'Autumn Day' by Rainer Maria Rilke
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
Four Translations
Lord: it is time. The summer was immense.
Lay your shadow on the sundials
and let loose the wind in the fields.
Bid the last fruits to be full;
give them another two more southerly days,
press them to ripeness, and chase
the last sweetness into the heavy wine.
Whoever has no house now will not build one
anymore.
Whoever is alone now will remain so for a long
time,
will stay up, read, write long letters,
and wander the avenues, up and down,
restlessly, while the leaves are blowing.
Translated by Galway Kinnell and Hannah Liebmann,
"The Essential Rilke" (Ecco)
Lord, it is time. The summer was too long.
Lay your shadow on the sundials now,
and through the meadow let the winds throng.
Ask the last fruits to ripen on the vine;
give them further two more summer days
to bring about perfection and to raise
the final sweetness in the heavy wine.
Whoever has no house now will establish none,
whoever lives alone now will live on long alone,
will waken, read, and write long letters,
wander up and down the barren paths
the parks expose when the leaves are blown.
Translated by William Gass,
"Reading Rilke: Reflections on the Problem of Translation" (Knopf)
Lord: it is time. The huge summer has gone by.
Now overlap the sundials with your shadows,
and on the meadows let the wind go free.
Command the fruits to swell on tree and vine;
grant them a few more warm transparent days,
urge them on to fulfillment then, and press
the final sweetness into the heavy wine.
Whoever has no house now, will never have one.
Whoever is alone will stay alone,
will sit, read, write long letters through the
evening,
and wander the boulevards, up and down,
restlessly, while the dry leaves are blowing.
Translated by Stephen Mitchell,
"The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke" (Random House)
Lord, it is time now,
for the summer has gone on
and gone on.
Lay your shadow along the sun-
dials and in the field
let the great wind blow free.
Command the last fruit
be ripe:
let it bow down the vine --
with perhaps two sun-warm days
more to force the last
sweetness in the heavy wine.
He who has no home
will not build one now.
He who is alone
will stay long
alone, will wake up,
read, write long letters,
and walk in the streets,
walk by in the
streets when the leaves blow.
Translated by John Logan,
"Homage to Rainer Maria Rilke," (BOA Editions)
Original German
Herbsttag
Herr: es ist Zeit. Der Sommer war sehr gross.
Leg deinen Schatten auf die Sonnenuhren,
und auf den Fluren lass die Winde los.
Befiehl den letzten Fruchten voll zu sein;
gieb innen noch zwei sudlichere Tage,
drange sie zur Vollendung hin und jage
die letzte Susse in den schweren Wein.
Wer jetzt kein Haus hat, baut sich keines mehr.
Wer jetzt allein ist, wird es lange bleiben,
wird wachen, lesen, lange Briefe schreiben
und wird in den Alleen hin und her
unruhig wandern, wenn die Blatter treiben.
-- Rainer Maria Rilke, Paris, Sept. 21, 1902
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Beauty of Transience in Rilke's "Autumn Day"
I am absolutely thrilled to delve into the intricate beauty that is Rainer Maria Rilke's "Autumn Day." This classic poem captures the essence of the season, its fleeting and melancholic nature, and explores the deeper themes of transience and mortality. Let's take a closer look at this masterpiece and try to unravel its many layers.
The Poem
Before we dive in, let's first take a look at the poem itself:
Lord: it is time. The summer was immense.
Lay your shadow on the sundials
and let loose the wind in the fields.Bid the last fruits to be full;
give them another two more southerly days,
press them to ripeness, and chase
the last sweetness into the heavy wine.Whoever has no house now, will never have one.
Whoever is alone will stay alone,
will sit, read, write long letters
and wander in the streets,
will when the leaves blow through,
stride along with the whole scared flock of birds.
The Seasons and Transience
The poem begins with an invocation to the Lord, asking for the shadows to fall on the sundials and the winds to blow through the fields. This sets the tone for the poem, signaling the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The summer, described as "immense," is now over, and the poem invites the reader to embrace the change and the transience that comes with the changing of the seasons.
Rilke goes on to bid the last fruits to be full, urging them to ripen and turn into the heavy wine. This is a metaphor for life and its eventual end. We are all like the fruits, slowly ripening with time, until we are ready to be harvested. The last sweetness must be chased and savored, just like we must cherish every moment of our lives before they come to an end.
Mortality and Existentialism
The poem takes a rather existential turn at this point, with Rilke stating that whoever has no house now, will never have one. This is a rather bleak observation, highlighting the fact that life is short, and opportunities come and go. Similarly, whoever is alone now, will stay alone, highlighting the loneliness and isolation that can accompany the journey of life.
The imagery of sitting, reading, and writing long letters, wandering the streets, and striding along with the flock of birds, creates a sense of restlessness and unease. We are all searching for something, wandering the streets of life, trying to find our place in the world. The leaves blowing through and the scared flock of birds are metaphors for the changes and uncertainties that we all face in life.
