A Walk
My eyes already touch the sunny hill.
going far ahead of the road I have begun.
So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;
it has inner light, even from a distance-
and charges us, even if we do not reach it,
into something else, which, hardly sensing it,
we already are; a gesture waves us on
answering our own wave...
but what we feel is the wind in our faces.
My eyes already touch the sunny hill.
going far ahead of the road I have begun.
So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;
it has inner light, even from a distance-
and charges us, even if we do not reach it,
into something else, which, hardly sensing it,
we already are; a gesture waves us on
answering our own wave...
but what we feel is the wind in our faces.
--Rainer Maria Rilke
Translated by Robert Bly
Translated by Robert Bly
29 comments:
Most evocative. Thanks.
Very nice, that road ahead always calls to me.
hi Betty, love this, thanks for posting it. the version familiar to me uses the word 'changes' instead of 'charges,' perhaps there is sense in both.
The poem grows more powerful to more I read it! Thanks BB! Take care
x
Wonderful image created Betty. Thanks for sharing.
We become the person who was already inside us. Nice!
Purrfect!
Lovely...walks are so theraputic!!
Hugs C
So lovely!
Ah, that was nice! Have a good day, Betty! :-)
Rilke really knew how to express the inexpressible. Did you know that he ate Quaker Oats because he loved the instructions: Boil Water; Add Oats. True story.
You always find just the right poem for me...each and every time!
Hugs~
What a lovely poem! Thanks
Hugs
SueAnn
Love this poem! Thanks for sharing it!
doncha just love to feel the wind in your face......?
Using our inner eyes to see and experience to the fullest extent on what would be an ordinary walk shows a person with awakened senses and a connection to nature. This is is a sweet poem.
OOH, I like that poem! And that new photo cracked me up. I knew you had a laugh for me. :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
Great poem and pic. you always come with poems that really MEAN something to most of us. At least to me they do for sure.
That is a beautiful poem and I love the image as well.;)
The first I ever heard of Rilke was in the romantic comedy "Only You" where this quote was use between the two main characters:
"Perhaps the same bird echoed through both of us yesterday, separate, in the evening..."
Have a lovely week,
xoxo
"So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp" - that resonates with me for some reason..
perfect!
This is fantastic. Beautiful!
Hello! I'm a new follower from the DejaVu Blogfest. Nice to meet you!
Beautiful. Thanks Bettty!
Lovely. Simply lovely. :)
I love the crazy cat lady aspirations.
Wonderful poem. Thanks for sharing!
Nice poem! I'm visiting you from the Deja Vu blogfest and I gotta say, your blog is awesome! I love your alias "Bossy Betty". Being bossy is also what I do best. Bossy five!
Count me in as a new follower. Hope you can drop by my blog
Such a profound poem. Thanks for sharing it with us!
The only poems I've read since college (not counting those on bathroom walls or those referencing the Man from Nantucket in them) are here, thanks for the updates!
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