In Praise of Mortality: Selections from Rainer Maria Rilke's Duino Elegies and Sonnets to Orpheus

by Joanna Macy (Translator), Anita Barrows (Translator)

Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetry offers a rare combination of insight, beauty, and accessibility that has delighted readers for generations. Beloved for its unique lyrical style and musical language, his work stands as some of the most remarkable poetry of the past one hundred years. In Praise of Mortality is an artfully curated selection of poems from Sonnets to Orpheus and Duino Elegies that investigate the emotional and psychological impact of the industrial revolution, and meditate on themes of impermanence and the steady passage of time. Barrows, an award-winning poet herself, and Macy, a well-known spiritual teacher, bring to their translations a striking sensitivity to the subtle currents of the work, approaching the poems with a fresh perspective that highlights the delicacy of their craft and beauty. With a deep reverence for nature and a singular ability to embody the tenuous connection between the spiritual and material, Rilke’s sonnets and elegies are a thoughtful antidote to the distractions, noise, and ever-increasing pace of the modern world.

Genres: Poetry

174 pages, Hardcover

Published January 30, 2019

About the author

Dr. Joanna Rogers Macy (1929-2025), activist, ecologist and author, was one of the pioneers of engaged Buddhism. Her online work includes the article "World as Lover, World as Self"; "Bestiary" (an ode to wildlife); Nuclear Guardianship, her testimony at the World Uranium Hearings in Salzburg, 1992; and The Vegan Vision, on the ethics of a vegan diet. Her other books include Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory: The Dharma of Natural Systems, World as Lover, World as Self and Rilke's Book of Hours.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spring 2021 - Poetry Class at EdCC Creative Retirement Institute

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as an introduction to Rilke's poetry. Obviously, there is much more to learn about and from him, which I intend to pursue.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read part of this when it was actually cool on the quad one morning while drinking iced coffee and almost started crying