The Beauty of Transience
Despite its existential undertones, "Autumn Day" is a celebration of the beauty of transience. The poem captures the fleeting nature of life, the impermanence of everything around us, and reminds us to cherish every moment. The ripening fruits, the heavy wine, the scared flock of birds, all of these images capture the essence of autumn, the season of change and transition.
The poem is a reminder that life is short, and we should embrace every moment, savor every sensation, and cherish every memory. We should not be afraid of change, but rather embrace it, for it is the only constant in life.
The Power of Poetry
"Autumn Day" is a testament to the power of poetry. It captures the essence of a season, explores the deeper themes of transience and mortality, and reminds us to embrace the beauty of change. Rilke's use of imagery, metaphors, and symbolism, create a vivid and powerful picture of life and its impermanence.
In conclusion, "Autumn Day" is a masterpiece of poetry, a celebration of the beauty of transience and a reminder to cherish every moment. It is a poem that speaks to the human condition, exploring the themes of mortality and existentialism, and reminding us of the power of poetry to capture the essence of life.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Autumn Day by Rainer Maria Rilke is a classic poem that captures the essence of the season in a beautiful and profound way. The poem is a celebration of the changing of the seasons and the beauty that comes with it. Rilke's use of language and imagery creates a vivid picture of the autumn landscape, and his exploration of themes such as mortality and the passage of time give the poem a deeper meaning.
The poem begins with the line "Lord, it is time." This opening line sets the tone for the rest of the poem, as it suggests a sense of urgency and the need to seize the moment. The speaker is addressing a higher power, perhaps God or nature, and is acknowledging the passing of time. This line also sets up the theme of mortality that runs throughout the poem, as the speaker is aware that time is finite and that life is fleeting.
The next few lines describe the changing landscape of autumn. The leaves are falling from the trees, and the wind is blowing them away. The speaker describes the leaves as "yellow and black" and "fluttering down." This imagery creates a vivid picture of the autumn landscape, and the use of color adds to the sense of beauty and vibrancy.
The speaker then goes on to describe the sound of the wind as it blows through the trees. He describes it as a "harvest wind" that is "blowing from the west." This imagery creates a sense of movement and change, as the wind is a symbol of the changing of the seasons. The use of the word "harvest" also suggests a sense of abundance and plenty, as autumn is traditionally a time of harvest and abundance.
The next few lines of the poem describe the sun as it sets over the landscape. The speaker describes the sun as "setting behind the wood" and "shining through the branches." This imagery creates a sense of warmth and light, even as the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer. The use of the word "wood" also suggests a sense of nature and the natural world, which is a recurring theme throughout the poem.
The final stanza of the poem is perhaps the most profound. The speaker asks the question, "And we, who have always thought of happiness as something distant and inaccessible, confront the harvest of our lives with the same dread as our ancestors." This line suggests that the speaker is reflecting on the passage of time and the inevitability of death. The use of the word "harvest" again suggests a sense of abundance and plenty, but also a sense of finality and completion.
The final lines of the poem are perhaps the most beautiful. The speaker describes the sun as it sets over the landscape, and the way that the light fades into darkness. He describes the "hour of rest" that comes at the end of the day, and the way that the world seems to slow down and become still. This imagery creates a sense of peace and tranquility, even in the face of mortality and the passage of time.
In conclusion, Autumn Day by Rainer Maria Rilke is a beautiful and profound poem that captures the essence of the season in a powerful way. The poem explores themes such as mortality, the passage of time, and the beauty of nature, and the use of language and imagery creates a vivid picture of the autumn landscape. The poem is a celebration of life and the changing of the seasons, and it reminds us to seize the moment and appreciate the beauty of the world around us.
Editor Recommended Sites
Kubernetes Management: Management of kubernetes clusters on teh cloud, best practice, tutorials and guidesBest Cyberpunk Games - Highest Rated Cyberpunk Games - Top Cyberpunk Games: Highest rated cyberpunk game reviews
DFW Education: Dallas fort worth education
ML Cert: Machine learning certification preparation, advice, tutorials, guides, faq
Datawarehousing: Data warehouse best practice across cloud databases: redshift, bigquery, presto, clickhouse
Recommended Similar Analysis
Fever 103° by Sylvia Plath analysisOpal by Amy Lowell analysis
Dream Variations by Langston Hughes analysis
"My Heart Is Heavy" by Sarah Teasdale analysis
It dropped so low in my regard by Emily Dickinson analysis
I've seen a Dying Eye by Emily Dickinson analysis
I Saw Thee Weep by George Gordon, Lord Byron analysis
Elegy by Jorge Luis Borges analysis
"I Thought of You" by Sarah Teasdale analysis
The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden analysis