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Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus
This page only tries to supply minimal initial knowledge helpful for beginners to find their way through the book. Other information is given by Herter Norton and by Barnstone.
I think that the important thing with the Orpheus myth is to take it as it is right here. There isn't really a lot more to know about Orpheus, and knowing it wouldn't be much help in reading Rilke. Orpheus provides Rilke with some vivid situations and events to use as a takeoff point.
The index is intended to help the reader notice common themes in the book, especially when they're not adjacent in the text. To me one of the most wonderful things about this book is the way the poems knit together into a unity.
My very brief review of "Sonnette an Orpheus"
The Occasion:
The occasion of the poem was the death of a lovely young girl, a friend of Rilke's daughter and a talented dancer.
The Myth:
Orpheus, a poet and singer whose songs worked magic, fell in love with Eurydice. There were bad omens at their wedding, and after a short period of bliss Eurydice died of a snakebite.
Orpheus's laments were so powerful that when he went to the underworld to beg for his wife's return, his song melted the rocks and stones, and even the merciless Pluto finally relented. Eurydice was returned to him, on condition that he not look back at her until he had returned to the land of the living. But just as they were about to pass through the gates of Tartarus, he glanced back at her, and she died again as he watched, this time lost forever.
Orpheus returned to the underworld a second time, but this time he was refused entrance. When he returned above, he mourned Eurydice ceaselessly, paying no attention to other women, who in the end, rejected and scorned, drowned out his magic voice with their shrieking and tore him to pieces. His story then tends to merge with that of Dionysus, whose dismembered and dispersed body was thought to come back to life each spring.
Like Dionysus, in the classical world Orpheus was the focus of mystery cults, and "Orphism" appears in many different guises.
Orpheus themes:
Son of Apollo (but avatar of Dionysus).
Sources:
http://www.mythology.com/orpheuseurydice.html
Goldsmith, Ulrich K and Maney, W. S., eds., Rainier Maria Rilke: A Verse Concordance to his Complete Lyric Poetry, Leeds, 1980. (Sonnets to Orpheus is indexed as # 770 -- # 824).
Rilke, Rainier Maria, Sämtliche Werke, Insel-Verlag, Vol. 1, 1955, pp. 731--771.
Rilke, Rainier Maria, Sonnets to Orpheus, tr. M.D. Herter-Norton, Norton ,1942 (the most useful translation for those with some German).
Rilke, Rainier Maria, Sonnets to Orpheus, tr. Willis Barnstone, Shambhala, 2004 (good notes, bad translation).
Index:
This is the alpha version. It's mostly from my notes, but I also checked it against the Concordance. There are still some errors of various sorts, some of which I have marked "?". Compounded, derived and inflected forms and words of related meaning are sometimes included under the root and sometimes crossreferenced.
There are fifty-five poems in all; Part II begins with the twenty-seventh poem. Unfortunately, I have indexed according to the numbers in the Goldsmith concordance; by subtracting 769 you will get the poem's actual place in the sequence of fifty-five. Thus, #770 in Goldsmith is the first poem in the book, and #824 is the fifty-fifth and last. "Alt", appears in Goldsmith #818, or the forty-ninth poem in the sequence.
