Rainer Maria Rilke (1899) i fear so much the wordof men/ich fürchte der menschen wort

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) Born in Prague, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic), Rainer Maria Rilke became one of the most profound German-language poets. His work is deeply introspective, exploring the fragility of life, human emotion, and the spiritual significance of existence. Rilke often wrestled with feelings of isolation, existential doubt, and intense sensitivity to the world around him. Despite periods of illness and solitude, he remained intellectually sharp and creatively vibrant until his death from leukemia in Montreux, Switzerland in 1926. His poetry captures a unique blend of personal vulnerability and mystical awe, reflecting a mind both anxious and deeply attuned to beauty. Rainer Maria Rilke Ich fürchte mich so vor der Menschen Wort. Sie sprechen alles so deutlich aus: Und dieses heißt Hund und jenes heißt Haus, und hier ist Beginn und das Ende ist dort. Mich bangt auch ihr Sinn, ihr Spiel mit dem Spott, sie wissen alles, was wird und war; kein Berg ist ihnen mehr wunderbar; ihr Garten und Gut grenzt grade an GOTT. Ich will immer warnen und wehren: Bleibt fern. Die Dinge singen hör ich so gern. Ihr rührt sie an: sie sind starr und stumm. Ihr bringt mir alle die Dinge um. —————————————-.R.M.Rilke, 1899 I fear so much the words of men I fear so much the words of men. They speak each thing so bluntly, so clear: “This is a dog, and that a house,” Here begins, and there it ends. I dread their sense, their mocking ways; They claim to know what was, what is, what will be. No mountain keeps its wonder for them; Their garden, their domain, seems to rival GOD. I always wish to warn, to guard: stay away. The things themselves I love to hear sing. You touch, you measure them: rigid, silent, still. You undo all the wonders I love to feel, And sense not Him who dwells in everything.