In his Sonnets to Orpheus, Part Two, 13, Rilke wrote:
In Eurydice live ever dead -- rise more joyfully,As the year with Rilke unfolds, we are discovering resources that enrich our understanding of Rilke's writings, like ringing glasses that have the potential to deepen our understanding of this man and his writing. We list them here for you so that you might also explore. Please check back, as we will add to the list throughout the year. Also, if you find Web sites you would like to see here, please let us know.
singing into the pure accord with boundless praising.
Here, within decline's rapidly fading country,
be as a ringing glass that shatters when it rings.
- Poetry Foundation's biography of Rilke here.
- Extensive selection of Rilke poems in English and in German here.
- A moving biography of Rilke and his works by Derek Jeter at the literary blog Paying Attention To The Sky.
- The Academy of American Poets biography of Rilke here.
- Lorenzo's series of posts about Rilke on Rodin at The Alchemist's Pillow here .
- Poem variations on Rilke's poems by Jenné Andrews at her blog La Parola Vivace here; search 'Rilke' with the 'Search this blog' box on her sidebar.
- Excellent BBC/Omnibus profile of the life and work of Auguste Rodin, follow links at YouTube for the next segment; begin with part one (of nine parts) here
- Rilke's essay-book Auguste Rodin
- The Sonnets to Oprheus
- 35-page Preview of A Year with Rilke: Daily Readings, at Google books
- Philo Agora article by Matthew Del Nevo on the philosophy of Lou Andreas-Salomé, Rilke's great love and mentor
- Line by line commentary on the Duino Elegies called The Fountain of Joy
- Blog friend Robert of The Solitary Walker has posted several poems by Denise Levertov, who described Rilke as her "mentor". To read Robert's fine posts on Rilke, including the Levertov poems and Robert's readings of them, go here.
- Anthony Minghella's short film of the story of Orpheus & Eurydice, in three parts:
- The Internet Archive has a wealth of Rilke material. Most of the documents can be read online and/or downloaded in a variety of formats (including .pdf, which is fully searchable). Some of the ones we have found interesting are:
· A 1918 collection of Rilke poems translated by Jessie Lemont, including The Book of Pictures, the Book of Hours and New Poems, here. The book may be read online or downloaded in various formats (including .pdf).
· An English and German edition of the Duino Elegies translated by Victoria Sackville-West and Edward Sackville-West here. Yes, that’s right, the Victoria Sackville-West of Virginia Woolf fame (Woolf's novel Orlando is said to be based on Victoria Sackville-West).
