I had a little email convo with Bill Webb about Rilke and his letters to a young poet and he asked me if that wouldn’t be a cool theme for MTB – I asked back if he would be up for a guest post – and here he is, challenging us to write with humble sincerity about the things around us or.. but… I stop talking now… smiles… here he is…

If you are like me,  you have often wondered about writing with an authentic voice.  Given this immediate gratification world we live in with  “likes” and “comments”, how do we avoid getting sidetracked in what we write? I like to think of
it as honesty in writing.   How we say it may not be perfect grammar or rhyme, but to me when we call out our honest
perceptions and feeling  we impart a bit of soul into our work.

A friend I  met  at the Dverse Pub introduced me to the works of Rainer Maria Rilke, 1875 – 1926.  Rilke, was a very complex man who straddled the changing world view between the tradition of the Enlightenment and the Modernists.  One had it’s roots reach back centuries, and the second horrified by the reality of modern warfare in WWI, was determined to reject tradition and start anew.

In learning about him, I came across a small book “Letters to a Young Poet” which detail Rilke’s correspondence with an aspiring poet.  In letter one, Rilke  advises

“write about what your everyday life offers you; describe your sorrows and desires, the thoughts that pass through your mind and your belief in some kind of beauty Describe all these with heartfelt, silent, humble sincerity and, when you express yourself, use the Things around you, the images from your dreams, and the objects that you remember.”

In essence, to put a bit of yourself into your work.   Then he speaks of not letting others judge, but to know:

“A work of art is good if it has arisen out of necessity”

To me that rings  true.   Not every poem will be good or great, but it’s something to aim for.

Here is a Rilke poem translated to English by Albert Ernest Flemming

Do you remember still the falling stars
that like swift horses through the heavens raced
and suddenly leaped across the hurdles
of our wishes–do you recall? And we
did make so many! For there were countless numbers
of stars: each time we looked above we were
astounded by the swiftness of their daring play,
while in our hearts we felt safe and secure
watching these brilliant bodies disintegrate,
knowing somehow we had survived their fall.

Rilke was greatly influenced by the Rodin, integrating the sculptor’s concise vision into his poetry.  For today’s challenge….

Either –Find something that is really You and like Rilke said:
“write about what your everyday life offers you; describe your sorrows and desires, the thoughts that pass through your mind and your belief in some kind of beauty Describe all these with heartfelt, silent, humble sincerity and, when you express yourself, use the Things around you, the images from your dreams, and the objects that you remember.”

Or…
Rilke was influenced by Rodin when Rilke served as secretary to him. The artist greatly influenced the young poet. Check out Rodin sculptures on the Internet – find one that inspires you and write to it in the above way

 

If you’re new here, this is how it works…

• post a poem on your blog that meets the prompt requirements
• tag the url in by clicking on the Mr. Linky button below
• Read and comment on others that put their link in as well
• enjoy your time in the pub and make yourself comfortable.. smiles