A defective reading of rilkes archaic torso of apollo. This page was last edited on 15 december 2015, at 01. If we back away a bit and put archaic torso into its publication context, maybe the translation choice can be clarified. Archaic torso of apollo poem by rainer maria rilke. The power of his glance abides, attenuated, in the torso. And yet his torso is still suffused with brilliance from inside, like a lamp, in which his gaze, now turned to low, gleams in all its power. Archaic torso of apollo by rainer maria rilke translated by stephen mitchell. Rainer maria rilke archaischer torso apollos lyrics. And yet his torso is still suffused with brilliance f. That is the creative agenda behind the poem archaic torso of apollo.
Archaic torso of apollo we cannot know his legendary head we cannot know his legendary head the academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets. Archaic torso of apollo by rainer maria rilke i have read and taught rilkes petrarchan sonnet archaischer torso apollos many times that is, in stephen mitchells beautiful and powerful english translation and i even have some things to say about it in an essay in my latest book. However, in the last few decades, many reservations have been raised about the use of ekphrasis in poetry. A list of poems by rainer maria rilke born in prague on december 4, 1875, rainer maria rilke is recognized by many as a master of verse. Even so his torso s lasting candelabraglow, in which his gaze, with light held back, instead holds fast and shines. We cannot know his legendary face with eyes like ripened apples. Archaic torso of apollo summary events are kind of a nonissue here. The poem is generally considered to be an example of ekphrasis. Basically, the speaker observes a broken statue of the greek god apollo. Archaic torso of apollo, a poem written about an encounter with a sculpture, ought to exist itself for its reader like a piece of sculpture or a painting. Archaic torso of apollo is a public domain poem written by rainer maria rilke and read by jessica schneider.
In trying to keep in the english to the rhymed metrical regularity of these four poems, i have had to supply words of my own on occasion, to fill out a line or make a rhyme. Apr 11, 2019 historically, conventional forms of art, as seen in robert haydens monets water lilies, and archaic torso of apollo by rilke, are central to traditional ekphrastic poetry. Archaic torso of apollo the art and popular culture. In a hammock at william duffys farm in pine island, minnesota saying i have wasted my life. He describes the dramatic power the ancient statues headless torso has, even though its only a fragment, and feels oddly as though the statue is the one looking at him. So towers are reflected in bedrock, willows doubled by their roots. Ensemble i daily blog cut the poem down to save for time and terrible german pronunciation, haha, but hopefully this will be done well. We will call him kit pronounced keet in the european way. These angelic characters have an uncanny resemblance to the history and longing of the human condition and can be interpreted in many.
A bronze exvoto dedicated to athena, it stands in the conventional pose of kouroi from the archaic period, but is distinguished from these by the soft contours of the back and the sharp, inorganic treatment of the hair. The academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets. Posts about archaic torso of apollo written by chris. James pollock on rainer maria rilkes archaic torso of. Selected poetry and prose of rainer maria rilke translated by stephen mitchell modern library 1995 download a pdf here. Nov 15, 2010 this weeks poem is a new english translation of rainer maria rilkes sonnet archaischer torso apollos.
In an age of media conglomerates, were something of an oddity. To faithfully follow its meandering thought means to be led to the very source from which springs narration and metaphor. The exhibit includes artists kathy liao, misha kligman, damon freed and stephanie pierce the title of the exhibit is taken from the. Archaic torso of apollo we will never know his astounding head. In each issue of the sun youll find some of the most radically intimate and socially conscious writing being published today. Else scarcely would the curve of chest bedazzle you, soft gasped meanwhile loins could not draw a breath to bring a smile. Archaic torso of apollo poem by rainer maria rilke poem hunter. Rilkes archaic torso of apollo leads us beyond our mundane and naturalistic concerns, beyond a thinking and doing that seeks to appropriate and masters a natural world. Archaic torso of apollo is a sonnet divided into four stanzas, the first two stanzas containing four lines each, the last two containing three each. For rilke, to observe a work of art is also to be observed by it, and that sense of mutual evaluation c. This weeks poem is a new english translation of rainer maria rilkes sonnet archaischer torso apollos. The archaic torso of apollo by rainer maria rilke is a poem of great power. We cannot know his legendary head with eyes like ripening fruit.
Pdf a brief look at archaic torso of apollo temiz frekans. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Apollos archaic torso poem by leo yankevich poem hunter. If this were not so, the bow of his breast could not blind you, nor could a smile, steered by the gentle curve. Archaic torso of apollo poem by rainer maria rilke poem. In some unshielded room a chair is sat upon, a tale is told, is told again. I have seen, during the frenzy of seasons, almostperceptible figures moving on the other side of weather. In rilkes poem archaic torso of apollo, what did he really. Neue gedichte is a twopart collection of poems written by bohemianaustrian poet and novelist rainer maria rilke 18751926. Like the archaic kouros, the figure is presented frontally, nude, and in a standing position, the left leg advanced.
