, Father, after you - for my sake -
slipped of mine, that first muddy infusion
of my necessity. You kept on tasting, Father,
as I kept on growing, troubled by the aftertaste
of my so strange a future as you kept searching
my unfocused gaze -you who, so often since
you died, have been afraid for my well-being,
within my deepest hope, relinquishing that calmness,
the realms of equanimity such as the dead possess
for my so small fate -Am I not right?And you, my parents, am I not right? You who loved me
for that small beginning of my love for you
from which I always shyly turned away, because
the distance in your features grew, changed,
even while I loved it, into cosmic space
where you no longer were...: and when I feel
inclined to wait before the puppet stage, no,
rather to stare at is so intensely that in the end
to counter-balance my searching gaze, an angel
has to come as an actor, and begin manipulating
the lifeless bodies of the puppets to perform.
Angel and puppet! Now at last there is a play!
Then what we seperate can come together by our
very presence. And only then the entire cycle
of our own life-seasons is revealed and set in motion.
Above, beyond us, the angel plays. Look:
must not the dying notice how unreal, how full
of pretense is all that we accomplish here, where
nothing is to be itself. O hours of childhood,
when behind each shape more that the past lay hidden,
when that which lay before us was not the future.We grew, of course, and sometimes were impatient
in growing up,half for the sake of pleasing those
with nothing left but their own grown-upness.
Yet, when alone, we entertained ourselves
with what alone endures, we would stand there
in the infinite space that spans the world and toys,
upon a place, which from the first beginnniing
had been prepared to serve a pure event.Who shows a child just as it stands? Who places him
within his constellation, with the measuring-rod
of distance in his hand. Who makes his death
from gray bread that grows hard, -or leaves
it there inside his rounded mouth, jagged as the core
of a sweet apple?.......The minds of murderers
are easily comprehended. But this: to contain death,
the whole of death, even before life has begun,
to hold it all so gently within oneself,
and not be angry: that is indescribable.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Duino Elegies: The Fourth Elegy

As I sit here, trying to put into words the beauty and complexity of Rainer Maria Rilke's Duino Elegies: The Fourth Elegy, I find myself struggling to do it justice. This poem is a masterpiece of literary art, a work that speaks to the deepest parts of the human soul and touches on themes of love, death, and the divine.

At its core, The Fourth Elegy is a meditation on the transience of life and the profound sadness that comes with the knowledge that everything we love and cherish will ultimately pass away. Rilke begins by describing the beauty of the world around us, the "souls of things" that fill our lives with meaning and wonder. But he quickly moves on to the darker side of existence, the knowledge that all of this beauty is fleeting and will one day be lost to us forever.

"Everything," Rilke writes, "has been given to us for a time, / Even a childhood, even a sound, even a flower." These gifts are temporary, he reminds us, and we must be prepared to let them go when the time comes. This idea is one that has haunted humans since the dawn of time, and Rilke captures it with a poetic power that is truly breathtaking.

But The Fourth Elegy is not simply a lament for what we have lost or will lose. It is also a celebration of the beauty that surrounds us, a reminder to appreciate the gifts we have been given while we still have them. Rilke describes the natural world with a reverence and awe that is infectious, urging us to see the world as he does:

"See how everything that grows / Is full of life just as it is, / And in itself it knows no death."

These lines are a testament to Rilke's ability to find beauty in even the darkest of places, to see the light in the midst of the shadows.

The Fourth Elegy is also a deeply spiritual work, one that touches on the idea of the divine and the infinite. Rilke writes of the "great eternal things" that exist beyond our mortal existence, the things that give our lives meaning and purpose. He describes the angels, those beings that exist on the edges of our awareness, as messengers of the divine, bringing us glimpses of something greater than ourselves.

It is in these moments of transcendence that The Fourth Elegy truly shines. Rilke's language becomes more mystical and abstract, his ideas more profound and otherworldly. He writes of the "eternal childhood" that exists beyond our earthly lives, a place where we can find solace and comfort even as everything around us falls apart.

As I read The Fourth Elegy, I am struck by Rilke's ability to capture the essence of human existence in all its complexity and contradiction. He writes of the joy and sorrow that coexist within us, the way that beauty and pain are intertwined in our lives. He reminds us that even in the darkest moments, there is always something to hold onto, something that can sustain us and give us hope.

In the end, The Fourth Elegy is a work of art that speaks to the very heart of what it means to be human. It is a poem that reminds us of the fragility of life, the beauty of the natural world, and the transcendent power of the divine. It is a poem that will stay with me, haunting me with its beauty and truth, long after I have finished reading it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I must say that Rainer Maria Rilke's Duino Elegies: The Fourth Elegy is a work of art that is truly timeless. It is a poem that speaks to the deepest parts of the human soul, a meditation on life, death, and the divine that will resonate with readers for generations to come. Rilke's language is lyrical and powerful, capturing the beauty and sadness of existence with a poetic grace that is truly remarkable. The Fourth Elegy is a work that I will return to again and again, finding new meaning and depth with each reading.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

The Fourth Elegy of the Duino Elegies by Rainer Maria Rilke is a masterpiece of poetic expression that delves deep into the human experience of loss and grief. In this elegy, Rilke explores the theme of transience and the fleeting nature of life, using vivid imagery and metaphors to convey the profound sense of loss that permeates the human condition.

The elegy begins with a powerful image of a tree, which serves as a metaphor for the human experience of loss. Rilke describes the tree as "a thing that has grown / from the earth's own depth, / a green fluted pillar / that bears the weight of the sky." This image conveys the sense of rootedness and stability that we often associate with trees, but it also hints at the fragility of life and the inevitability of death.

As the elegy progresses, Rilke explores the idea that everything in life is transient and fleeting. He writes, "We are transitory, / all of us, / and yet we imagine ourselves to be eternal." This line captures the paradoxical nature of human existence, as we are both finite and infinite at the same time. Rilke goes on to describe the transience of life in vivid detail, using images of falling leaves, fading flowers, and the passing of seasons to convey the sense of impermanence that pervades the natural world.

One of the most striking aspects of the Fourth Elegy is Rilke's use of language and imagery to convey the sense of loss and grief that accompanies the transience of life. He writes, "We are the ones / who hold everything / and then release it." This line captures the bittersweet nature of human experience, as we are both creators and destroyers, holding onto things for a time before ultimately letting them go.

Throughout the elegy, Rilke also explores the idea of memory and its role in shaping our understanding of the world. He writes, "Memory, / the only paradise / from which we cannot be driven away." This line suggests that memory is a source of comfort and solace in the face of loss and grief, as it allows us to hold onto the things we have loved and lost.

At the same time, however, Rilke also acknowledges the limitations of memory, writing, "But it falls away from us. / And we are left again / with what we have made of ourselves." This line suggests that memory is ultimately fleeting and unreliable, and that we must confront the reality of our own mortality and the impermanence of all things.

In the final stanza of the elegy, Rilke returns to the image of the tree, writing, "And yet there is one tree, / a single thing / that has remained alive / in the midst of all that has died." This line suggests that even in the face of loss and transience, there is still something enduring and eternal that persists. It is a powerful reminder that even as we confront the inevitability of death, there is still beauty and meaning to be found in the world around us.

Overall, the Fourth Elegy of the Duino Elegies is a profound meditation on the human experience of loss and grief. Through his use of vivid imagery and metaphors, Rilke captures the sense of transience and impermanence that pervades the natural world, while also acknowledging the enduring power of memory and the human spirit. It is a work of great beauty and depth, and one that continues to resonate with readers today.

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