Friday, January 14, 2011

A Woman in Love


That is my window. I
just awoke so gently.
I thought, I'm floating.
How far does my life reach,
and where does the night begin?

I could think that everything
around me is me;
like the transparent depth of a crystal,
darkened and mute.

I think I could bring the stars
inside of me, so large
does my heart seem; so very much
does it want to let go of him

whom I have perhaps begun
to love, perhaps to hold.
So strange, so uncharted
does my fate appear.

Who am I who lies here
under this endless sky,
as the sweet scent of a meadow,
moving back and forth,

at once calling out and anxious,
that someone might hear my call,
destined to vanish
in another.


Rainer Maria Rilke from 'New Poems' ( 1907 - 1908 )
translated by Cliff Crego
Image: 'Night Sky' (modified by Moi) Free iPhone Wallpaper

22 comments:

chickory said...

i like this one a lot - that space between sleep and awake the first thoughts before the daily grind thoughts set in. very visual too. Thanks for posting this one.

Tell us more about the summer and your own garden and the cats. havent seen in a while.

darkfoam said...

This poem is a very nice Rilke. I like it a lot.

But how are you? I hear about these floods in Brisbane and I know that is north of you. It's awful what is going on up there.

puerileuwaite said...

Stephen King and his darned "Salem's Lot" ruined it for me. Now I'm afraid to look out the window because I worry about floating vampires.

Lesley said...

A very poignant poem Dianne.

dianne said...

Thanks dear chickory , yes, it is a beautiful and visual poem by Rilke.
I love that time when we are waking, the space between dreams and daylight before the reality of the day sets in, do you remember I wrote a poem about it last year, sad then but it has had a happy ending with my friend returning.
The weather here is very hot and humid, we have had numerous downpours of rain with some of my garden being washed away.
Both cosmos plants have been completely eaten by a grub or possum, every leaf, every stem gone, no sign of the plants at all, it is disappointing.

The cats are fine they are not so co-operative as the hens when it comes to being photographed.

I may have some plant and flower photos soon. :)

xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Yes Foamy dear, it is a lovely poem, one that I could relate to when I found it earlier this week; I am so pleased that you enjoyed it.

I live on a flat area on top of a plateau, the two rivers that surround me would have to rise a long way before I was in any danger; thank you for asking.
Yes the floods in many areas in Queensland such as Brisbane have been devastated by these floods, it is heartbreaking to see that people have died, many are still missing and people have lost everything; I feel for them as the clean up will be one of immeasurable proportions.

xoxoxo ♡

Lee said...

Very emotive. Very touching.

I can see why it appeals to you so.

dianne said...

Oh Pugsley my sweet, you would be perfectly safe to look out of my window, there are no vampires floating by ... just wispy clouds and a soft breeze.
Why do you read these books or watch these films if they scare you so much?

xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Yes, dear Lesley thank you, I thought so too, it is also filled with beauty and imagery and that appealed to me too.

xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear Lee
yes it is filled with emotion, I think it is beautiful, I love how Rilke describes her thoughts and feelings and how she questions herself... yes, it appealed to my romantic sensibilities.

xoxoxo ♡

roxanne s. sukhan said...

I do so love Rilke, he is one of my favourite poets. I think that the space between sleep and wake is its own plane of reality ~ one in which faeries exist, for instance.

dianne said...

Thank you dear Tinkerbell , yes Rilke was a great poet, he is a favourite of mine too, the words of many of his poems touch the heart.

Yes the space between sleep and wakefullness is a magical place and it does exist in its own special reality, faeries could easily live there and in our dream-like thoughts anything is possible.

xoxoxo ♡

J Cosmo Newbery said...

Tricked again! I thought it was yours. It is very you.

dianne said...

Dear, sweet J Cosmo you flatter me once again, if only I could express my feelings with such beauty.
Yes it is very me, so close to my thoughts and heart as I love an endless sky, the sweet scent of meadows and in this time of waking, I wonder where does my reality begin and end.
My heart has a great capacity for love but my fate is so uncharted, so is my future.

Thank you!

xoxoxo ♡

HLiza said...

I thought you wrote it! It's so beautiful..(Thanks Dianne for always dropping by and giving comments..you're such a lovely soul I'm glad I found you!)

dianne said...

Thanks dear HLiza ,
it is such a beautiful poem and I wish I had written it.
I love to drop by and see your photos and posts and offer any support that I can as I realise you are worried about your Dad, I know how that is.

xoxoxo ♡

Alexandre FABBRI said...

Rainer is someone we intuitively recognize when we are in the same room as he. We see him there in the corner not talking to anyone. But there's nothing we don't already know. His motifs are clear.

dianne said...

Thank you dear Alexandre for your comment, I think you will agree that this is such a beautiful poem.
When I read the poems of Rilke I see and feel so many of my thoughts in his words, it is as if he knows what I am thinking, though that is not possible.


xoxoxoxo ♡

Leovi said...

Beautiful poem by this great poet. With the same title is a song: I am a Woman In Love - Barbra Streisand certainly know it is 1980 and at that time was more in love than ever have been. When I hear this song even come to my tears.

This is the link if you want to hear:

http://www.goear.com/listen/6724a4c/i-am-a-woman-in-love-barbra-streisand-

dianne said...

Thank you dear Leovi you have a romantic soul, I'm so happy that you were in love it is a wonderful place to be especially when that love is returned.

Yes the poem is beautiful and thank you for the link to the song, it is also lovely. :)

xoxoxo ♡

Romantik Seelchen said...

meine liebe Dianne, wenn die Romantik nicht wäre....
keine Träume und Wünsche, wie arm die Welt aussehen würde,
wir leben nur mit diesen Gefühlen uns sie wärmen uns,
liebe Grüße von Jasmin

dianne said...

Danke liebe Jasmin . Es ist wahr, wir brauchen unsere Träume in die Wärme und die Hoffnung der Liebe in uns zu halten.
liebe Grüße von Dianne.

xoxoxo ♡