Rainer Maria Rilke
My life is not this vertical hour
in which you find me in such haste
I am a tree in front of my own background
I am only but one of my many mouths
and the one which is the first to close
I am the silence between two sounds
that only with difficulty grow used to one another
for the tone of death also wishes to be heard
but in the darkness of the interval
they make peace with one another, trembling
and the song remains beautiful
Rainer Maria Rilke
A few weeks ago, on my webfriends blog, I discovered a poet by the name of 'Rainer Maria Rilke'. He wrote in Germany at the end of the 19th century, and his work has been translated into English for the rest of us. It's awesome stuff, really moving, cutting, honest work. This guy was zen all over.
His work inspired me to music, so I composed a piece around a one of his most moving verses. If you can play mp3's on your computer then you can listen to it by clicking here: rainer.mp3
Another home recording, I'm using a better microphone these days, but its still pretty rough. Hope you'all enjoy :)
posted by Gaelin at 3:07 PM
4 Comments:
When I get some time...
I am going to listen...
I love Rilke's poetry.
Here is a quote and a poem I love.
His poetry is beautiful...
I love these words.
"Love consists in this,
that two solitudes protect
and touch and greet each other."
- Rainer Maria Rilke
Love Song
How can I keep my soul in me, so that
it doesn't touch your soul? How can I raise
it high enough, past you, to other things?
I would like to shelter it, among remote
lost objects, in some dark and silent place
that doesn't resonate when your depths resound.
Yet everything that touches us, me and you,
takes us together like a violin's bow,
which draws *one* voice out of two separate strings.
Upon what instrument are we two spanned?
And what musician holds us in his hand?
Oh sweetest song.
I think I heard you say, "for the tone of death wishes to be heard..."
How true...and it has to do with our drives..."the silence between two sounds" is a hole we move around, and not a void.
Oh my word I can't believe I left that line out of the poem! Yes, you heard correct, and I've righted the wrong in the prose.
In Buddhist tradition the void is the great originator, from which all things come and to which all things go. The unmanifest primal state. I think this definition is more palatable than the idea of an abject nothingness.
(Thanks for turning me on to Rilke, he's such a gift.)
Hi! I am an insanley HUGE fan of Rilke. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if I put your blog on my links? I have just started a new blog and Rilke will be front and center, so I wanted to add you.
Please let me know!
Thanks,
Chelsea
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