Du im Voraus verlorne Geliebte, Nimmergekommene, nicht wei? ich, welche Tone dir lieb sind. Nicht mehr versuch ich, dich, wenn das Kommende wogt, zu erkennen.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Rilke laments a lost beloved he never met, uncertain of the tones she loved, and stops trying to recognize her as the future approaches.
- In plain terms
- He mourns an unattainable love and gives up trying to understand her.
- What can you take from it?
- Unrequited longing can lead to resignation.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does the 'future' symbolize here?
- How do we cope with imagined loss?
Another view
The poem’s ambiguity limits concrete interpretation.
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