Death Poem by Rainer Maria Rilke

Death

Rating: 2.9


Come thou, thou last one, whom I recognize,
unbearable pain throughout this body's fabric:
as I in my spirit burned, see, I now burn in thee:
the wood that long resisted the advancing flames
which thou kept flaring, I now am nourishinig
and burn in thee.

My gentle and mild being through thy ruthless fury
has turned into a raging hell that is not from here.
Quite pure, quite free of future planning, I mounted
the tangled funeral pyre built for my suffering,
so sure of nothing more to buy for future needs,
while in my heart the stored reserves kept silent.

Is it still I, who there past all recognition burn?
Memories I do not seize and bring inside.
O life! O living! O to be outside!
And I in flames. And no one here who knows me.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Thabani Khumalo 16 June 2015

I have a vision to write like this, only if god would bless me enough to.d

10 13 Reply
Rod Mendieta 31 December 2016

Don't give up your vision, Thabani. I think one starts by cherishing beautiful poems like this one. Lock it inside your heart and mind, revisit its lines every now and then, and it will inspire you.

0 0
Ratnakar Mandlik 16 November 2016

mounted the tangled funeral pyre built for suffering A bold conceptualization that is realistic too. Thanks for sharing it here.

2 4 Reply
Leela chatterjee 12 July 2018

He is burning inside and no one knows how much he is suffering. Only Rilke can write like this.

5 0 Reply
jqc1706 11 April 2018

why did you write this

3 2 Reply
Hey, thats pretty good 20 February 2018

Dis poem is the meaning of life. Thank you wizard.

6 1 Reply
A.RANDOM.CAT 03 February 2018

You spelled nourishing wrong. LOL

7 0 Reply
Ratnakar Mandlik 16 November 2016

Awesome and very bold write. Thanks for sharing it here.

3 3 Reply
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Rainer Maria Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke

Prague / Czech Republic
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