You who never arrived by Rainer Maria Rilke

You who never arrived by Rainer Maria Rilke


Translated from the German by Stephen Mitchell

You who never arrivedin my arms, Beloved, who were lostfrom the start,I don't even know what songswould please you. I have given up tryingto recognize you in the surging wave of the nextmoment. All the immenseimages in me—the far-off, deeply-felt landscape,cities, towers, and bridges, and un-suspected turns in the path,and those powerful lands that were oncepulsing with the life of the gods—all rise within me to meanyou, who forever elude me.You, Beloved, who are allthe gardens I have ever gazed at,longing. An open windowin a country house—, and you almoststepped out, pensive, to meet me. Streets that I chanced upon,—you had just walked down them and vanished.And sometimes, in a shop, the mirrorswere still dizzy with your presence and, startled, gave backmy too-sudden image. Who knows? perhaps the samebird echoed through both of usyesterday, separate, in the evening...

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