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| Michael R. Burch |
Unbent, unbowed
Unbent,
unbowed,
we
remain, at heart, human,
believing in love
until
the final cessation
and beyond…
***
Archaischer
torso Apollos (“Archaic torso of Apollo”)
by
Rainer Maria Rilke
translation
by Michael R. Burch
We
cannot know the beheaded god
nor
his eyes’ forfeited visions. But still
the
figure’s trunk glows with the strange vitality
of
a lamp lit from within, while his composed will
emanates
dynamism. Otherwise
the
firmly muscled abdomen could not beguile us,
nor
the centering loins make us smile
at
the thought of their generative animus.
Otherwise
the stone might seem deficient,
unworthy
of the broad shoulders, of the groin
projecting
procreation’s triangular spearhead upwards,
unworthy
of the living impulse blazing wildly within
like
an inchoate star—demanding our belief.
You must change your life.
Rilke brought to life, incredible poem. Thanks for the translation.
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