Lament by Rainer Maria Rilke (1923)
The poem explores themes of loss, longing, and the passage of time. It reflects on the ephemeral nature of existence, where memories and experiences fade into the past. The speaker grapples with the realization that what once was is now distant and unreachable, symbolized by the light from a dead star that still reaches them. This juxtaposition of light and death emphasizes the persistence of memory despite the absence of the source. The imagery of a phantom boat and a distant clock evokes a sense of nostalgia and the haunting nature of time. The speaker's heart beats with a desire for connection and understanding, yearning for a moment of stillness amidst the chaos of existence. The vastness of the sky and the stars serves as a metaphor for the infinite possibilities and the isolation felt in the face of overwhelming loss. The longing for a singular star that endures represents hope and the search for meaning in a transient world. The idea of a "white City" suggests an ideal or a place of solace, standing resilient against the backdrop of time and space. Ultimately, the work encapsulates the struggle between the desire for permanence and the inevitability of change, inviting reflection on the nature of existence and the human experience of grief and remembrance.
By Rainer Maria Rilke · First published 1923 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Existentialism, Romanticism · 170 words
First lines
Oh! All things are long passed away and far. A light is shining but the distant star From which it still comes to me has been dead A thousand years. In the dim phantom boat That glided past some ghastly thing was said. A clock just struck within some house remote. Which house? -- I long to still my beating heart. Beneath the sky's vast dome I long to pray. Of all the stars there must be far away A single star which still exists apart. And I believe that I should know the one Which has alone endured and which alone Like a white City that all space commands At the ray's end in the high heaven stands.
What this Textopian page supports
Lament is listed on Textopian as a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, dated 1923 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Rainer Maria Rilke
- Date: 1923 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Existentialism, Romanticism, Philosophical Poetry, Modernism
- Length: 170 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
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Similar titles
- Refuge by Emily Dickinson
- Song Of The Statue by Ranier Maria Rilke
- Lethe by Edna St Vincent Millay
- To The Distant One by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
- Waiting by Emily Dickinson
- What Savage Blossom by Edna St Vincent Millay
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is characterized by its emotional expression and personal reflection, typical of lyric poetry.
- Existentialism — Themes of existence, longing, and the passage of time reflect existentialist concerns.
- Romanticism — The focus on nature, emotion, and the sublime aligns with Romantic literary ideals.
- Philosophical Poetry — The poem engages with deep philosophical questions about existence and the universe.
Tags
Poetry · Philosophy · Existentialism · Spirituality · Mortality · Loss · Grief · Longing · Yearning · Solitude · Nature · Cosmology