- Sonnets to Orpheus
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The Sonnets to Orpheus (German: Sonette an Orpheus) are a cycle of sonnets written by German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) in 1922. He dedicated them as a memorial (Grab-Mal, literally "grave-marker") for Wera Ouckama Knoop (1900–1919), a playmate of Rilke's daughter Ruth.
Contents
Form and style
There are 55 sonnets in the sequence, divided into two sections: the first of 26 and the second of 29. The sonnets follow certain trends, but they include many different forms.
All of the sonnets are composed of two quatrains followed by two triplets. Additionally, all of the sonnets have some rhyme scheme, generally ABAB CDCD or ABBA CDDC in the quartets, and EEF GGF, EFG EFG or EFG GFE in the triplets. The sonnets are also all metered, but their meters vary more greatly between poems; dactylic and trochaic are the most common feet, with line length varying greatly, sometimes even within a particular sonnet.
Composition
The vast majority of the sonnets were written in an extremely short period of time, from February 2-5, 1922, at the Château de Muzot in Switzerland. The rest of the poems were composed during the rest of the month of February. During this time, Rilke was also working on his masterpiece, the Duino Elegies.
The content of the sonnets is, as is typical of Rilke, highly metaphorical. The character of Orpheus (whom Rilke refers to as the "god with the lyre"[1]) appears several times in the cycle, as do other mythical characters such as Daphne. There are also biblical allusions, including a reference to Esau. Other themes involve animals, peoples of different cultures, and time and death.
Although Rilke claimed that the entire cycle was inspired by Wera, she appears as a character in only one of the poems. He insisted, however, that "Wera's own figure [...] nevertheless governs and moves the course of the whole".[2]
In May 1922, after deciding he could afford the cost of considerable necessary renovation, the Swiss philanthropist Werner Reinhart bought Muzot so that Rilke could live there rent-free, and became Rilke's patron.[3] He completed the Duino Elegies while Reinhart's tenant.[4] During this time, Reinhart introduced Rilke to his protégée, the Australian violinist Alma Moodie.[5] Rilke was so impressed with her playing that he wrote in a letter: "What a sound, what richness, what determination. That and the Sonnets to Orpheus, those were two strings of the same voice. And she plays mostly Bach! Muzot has received its musical christening..."[6][5][7]
References
- ^ Sonette an Orpheus, Erste Teil, XIX, v.8: "Gott mit der Leier"
- ^ Letter to Gertrud Ouckama Knoop, dated 20 April 1923; quoted in Snow, Edward, trans. and ed., Sonnets to Orpheus by Rainer Maria Rilke, bilingual edition, North Point Press, New York, 2004.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Elegy for Baritone and Orchestra" (Performance Notes)
- ^ a b R. M. Rilke – Music as Metaphor
- ^ Photo and description
- ^ Rainer Maria Rilke: a brief biographical overview
External links
- Online German version: Die Sonette an Orpheus
- English translation by Robert Hunter: The Sonnets to Orpheus
- German with English translation by Howard A. Landman: The Sonnets to Orpheus
Categories:- German poems
- Sonnets
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