The Duino Elegies are quoted throughout The Hungry Tide and that spurred me into reading it. My version has the German on the left page, the French translation on the right. I feel the English translation quoted in The Hungry Tide was more moving and poetic than the one I am reading. Oh well...
Photo of Duino Castle from Wikipedia
pickI lived with this book for a few months & I don't know how to describe what Rilke means to me. I read one poem a week every morning & night (& at times during the day), somewhat like a prayer, from the Duino Elegies & I feel like he saved my (inner) life. It's philosophical & transcendent, but also vivid, impressionistic, & spiritual. The foreword & notes by translator Stephen Mitchell are illuminating. In a letter to a friend, Rilke writes:
pickRilke is my absolute favorite poet and this is saying a lot considering that I have a degree on English Lit. His poetry means a lot to me but the thing that makes this book my most beloved poetry book is Stephen Mitchell's translation which is the best compared to the others. Don't miss out!
Duino Elegies and The Sonnets to Orpheus | 
