Autumnal Day
Autumnal Day - context Summary
Autumnal Pause in 1902
Written in 1902 for Das Buch der Bilder, the poem frames autumn as a summons to ripen and to end summer’s abundance, then pivots to a sober meditation on solitary fate. Its closing lines insist that those without a home will remain alone, pursuing inward work and aimless wandering. Critics link this resigned tone to Rilke’s own early rootlessness while forming his poetic voice in Paris.
Read Complete AnalysesLord! It is time. So great was Summer's glow: Thy shadows lay upon the dials' faces And o'er wide spaces let thy tempests blow. Command to ripen the last fruits of thine, Give to them two more burning days and press The last sweetness into the heavy wine. He who has now no house will ne'er build one, Who is alone will now remain alone; He will awake, will read, will letters write Through the long day and in the lonely night; And restless, solitary, he will rove Where the leaves rustle, wind-blown, in the grove.
Translated by Jessie Lamont
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