And these things that keep alive on departure know that you praise them; transient, they look to us, the most transient, to be their rescue. They want us to change them completely, in our invisible hearts, into -- O endlessly -- us! Whoever, finally, we may be.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the relationship between our transient existence and the desire for deeper connection and transformation.
Rainer Maria Rilke's quote explores the intricate bond between human beings and the ephemeral nature of life. It highlights the yearning for connection and the role we play in the lives of others, suggesting that we possess the power to transform not only ourselves but also the transient aspects of existence that seek our acknowledgment and love. The notion that these transient things look to us for rescue implies that our interactions and emotions can provide meaning and permanence amidst the fleeting nature of life.
In practice
This quote can inspire a discussion on the nature of love and connection at a wedding.
Spring has again returned. _x000D_ _x000D_ The Earth is like a child that knows many poems._x000D_ _x000D_ Many, O so many. For the hardship_x000D_ _x000D_ of such long learning she receives the prize._x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ Strict was her teacher. _x000D_ _x000D_ The white in the old man's beard pleases us._x000D_ _x000D_ Now, what to call green, to call blue,_x000D_ _x000D_ we dare to ask: She knows, She knows!
Verses are not, as people think, feelings (those one has early enough) -- they are experiences. For the sake of a verse one must see many cities, men, and things, one must know the animals feel how birds fly, and know the gesture with which the little flowers open in the morning.
a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude
He reproduced himself with so much humble objectivity, with the unquestioning, matter of fact interest of a dog who sees himself in a mirror and thinks: there's another dog.
The only journey is the one within.
And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been
Thought is essentially practical in the sense that but for thought no motion would be an action, no change a progress.
Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.
All new news is old news happening to new people
Most men, after a little freedom, have preferred authority with the consoling assurances and the economy of effort it brings.
Past humanity is not only implicit in each new man born but is contained in him. Humanity is an ever-widening spiral and life is the beam that plays briefly on each succeeding ring. All humanity from its beginning to its end is already present but the beam has not yet played beyond you.
To survive as a species on this planet, we're going to have to see ourselves as Earthlings.
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