The fifty poems presented here in chronological order were written by Rilke between 1897 (he was twenty-one) and 1926, the year of his death from leukemia at the age of fifty-one. They come from his early poems, his volumes "The book of images", "New poems, I & II", and from the uncollected poems of his last twenty years. They were chosen for their rhymed and metered composition, characteristic of Rilke's art in the major part of his poetical oeuvre, except for the Duino Elegies, which were written in free verse. Rilke considered as a betrayal of his poetry any translation that would not reproduce, together with his thinking, the internal movement, the rhythm, the rhyme, the music of the original. The goal of the translator has been to make that music "heard" as much as possible, to try and reproduce the structure, rhyme and rhythm, of the poems, in order for these translations to sound as echoes of the originals.

The reputation of Rainer Maria Rilke has grown steadily since his death in 1926; today he is widely considered to be the greatest poet of the twentieth century. This Modern Library edition presents Stephen Mitchell’s acclaimed translations of Rilke, which have won praise for their re-creation of the poet’s rich formal music and depth of thought. “If Rilke had written in English,” Denis Donoghue wrote in The New York Times Book Review, “he would have written in this English.” Ahead of All Parting is an abundant selection of Rilke’s lifework. It contains representative poems from his early collections The Book of Hours and The Book of Pictures; many selections from the revolutionary New Poems, which drew inspiration from Rodin and Cezanne; the hitherto little-known “Requiem for a Friend”; and a generous selection of the late uncollected poems, which constitute some of his finest work. Included too are passages from Rilke’s influential novel, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, and nine of his brilliant uncollected prose pieces. Finally, the book presents the poet’s two greatest masterpieces in their entirety: the Duino Elegies and The Sonnets to Orpheus. “Rilke’s voice, with its extraordinary combination of formality, power, speed and lightness, can be heard in Mr. Mitchell’s versions more clearly than in any others,” said W. S. Merwin. “His work is masterful.”

For poetry lovers and students of literature and literary criticism, Robert Bly, the National Book Award-winning poet, brings his prowess as a translator and critic to bear on the work of one of the major German poets of the century.

A Journey into the Heart of German Poetry Experience a deep dive into the mesmerizing world of one of the most significant poets of the 20th century with The Poetry of Rilke. Uncover an unparalleled collection of Rilke's finest works, elegantly translated over the course of two decades by acclaimed scholar Edward Snow. This collection brings to light over two hundred and fifty of Rilke's distinguished gems, including the complete versions of his towering masterpieces, the Sonnets to Orpheus and Duino Elegies. From his early poetic explorations in The Book of Hours to his visionary verses written in the twilight of his life, this anthology spans the breadth of Rilke's literary evolution. This landmark bilingual edition not only invites you to a breathtaking trip to the heart of lyrical and existential poetry but also serves as a comprehensive platform to appreciate the magical interplay between German and English verses. Alongside Rilke’s works, Snow's enlightening commentaries yield a richer comprehension of Rilke's illustrious verses. The Poetry of Rilke will stand as the authoritative single-volume translation of Rilke into English for years to come.

This collaborative translation offers new and original translations of Rilke poems and was inspired by The Rilke Projekt performances.

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) is one of the leading poets of European Modernism, whose poetry explores themes of death, love, and loss. This bilingual edition fully reflects Rilke's poetic development and includes the full text of the Duino Elegies and the Sonnets to Orpheus in accurate and sensitive new translations.

These poems, selected from Das Buch der Bilder and the two parts of Neue Gedichte, show Rilke's deep concern with sculpture and painting. Written in his less mystical period (1900-1908), the poems exhibit Rilke's particular artistic and poetic power. Rainer Maria Rilke was one of Germany's most important poets. His influences include the paintings of the Worpswedders and the French Impressionists, the sculpture of Rodin (to whom he was both friend and secretary), and the poetry of Baudelaire, Verlaine, Mallarm , and other symbolists. His poetry is innovative, enigmatic, and entertainingly idiosyncratic. C.F. MacIntyre's translations are both true to the original and poetic in their own right, and in each book he includes an introduction and notes. German text faces the English translation.

A FINALIST FOR THE PEN/WEST TRANSLATION AWARD The 100th Anniversary Edition of a global classic, containing beautiful translations along with the original German text. While visiting Russia in his twenties, Rainer Maria Rilke, one of the twentieth century's greatest poets, was moved by a spirituality he encountered there. Inspired, Rilke returned to Germany and put down on paper what he felt were spontaneously received prayers. Rilke's Book of Hours is the invigorating vision of spiritual practice for the secular world, and a work that seems remarkably prescient today, one hundred years after it was written. Rilke's Book of Hours shares with the reader a new kind of intimacy with God, or the divine—a reciprocal relationship between the divine and the ordinary in which God needs us as much as we need God. Rilke influenced generations of writers with his Letters to a Young Poet, and now Rilke's Book of Hours tells us that our role in the world is to love it and thereby love God into being. These fresh translations rendered by Joanna Macy, a mystic and spiritual teacher, and Anita Barrows, a skilled poet, capture Rilke's spirit as no one has done before.

A fresh perspective on a beloved classic by acclaimed translators Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy. German poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s (1875–1926) Letters to a Young Poet has been treasured by readers for nearly a century. Rilke’s personal reflections on the vocation of writing and the experience of living urge an aspiring poet to look inward, while also offering sage wisdom on further issues including gender, solitude, and romantic love. Barrows and Macy’s translation extends this compilation of timeless advice and wisdom to a fresh generation of readers. With a new introduction and commentary, this edition places the letters in the context of today’s world and the unique challenges we face when seeking authenticity.

Rilke's French poetry appears here for the first time in readable, musical versions. Largely unknown and rarely collected, these poems were written during the euphoria Rilke felt after having completed his greatest German works, the Duino Elegies and the Sonnets to Orpheus. At the same time, Rilke was growing increasingly ill with a rare, undiagnosed form of leukemia. He died just four short years into the production of these poems, and death appears in them as "a kindly, unfamiliar figure" to be faced with courage and surrender. Five series of poems are featured: Roses, Windows, Affectionate Tribute to France, Valaisian Quatrains, and Orchards.