Rainer Maria Rilke's Best-Loved Poems: A Collection of Timeless Masterpieces

Lak: The book, the translation and the print was great. Rilke is... Exquisite.

India on Oct 09, 2023

NJL: Beautifully translated... Mitchell has the combination of accuracy and feeling needed for Rilke. Including the German original is a bonus.

United States on Jan 16, 2023

ladyofthecamelias: I do not understand why people write idiotic book reviews. Have they never read a book before? I was looking for this particular edition because I lost my previous one. It is a bilingual edition which was what I wanted because I write and speak German but I wanted this particular edition by Stephen Mitchell because it is formatted with Rilke's poetry on the left and the English translation on the right and sometimes I like to reference the English translation. One reviewer complained about Mitchell's translation. As a linguist, I have to point out there is no possible way for a translator to translate poetry beautifully and accurately. One cannot capture the nuances, alliteration, cadence, rhythm, rhyme scheme, exact meaning of words, etc. It is just a reference only. I would say this is a nice presentation of one of the greatest metaphysical poets. Anyone who likes Rilke will find this a lovely book and well worth the money.

United States on Jul 21, 2021

Avid reader: Was recommended this author, hadn’t come across him or his writings. A delightful read with German translation. Made for a welcome surprise. His writings are divine

United Kingdom on Mar 05, 2021

Eric H: This book contains a lot of Rilke's poetry and notes. If you already love Rilke's works then this is almost like an encyclopedia of his life and work in my opinion. For someone not familiar with Rilke, or someone who doesn't want to delve too deeply into his work, then this book might be a bit too much. But for people like me, just having this book in my personal library, I know it will be there when I need it. I love to read, but due to some health issues it's hard for me to read much. But little by little I'm reading more, so having great books that lift my spirit and connect me to my humanity makes reading very nice indeed. And lastly, (I almost forgot) Stephen Mitchell is extraordinary at translating and understanding the poetry. I can't say enough about how wonderful his work is.

United States on Jul 16, 2020

sabine kunze: Leider war das Buch nicht NEU, wie in der Produktbeschreibung.....Eselsohr am Einband, abgestoßene Ecken und Kanten...
das Buch selbst ist phantastisch , die besten Rilke-Übersetzngen, die ich kenne!!!!!
Da es ein Geschenk sein sollte, habe ich es gleich noch einmal gekauft, in der Hoffnung, diesmal ein neues Exemplar zu erhalten, und behielt das offensichtlich gebrauchte für mich.

Germany on Dec 06, 2018

MellowYellow: what can one say, I like Rilke.

Canada on Nov 10, 2016

Amy Chaves: I've always liked Rilke's writings and this book brings me to some of the best poems ever written. Highly recommended if you're into literature.

Canada on May 16, 2014

Owl: "Oh gather it, Angel, that small-flowered herb of healing,
Create a vase and preserve it. Set it among the joys
not yet open to us; on that lovely urn
praise it with the ornately flowing inscription:
"Subrisio Saltat."

Rainier Maria Rilke surely was touched by an angel, and through his magnificent poems, so are we. Stephen Mitchell seems to have been touched also by these great spirits when he translated and interpreted almost 300 pages of Rilke's poems and other writings. This generous-hearted book includes selections from Rilke's major works: The Book of Hours; The Book of Pictures; New Poems; Requiem; Uncollected Poems (1913-1918); The Duimo Elegies; The Sonnets to Orpheus; Uncollected Poems (1923-1926);and The Notebooks of Malte Lauris Brigge (prose).

Gloriously, all of the Elegies are given. ("Oh gather it, Angel" is from the Fifth Elegy, dedicated to Frau Hertha Koenig.) One can hardly read these, particularly the selections from the "Sonnets to Orpheus," suffused with Rilke's feelings associated with the too-early death of a young girl, without trembling.

This book offers riches upon riches:

--A wise, informative introductory essay,...

United States on Oct 12, 2013

Wayne Scott: "You are not my favorite poet. That implies comparison. You are poetry itself." in a letter from Marina Tseteyeva to Rilke.
Since I do not speak German, I can speak neither to the accuracy of translation nor interpretation (realizing that they are separate concepts). But I can tell you that this keeps me coming back for more (so much so I have 2 copies, plus a hardback, which differs slightly in content). It's the sort of book that if I loan it, I'm astonished to get it back. And don't really mind.
Mitchell has included in his notes excerpts from diaries and letters which I otherwise would never have had the joy of knowing, nor insght into not only the heart of the poet, but the heart of God as well.
Mitchell also has the integrity to refrain from attempting to translate some works which, I believe, he would have otherwise loved to share. His rationale, from the intro to the "Notes" section, follows:
"Translating poems into equivalent formal patterns is to some extent a matter of luck, or grace, and this is especially true of rhymed poems. Rilke called rhyme "a goddess of secret and ancient coincidences" and said that "she is very capricious; one cannot summon or...

United States on Sep 15, 2001