We cannot know his incredible head, where the eyes ripened like apples, yet his torso still glows like a candelabrum, from which his gaze, however dimmed, still persists and gleams. Apr 15, 2015 archaic torso of apollo is a public domain poem written by rainer maria rilke and read by jessica schneider. Winters last storm moves in and does not move, buries the year inside hours. And yet his torso is still suffused with brilliance from inside, like a lamp, in which his gaze, now. Apollos archaic torso is by a young yorkshire writer, sarah stutt, who recently. Both the sculpture and the poem serve as models for the reader, defining how the reader might be or, in fact, ought to be. Archaic torso of apollo is a poem by rainer maria rilke famous for featuring the phrase du mu.
Here is a link to the stephen mitchell translation, which i recommend you read before proceeding with the rest. In rilkes poem archaic torso of apollo, what did he. This torso was created at the turning point between the archaic and classical periods, and testifies to the radical shift in representation of the male nude that had taken place by the early fifth century bc. Historically, conventional forms of art, as seen in robert haydens monets water lilies, and archaic torso of apollo by rilke, are central to traditional ekphrastic poetry. Archaic torso of apollo by rainer maria rilketranslated by stephen mitchell the academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets. Archaic torso of apollo we cannot know his legendary head wherein eyeapples ripened. Archaic torso of apollo by rainer maria rilke we cannot know his legendary head with eyes like ripening fruit. In 1902, rainer maria rilkethen a struggling poet in ger. How else could we be so blinded by the curvature of his chest. Archaic torso of apollo museum of art and archaeology.
Archaic torso of apollo rainer maria rilke translated by stephen mitchell we cannot know his legendary head with eyes like ripening fruit. The shoulders are like the capital of a pillar in a ruined temple, thats lost. You must change your life was the injunction that the greek torso issued to the poet rainer maria rilke. Archaic torso of apollo we cannot know his legendary head with eyes like ripening fruit. Even so his torsos lasting candelabraglow, in which his gaze, with light held back, instead holds fast and shines. The shoulders are like the capital of a pillar in a ruined temple, thats lost the architrave it used to hold up. Of course, not all reactions to works of art are so. Otherwise the round breast would not blind you with its grace, nor could the softcurved circle of the thighs. Archaic torso of apollo translations we never knew his fantastic head, where eyes like apples ripened. Or else, his breasts would not bedazzle you, nor could his lumbar inflections spark with smiles that sink and crumble. Rilke ends his sonnet, archaic torso of apollo saying you must change your life. Dec 15, 2015 poems of rainer maria rilke 1918archaic torso of apollo. Otherwise the curved breast could not dazzle you so, nor could a smile run through the placid hips and thighs.
Archaic torso of apollo by rainer maria rilke poems. We mean, who elses name was taken as a tribute by an emo band in the late 90s. In the poem, the speakers observations about an ancient sculpture spark reflections about existence. The poet rilke also was struck by apollos prominent eyes with their quality of seeing deeply. Or rather, it is the will that fails, not the work of art. Its called a torso of apollo because its a fragment of a statue. Archaic torso is the first piece in the second volume or as titled another part of new poems. Apollo s archaic torso is by a young yorkshire writer, sarah stutt, who recently. Posts about rainer marie rilke archaic torso of apollo. It is also quoted by miriam, played by gena rowlands, in woody allens 1988 film another woman. It is from this same source that springs a human world. I am not exaggerating when i say that reading this book led me to something like the final words of rilkes archaic torso of apollo. That is a dangerous business, putting your own words into the mouth of a great poet.
Archaic torso of apollo we cannot know his legendary face with eyes like ripened apples. In archaic torso of apollo the transfixed poet finds the torso full of life and vitality, a complete work of art and suggestive of the modernist tradition. But his torso still glows like a candelabrum in which his gaze, only turned low, holds and gleams. The project gutenberg ebook of poems, by rainer maria rilke. Ruth stone ends a moment saying you do not want to repeat my life. James pollock on rainer maria rilkes archaic torso of apollo. Yet his torso gleams, like a candelabrum, still dispersing the luminescent power of his gaze, extinguished long ago. In a world of poetry filled with serious and brooding emotypes, rainer maria rilke stands as one of the emoiest. The first volume, released in 1907 begins with another apollo poem. Since its discovery in 1832 in a wreck off the coast of piombino, this statue of apollo has continued to divide the experts. Analysis of archaic torso of apollo by rainer maria rilke. The poem is, among other things, about the power of art.
Archaic torso of apollo analysis rainer maria rilke. The borders of itself is an exhibit i put together for the campanella gallery at park university in kansas city. Poems of rainer maria rilke 1918archaic torso of apollo. As a modern poet rilke would see the world within and the world without as the same aspects of each other. Archaic torso of apollo rainer maria rilke platypus. But from his torso gleaming light is shed as from a candelabrum. After reading rilkes archaic torso of apollo the sun. Discussion of themes and motifs in rainer maria rilkes archaic torso of apollo. The poet rainer maria rilke offers stunning portrayals of angels in his series of poems entitled the duino elegies. Archaic torso of apollo we cannot fathom his mysterious head, through the veiled eyes no flickering ray is sent. Aug 18, 2016 the poem is, among other things, about the power of art. On archaic torso of apollo academy of american poets.
1385 31 789 1292 1057 761 8 969 27 1364 1366 349 532 896 89 874 284 1444 1448 978 948 891 644 705 642 1633 896 1278 733 1523 801 1599 725 1296 681 922 1332 667 1481 328 325 930 682