This is probably my favorite poem. It's composed by Rainer Maria Rilke, and translated by Stephen Mitchell. Out of all of the poems in Mitchell's "Selected Poetry" book, this one stayed with me for awhile. So long, in fact, that I memorized the whole thing and used it for my poetry program last year when I forgot a poem.
on some unsayable carpet, lovers displayed
what they never could bring to mastery here – the bold
exploits of their high-flying hearts,
their towers of pleasure, their ladders
that have long since been standing where there was no ground, leaning
just on each other, trembling,
what they never could bring to mastery here – the bold
exploits of their high-flying hearts,
their towers of pleasure, their ladders
that have long since been standing where there was no ground, leaning
just on each other, trembling,
- and could master all this,
before the surrounding spectators, the innumerable soundless dead:
Would these, then, throw down their final, forever saved-up,
forever hidden, unknown to us, eternally valid
coins of happiness
before the surrounding spectators, the innumerable soundless dead:
Would these, then, throw down their final, forever saved-up,
forever hidden, unknown to us, eternally valid
coins of happiness
before the at-last genuinely smiling pair
on the gratified carpet?
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