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|
Word |
Poem number in Goldsmith |
Notes / Related words / Cross-references |
|---|---|---|
|
Alt |
818 |
Uralt 788 783 |
|
Apollo |
772 |
|
|
Atem |
773 814 824 |
|
|
Atmen |
796 797 |
|
|
Baum |
770 771 813 823 |
|
|
Beben |
770 787 |
Zittert 773 Walzt 720 Zogern 803 Schwing 779 |
|
Bezug/ Zug |
775 781 802 808 813 |
|
|
Blatt |
783 796 797 800 801 803 |
|
|
Blühen |
802? 809 813 816 829? |
|
|
Blume |
783 791 794 800 801 802 809 |
|
|
Bogen |
803 |
Gebeugt 720 |
|
Born |
786 |
Brunnen Quelle |
|
Boten |
776 793? |
|
|
Brunnen |
810 |
|
|
Doppel |
778 |
|
|
Doppel |
778 782 |
|
|
Eifer |
783 812 |
|
|
Eile |
797 817 |
|
|
Einigen |
771 798? |
Vollen 771 |
|
Entschwirten |
779 |
to Beben |
|
Erde / Irdischen |
772 773 780 781 790 794 797 807 809 810 824 |
|
|
Erheben |
787 |
Stieg |
|
Erz |
776 794 |
|
|
Eurydike |
808 |
|
|
Fels |
776 777 |
Stein |
|
Ferne |
771 781 788 794 807 815 824 |
|
|
Flug |
784 792 794 817 |
Flucht Erfliegt 792 |
|
Freunde |
779 785 793 824 |
|
|
Frucht |
776 782 783 784 812 813 |
|
|
Fühlen |
776 777 781 802 816 824 |
|
|
Ganz |
813 785 797 |
|
|
Gehorchen |
774 805 |
819 erhorchen |
|
Geist |
781 805 806 807 |
|
|
Gesicht |
782 797 810 815 816 818 |
antlitz 823 |
|
Glänzen |
771 773 783 794 797 |
|
|
Gluhen |
784 797 |
verglöhn 797 |
|
Gott |
19 |
|
|
Gott |
771 772 776 788 793 795 804 811 814 819 821 822 |
|
|
Gräber |
775 810 |
|
|
Hauch |
772 777 806 |
|
|
Heiteren |
?? |
|
|
Herr, Herrlichen |
783 785 787 789 803 805 817 |
|
|
Herz |
770 773 776 785 794 795 797 804 808 816 822 |
|
|
Hiesig |
775 782 815 |
|
|
Himmel |
777 780 800 |
|
|
Hören |
770 787 795 805 811 812 814 822 823 |
812 gehören belong 818 unaufhörlich |
|
Innig, innern |
804 808 809 816 |
|
|
Kind |
782 790 804 807 815 819 823 |
|
|
Klar |
770 771 775 777 782 798 799 816 |
|
|
Kraft |
783 787 793 800 824 |
|
|
Kreis |
789 |
|
|
Krug |
775 802 810 813 819 |
|
|
Lacheln |
773 797 821 |
|
|
Lärmen? |
811? |
|
|
Laut |
797 |
|
|
Lauten |
786?? 800?? |
|
|
Leben |
781 782 800 816 |
|
|
Leicht |
799 809 816 823 |
|
|
Leier |
771 772 774 778 786 795 821 823 |
|
|
Leise |
770 782 804 806 |
|
|
Licht |
792 797799 800 806 817 |
|
|
Lieb |
772 788 792 799 807 |
|
|
Lied |
771 779 788 |
|
|
Luft |
773 784 796 801 816 817 820 |
|
|
Mädchen |
771 777 784 797 802 815 |
|
|
Metamorphose |
774 |
|
|
Mild |
775 778 804 |
|
|
Mund |
772 779 782 795 810 |
|
|
Musik |
781 784 794 805 |
|
|
Nacht |
776 789 800 814 817 824 |
|
|
Namenlos / Name |
780 782; 774 784 794 801 |
|
|
Neige |
804 816 |
Steig Stieg |
|
Ohr |
770 771 789 810 |
|
|
Orpheus |
770 774 823 |
|
|
Ort |
796 814 815 |
|
|
Preise |
790 797 808 816 818 |
|
|
Quelle |
777 789 807 811 |
Brunnen 810 |
|
Rand |
800 801 806 809 821 |
|
|
Raum |
777 793 796 799 805 807 821 824 |
|
|
Reich |
775 778 808 |
|
|
Reife |
784 812 813 816 818 |
|
|
