German poet Rainer Maria Rilke(1875-1926) enjoys ever-increasing
popularity. His Duino Elegies is considered on of the greatest long
poems of the twentieth century. Yet translations from his native German
have always presented challenges: the elusiveness of Rilke's imagery,
the playful way he both distorts and subverts his own language, and the
depth and complexity of his poetry make it difficult for translators to
preserve the beauty and meaning of the original text. In his stunning
bilingual selection that includes the entire Duino Elegies as well as
a number of favorite and less familiar shorter poems, Galway Kinnell and
Hannah Liebmann manage to retain power and grace of Rilke's words.
Throughout his poetry, Rilke addresses questions of how to live in and
relate to a world in a voice that is simultaneoulsy prophetic and
intensely personel. These translations offer new insight into this
enigmatic German poet whose work will continue to be read and admired
throughout the world.