An die Erwartete

[Rilke Fan]

Hi Marie,

Don't feel bad. It's okay. Once again, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your willingness to speak English and the way both you and Volker have helped me. I am so glad I discovered this site.

I think it's time to come up with another new topic. I'll have to look through my Rilke poems and see what other questions I have for the two of you and anyone else willing to give it a try. Do you have any other favorites you'd like to share? I really like the last one (Give Your Heart a Sign), and it was especially nice that it was something I'd never heard. I'm always looking for more new poems, though I love all of the more familiar ones as well.

Liebe Grüße,

Linda

[Marie]

Hi Linda,

I'm ill at the moment and not in the mood for another poem this evening. But I'll think about it - there are several other poems I really love and I will post one under a new topic tomorrow (maybe "Spaziergang" or "Solang du Selbstgeworfnes fängst" or "Da steht der Tod" or "Ankunft". Do you prefer one of them? Let me know.)

Liebe Grüße M.

[Gast]

Hi Marie,

I'm so sorry to hear you are not feeling well, and I hope you will be feeling better soon.

I am familiar with all of the poems you mentioned except for "Solang du Selbstgeworfnes fängst," so perhaps we could begin with it, although I really like all the others and would love to hear your interpretation of them as well. It is always exciting to discover a new Rilke poem! I'll be looking forward to hearing from you!

Liebe Grüße and get well soon!

Linda

[Marie]

Hi Linda,

as I told you, I'm starting a new topic with this poem. I'm glad you chose this one, it was my first choice, too! Rilke had written it in 1922 just before he finished the Elegies, that's why it's defined as "Auftaktgedicht" (up-beat poem?)

“Solang du Selbstgeworfnes fängst, ist alles
Geschicklichkeit und läßlicher Gewinn -;
erst wenn du plötzlich Fänger wirst des Balles,
den eine ewige Mit-Spielerin
dir zuwarf, deiner Mitte, in genau
gekonntem Schwung, in einem jener Bögen
aus Gottes großem Brücken-Bau:
erst dann ist Fangen-Können ein Vermögen, -
nicht deines, einer Welt. Und wenn du gar
zurückzuwerfen Kraft und Mut besäßest,
nein, wunderbarer: Mut und Kraft vergäßest
und schon geworfen hättest..... (wie das Jahr
die Vögel wirft, die Wandervogelschwärme,
die eine ältre einer jungen Wärme
hinüberschleudert über Meere -) erst
in diesem Wagnis spielst du gültig mit.
Erleichterst dir den Wurf nicht mehr; erschwerst
dir ihn nicht mehr. Aus deinen Händen tritt
das Meteor und rast in seine Räume...“

Tell me how far you come up with understanding the poem in German and than we can work out anything else. Do you have a translation to this one?

Liebe Grüße M.

[Marie]

Stupid! I forgot to give it a title, so it can't appear as a new topic.
Maybe it's better to give your response under the title of this poem and start a new topic?! There you could make a copy of the poem, Linda. I'll be back soon.
M.