Rein |
770 781 784 796 804 805 808 811 823 |
|
|
Rinde |
796 |
Schale |
|
Rose |
774 780? 787? 801 |
|
|
Ruhen |
800 822 806 813 822 |
|
|
Rühmen |
775 776 801 804 814 816 |
|
|
Schale |
774 776 784 812 |
810 Gefass 815 Schussel |
|
Schatten |
776 778 794 812 |
|
|
Schau |
775 806 814 |
Geschaut 797 |
|
Schein |
775 801 810 814 815 820 |
Erschein 815 775 |
|
Schicksal |
809 814 815 817 819 822 |
|
|
Schlafen |
771 783 809 810 814 |
|
|
Schleier |
771 788 |
|
|
Schliess |
795 802 807 813 814 815 817 |
|
|
Schluss see
Schliess |
813 817 |
Entschluss 800 805 816 |
|
Schmecken |
782 784 |
Geschmack |
|
Schön |
793 794 795 798 805 823 |
|
|
Schritt |
781 791 823 |
|
|
Schweigen |
776 779 803 804 811 814 819 |
Verschweig 770 |
|
Schwer |
773 783 785 809 |
790? |
|
Schwinden |
774 798 808 |
|
|
Schwingen |
808 813 |
|
|
Sein |
772 732 780 792 796 |
Sussein 784 Hiersein 774 Dasein 772 805 |
|
Selige |
773 812 816 |
|
|
Sommer |
781 812 813 |
|
|
Spannen? |
781 815 |
Spannung |
|
Spiegel |
797 798 |
Spieglung778 |
|
Sprachen |
783 803 815 |
|
|
Spur |
795 817 |
|
|
Stahl |
793 |
Erz 776 794 |
|
Staunen |
771 807 814 |
|
|
Steig |
792 783 786 |
Uberstieg 770 Gesteig 804? Neige |
|
Stein |
774 776 795 |
Denkstein 774 Fels |
|
Stelle |
796 805 811 823 |
|
|
Stern |
772 777 780 800 823 |
|
|
Stille |
770 777 779 800 804 805 809 811 813 820 822 824 |
Himmelstillen 792 |
|
Stimmen |
772 776 777 778 |
|
|
Stunde |
779 801 818 820 |
|
|
Süss |
782 784 801 818 |
|
|
Tanz |
823 784 794 813 |
|
|
Teil |
773 783 785 |
Verteilt 811 Maschinteil 787 |
|
Tempel |
770 772 817 |
|
|
Tod |
771 782 788 802 819 806 808 |
|
|
Treib |
780 787 791 821 822 |
|
|
Über- |
770 774 792 793 795 |
|
|
Unendlichen |
778 |
|
|
Verbinden |
780 781 |
Einigen 771 Vereint 773 Zweispalt 772 |
|
Verborgen |
786 812 |
|
|
Vereint |
773 |
|
|
Vergangliche |
776 |
|
|
Vollen 771 |
|
|
|
Wachen |
771 779 782 806 814 821 |
Erwachen |
|
Wandel |
770 779 788 794 799 807 824 |
|
|
Warten |
784 802 |
|
|
Wasser |
779 802 810 816 819 824 |
|
|
Weh ? Wehn |
772 776 789 807 821 |
Geweiht 811 |
|
Wehren |
784 |
|
|
Weigernden |
784 |
Beben |
|
Wein |
776 783 824 |
|
|
Weite |
775 776 780 782 788 789 793 798 810 815 |
|
|
Welk |
809 812 |
|
|
Welt |
771 785 788 796 800 811 821 |
|
|
Wenden |
772 780 807 813 |
|
|
Werbung |
772 776 |
|
|
Wiese |
789 800 809 812 |
|
|
Winde |
772 792 796 804 807 809 821 |
|
|
Wink |
770 811 |
Ruhewink 800 |
|
Wurzel |
762 775 783 790 822 |
|
|
Zärtlich |
773 812 |
|
|
Zauber |
775 785 824 |
779 |
|
Zeichen |
806 813 820 |
|
|
Zeigen |
794 |
|
|
Zeit |
791 798 804 806 819 822 |
|
|
Zweig |
775 786 816 |
|
|
Zweispalt |
772 |
|
|
Zwisch |
713 |
|
|
Zwischen |
783 798 802 815 816 821 |
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I am emersonj at gmail dot com.
Original materials copyright John J Emerson
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