Rilke via O’Reilly

Tagged as Poetry

Written on 2008-06-09 14:22:25

I haven't posted, read or written much poetry in a while. I've been focused on other things and while I'm happy about how I've chosen to focus my energies I miss poetry. With that in mind, I stumbled across a Rilke poem this morning thanks to Tim O'Reilly and decided to reproduce it here.

Archaic Torso of Apollo
We have no idea what his fantastic head
was like, where the eyeballs were slowly swelling. But
his body now is glowing like a lamp
whose inner eyes, only turned down a little,

hold their flame, shine. If there weren't light, the curve
of the breast wouldn't blind you, and in the swerve
of the thighs a smile wouldn't keep on going
toward the place where the seeds are.

If there weren't light, this stone would look cut off
where it drops so clearly from the shoulders,
its skin wouldn't gleam like the fur of a wild animal,

and the body wouldn't send out light from every edge
as a star does...for there is no place at all
that isn't looking at you. You must change your life.

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