Angel in "Elegy for Duino" -- Western Traditional Classics and Interpretations

Author: (Austrian) Rilke et al., translated by Lin Ke
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Rilke and Eliot enjoy extremely high prestige in 20th-century literary history. The Waste Land and The Duino Elegies are regarded as two "heavenly books" in the history of modern poetry, with both linguistic creativity and profound thought reaching an unattainable level. Rilke began writing The Duino Elegies in 1912 at Duino Castle on the Adriatic coast and completed it in 1922 at Muzot Castle in Switzerland, a process spanning ten years. This work consists of ten elegies and, together with The Sonnets to Orpheus, forms the crystallization of Rilke's philosophical thought, captivatingly presenting the confusion over the basis of individual survival's meaning in the modern world. Philosophers like Heidegger see the modern problem of metaphysics in Rilke's poetry, while theologians see the modern problem of Christian theology—Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar once said that Rilke's poetry is imbued with transformed traditional theological motifs. The purpose of compiling this collection is to provide a basic literature for a deeper understanding of the theological thought in Rilke's poetry. In addition to the translations of The Duino Elegies and The Sonnets to Orpheus, Lessing's "Rilke's Religious Views" offers a comprehensive and critical analysis of Rilke's theological thought. Some religious materials from Rilke's diaries and letters provided in the article are quite rare and suitable for introductory study. The Guarnieri article is the second chapter of his book on interpreting The Duino Elegies. The concept of the "angel" is a decisive element in Rilke's theological thought, and Guarnieri's analysis helps us gain a deeper understanding of Rilke's poetry.