Friday 28 September 2007

Autumn day

Lord, it is time. Let the great summer go.
Lay your long shadows on the sundials,
And over harvest piles let the winds blow.

Command the last fruits to be ripe;
Give them yet two more southern days,
Urge them to perfection, and chase
The last sweetness into heavy wine.

Who now has no house, builds no more.
Who is now alone, will long remain so,
Will stay awake, read, write long letters
And will the alleys up and down
Walk restlessly, when falling leaves dance.

Rainer Maria Rilke

3 comments:

creeper46 said...

It would have been nice to name the translator of this wonderful fall sonnet.

A.S. said...

Well...I mixed 3 different translations together to make the "best blend". The translations used were from:
Galway Kinnell and Hannah Liebmannen; William Gass; Stephen Mitchell

creeper46 said...

... and taking a lot of license of my translation, posted at www.thebeckoning.com.
I am trying to stick to "good citation practice, not only in my scientific work.
G.D.