Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Secular or Eclectic 20th Century	About Rainer Maria Rilke Timeline (1875 - 1926)
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English version by Stephen Mitchell Original Language German	We are the driving ones.
Commentary by Ivan M. Granger Themes   Dawn   Fire   Garden   Lotus   Night   Recommended Books Ahead of All Parting: The Selected Poetry and Prose of Rainer Maria Rilke, Translated by Stephen Mitchell The Best of Rilke: 72 Form-True Verse Translations, Translated by Walter W. Arndt The Book of Hours: Prayers to a Lowly God, by Rainer Maria Rilke / Translated by Annemarie Kidder Duino Elegies, by Rainer Maria Rilke / Translated by David Young Engendering Inspiration: Visionary Strategies in Rilke, Lawrence, and H.D., by Helen Sword More >>	We are the driving ones. Ah, but the step of time: think of it as a dream in what forever remains. All that is hurrying soon will be over with; only what lasts can bring us to the truth. Young men, don't put your trust into the trials of flight, into the hot and quick. All things already rest: darkness and morning light, flower and book.     -- from The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell Amazon.com
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

This is more than a beautiful poem by Rilke, it conveys a fundamental truth that is perceived directly in the ecstatic state: The sense of the frenetic movement of life and the world around us is illusory. When perceived clearly, all things are seen to be in deep rest -- and they are always so.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.
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