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Poets reflect on the poems they return to in difficult times.

Rilke’s First Duino Elegy is a deeply philosophical and existential work that reflects his broader themes of transcendence, beauty, suffering, and the limitations of human perception. It is enriched by concepts from classical studies, particularly in its allusions to Greek mythology, classical heroism, and Platonic ideas about the nature of reality and longing.

Context of Rainer Maria Rilke Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) was an Austrian poet whose work often explores the tension between the material and the spiritual, the transient and the eternal. His Duino Elegies, written between 1912 and 1922, reflect his preoccupation with metaphysical longing, artistic creation, and the terror inherent in beauty. These elegies were influenced by his experiences in Duino Castle, as well as his readings in philosophy, art, and mysticism. Rilke’s writing often places human existence in contrast to the divine or the infinite, emphasizing a feeling of estrangement and the necessity of transformation through suffering and embracing it as much as the nurturing solitude offered by life to us, which he expresses as being not just beneficial but necessary. He deeply valued solitude, seeing it as essential for personal and artistic growth. He believed that solitude was not loneliness but a necessary state for self-discovery, inner strength, and creativity. Rilke viewed solitude as a way to confront one’s deepest thoughts and emotions, fostering a deeper understanding of oneself and the world. In Letters to a Young Poet, he advised embracing solitude rather than fearing it, arguing that it allows individuals to develop independence, patience, and emotional depth. He saw solitude as a space where one's soul could mature, free from external distractions and societal pressures. According to Rilke, true love and relationships could only flourish when individuals had first cultivated their own inner world, making solitude a foundation for authentic connections. For Rilke, solitude was not an escape but a path to wisdom, self-sufficiency, and a richer, more meaningful life. He believed that in solitude, one could listen to the whispers of the soul, unlocking creativity and personal transformation.

Use of Classical Concepts with in The First Elegy

Angels as Platonic Forms or Divine Messengers The poem opens with a desperate cry (which, to me, was reminiscent of the opening lines of Homer's Iliad): “Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the Angels’ Orders?”

Rilke’s angels are not comforting figures but rather terrifying beings whose essence is too overwhelming for humans to bear. This aligns with classical and Neoplatonic views of divine beings as existing on a higher plane of reality, beyond human comprehension.

The idea that “Every Angel is terrifying” evokes the Greek concept of daimons—spiritual intermediaries between gods and humans in Platonic thought, which could be either enlightening or overwhelming.

Beauty and Terror—The Sublime in Classical Aesthetics “For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror, which we can still barely endure.”

This reflects a classical and Romantic notion of the sublime, where beauty is intertwined with awe and fear. The Greeks associated beauty (kalon) with both harmony and a kind of divine mystery that could lead to madness, as seen in the myths of Phaedra or Pentheus.

Alienation and the Stoic Worldview “Not Angels, not humans, and the sly animals see at once how little at home we are in the interpreted world.”

This echoes the Stoic perspective on human beings as estranged from a rational universe, struggling to interpret existence in meaningful terms. The idea of the interpreted world suggests an awareness that human perception is limited and filtered through subjective understanding.

Classical Lament and Mythology

The poem references the myth of Linos, a legendary musician mourned in ancient Greek laments. “Is it a tale told in vain, that myth of lament for Linos, in which a daring first music pierced the shell of numbness?”

The death of Linos, often seen as a foundational moment in the development of song and poetry, reflects Rilke’s belief in suffering as the origin of artistic creation. This aligns with the classical idea that poetry arises from grief, as seen in Orpheus’s lament for Eurydice.

Heroism and Fate “Remember: the hero lives on, even his downfall was only a pretext for attained existence.”

This recalls the Homeric and tragic Greek conception of heroism, where the hero’s suffering and death are not simply personal losses but transformative moments that give meaning to existence. Rilke’s hero transcends mere mortality by achieving a state of eternal significance, much like Achilles or Heracles.

Transformation and the Arrow as a Metaphor “The way the arrow, suddenly all vector, survives the string to be more than itself.”

This is reminiscent of Aristotelian and Platonic ideas of potentiality and actualization. The arrow is a symbol of release from earthly attachments, reflecting the classical idea that true existence lies beyond the constraints of the material world.

In Conclusion

Rilke’s First Elegy is a meditation on human limitation, divine terror, and the need to embrace suffering as a path to transformation. Through classical concepts—Platonic transcendence, the sublime, mythological lament, and heroic endurance—Rilke connects ancient wisdom with modern existential longing. His poetry echoes the classical world’s awareness of mortality, beauty, and the pursuit of meaning beyond the tangible realm.

Swiss Guard in the Portico of the Basilica, Rome, by Moonlight Franz Ludwig Catel, German artist Art details, 1778–1856

CLASSICAL LIT MEME: (3/10) plays or books

Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus

CRATUS We’ve come to the ends of the earth, to Scythia, barren and deserted. Now, Hephaestus, carry out the orders of your father Zeus: shackle our criminal here to this towering cliff, in unbreakable chains made of adamant.

Prometheus bound (Ancient Greek: Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης, Promētheus Desmōtēs) is a tragedy, considered to be one of the seven remaining plays written by Aeschylus (although some scholars consider that it could have been written by someone else). It narrates the story of how Prometheus was chained to a mountain in the Caucasus as a punishment for stealing the fire from Zeus to give it to mankind.

The characters are Cratus (Power), Bia (Force), Hephaestus, Prometheus, Oceanus, Io and Hermes. The choir is composed by Oceanids, daughters of Oceanus. After being chained to the mountain by Cratus, Bia and Hephaestus, Prometheus is visited by the choir of Oceanids, which attempt to comfort him and he foresees his first prophecy: a potential marriage that could lead to Zeus’s end (the audience already knows that he is talking about Thetis, mother of Achilles). Oceanus, the ancient Titan, tries to convince him to make peace with the king of the gods, but Prometheus instead starts to list all the things he taught to humans (Catalogue of Arts). Prometheus is then visited by Io, one of Zeus’s unfortunate lovers: she’s been turned into a cow and chased by Zeus’s jealous wife, Hera. Prometheus prophetizes that she will bear Zeus’s sone Ephapus in Egypt and that one of his descendants will finally free him (referring to Heracles). At last appears Hermes, the gods’ messanger, which says that Zeus wants tp know what is the dangerous marriage the treathens him. After Prometheus’s refusal, he is casted into the abyss by a thunderbolt sent by Zeus. In this play Prometheus is very different from the one described by Hesiod: from a trickster he becomes a benefactor, a martyr. The play was meant to be the first of a trilogy composed by other two plays, Prometheus Unbound and Prometheus the Fire-Bringer, whom have survived just a few fragments. The variety of characters is the most incredible trait of this play: we have two personifications (Cratos and Bia), two titans (Prometheus and Oceanus), two gods (Hephaestus and Hermes) and one single mortal. This allowed Aeschylus to mix and intertwine many different myths. Other than focusing on Prometheus’s myth (there is no mention to Pandora or Epimetheus), he focuses on the future generation of heroes (Heracles and Achilles). Also the presence of Oceanus and Oceanids recalls a mix of natural elements: typically, mountains mean air, height (the eagle that eats Prometheus’s liver belongs to this idea) while the presence of Oceanus and his daughters makes us think more about water.

“Guido Galli’s 1918 statue of Mary as “Queen of Peace” in St. Mary Major. It was commissioned by Pope Benedict XV in response to the First World War.” Source: chinagoth on twitter