Adam

Rainer Maria Rilke 1875 (Prague) – 1926 (Montreux)



Marveling he stands on the cathedral's
steep ascent, close to the rose window,
as though frightened at the apotheosis
which grew and all at once

set him down over these and these.
And straight he stands and glad of his endurance,
simply determined; as the husbandman
who began and who knew not how

from the garden of Eden finished-full
to find a way out into
the new earth. God was hard to persuade;

and threatened him, instead of acceding,
ever and again, that he would die.
Yet man persisted: she will bring forth.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

28 sec read
1,123

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXAA AAXX XXX XXX
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 513
Words 95
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 3, 3

Rainer Maria Rilke

René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke — better known as Rainer Maria Rilke — was a Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist, "widely recognized as one of the most lyrically intense German-language poets", writing in both verse and highly lyrical prose. more…

All Rainer Maria Rilke poems | Rainer Maria Rilke Books

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