Rainer Maria Rilke was an Austrian poet and novelist. Acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, he is widely recognized as a significant writer in the German language. His work is viewed by critics and scholars as possessing undertones of mysticism, exploring themes of subjective experience and disbelief. Rilke traveled extensively throughout Europe, finally settling in Switzerland, the inspiration for many of his poems. While Rilke is best known for his contributions to German literature, he also wrote in French.

Illustrations by Wassily Kandinsky.

Poems

First Poems
Evening
Mary Virgin

The Book of Pictures
Presaging
Autumn
Silent Hour
The Angels
Solitude
Kings in Legends
The Knight
The Boy
Initiation
The Neighbour
Song of the Statue
Maidens I
Maidens II
The Bride
Autumnal Day
Moonlight Night
In April
Memories of a Childhood
Death
The Ashantee
Remembrance
Music
Maiden Melancholy
Maidens at Confirmation
The Woman who Loves
Pont du Carrousel
Madness
Lament
Symbols

New Poems
Early Apollo
The Tomb of a Young Girl
The Poet
The Panther
Growing Blind
The Spanish Dancer
Offering
Love Song
Archaic Torso of Apollo