Wednesday, November 16, 2005

And then there's Rilke

I am too alone in the world, and yet not alone enough
to make every hour holy.
I am too small in the world, and yet not tiny enough
just to stand before you like a thing,
dark and shrewd.
I want my will, and I want to be with my will
as it moves towards deed;
and in those quiet, somehow hesitating times,
when something is approaching,
I want to be with those who are wise
or else alone.
I want always to be a mirror that reflects
your whole being,and never to be too blind
or too oldto hold your heavy, swaying image.
I want to unfold.
Nowhere do I want to remain folded,
because where I am bent and folded, there I am lie.
And I want my meaning
true for you. I want to describe myself
like a painting that I studied
closely for a long, long time,
like a word I finally understood,
like the pitcher of water I use every day ,
like the face of my mother,
like a ship
that carried me
through the deadliest storm of all.
-Ranier Maria Rilke from The Book of Hours

when Queenie's Daughter feels like the world has lost all meaning and everything is hopeless, she turns to the poets whose words gently revive her and help her put
one
foot
in
front
of
the other

1 Comments:

Blogger Christopher Farrell said...

that's a favorite poem of mine.

2:45 PM  

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