Letters to a Young Poet (A Penguin Classics Hardcover)

Louth's translation of Rilke's  Letters to a Young Poet  is a mediocre translation, does not match that of M.D. Herter Norton's ( Letters to a Young Poet ), whose quintessential translation must be the standard for all others of Rilke's work. You cannot see it the following pages in the Look Inside feature, but the following famous passage in Letter 8 is an excellent example. "Mr. Kappus," the young poet, might as well be us, and the passage can be read without the words "dear Mr. Kappus" and stands alone -- at least in the M.D. Herter Norton translation.M.D. Herter Norton's translation ( Letters to a Young Poet ), Letter 8, reads: "How should we be able to forget those ancient myths that are the beginning of all peoples? The myths about dragons that, at the last moment, turn into princesses. Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses, who are only waiting to see us, once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is, in its deepest being, something helpless that wants help from us. So, you must not be frightened, dear Mr. Kappus, if a sadness rises up before you, larger than any you have ever seen. If a restiveness like light and cloud-shadows, passes over your hands and over all you do. You must think that something is happening to you. That life has not forgotten you. That it holds you in its hand. It will not let you fall. Why do you want to shut out of your life any agitation, any pain, any melancholy, since you do really do not know what these states are working upon you? ..."Compare this to Charlie Louth's translation of this same passage in Letter 8 ( Letters to a Young Poet ):"How can we forget those ancient myths found at the beginnings of all peoples? The myths about the dragons who at the last moment turn into princesses? Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses, only waiting for the day when they will see us handsome and brave? Perhaps everything terrifying is deep down a helpless thing that needs our help. So, dear Mr. Kappus, you shouldn't be dismayed if a sadness rises up in front of you, greater than any you have ever seen before; or if a disquiet plays over your hands and over all your doings like light and cloud-shadow. You must think that something is happening with you; that life has not forgotten you; that it holds you in its hand; it will not let you fall. Why should you want to exclude from your life all unsettling, all pain, all depression of spirit, when you don't know what work it is these states are performing within you? ... "Note that word order in changed in by Louth to give a different meaning, and this is often the case.Also, compare to Stephen Mitchell's translation of the passage in Letter 8 ( Letters to a Young Poet (Modern Library)  and ( Letters to a Young Poet ):"How could we forget those ancient myths that stand the beginning of all the races, the myths about dragons that are at the last moment transformed into princesses? Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love. So you mustn't be frightened, dear Mr. Kappus, if a sadness rises up in front of you, larger than any you have ever seen; if an anxiety, like light and cloud-shadows, moves over your hands and over everything you do. You must realize that something is happening to you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall. Why to you want to shut out of your life any uneasiness, any misery, any depression. since after all you don't know what work these conditions are doing inside you?...."Really, "that wants our love"? Our LOVE? No reason for this translator's license, none at all. Mitchell's translation likewise strips the Letters of poetry, and, of note, his introduction to the Letters is somewhat bizarre.If one goes further back in this letter, to Rilke's discussion of solitude, the demarcation between the beautiful and the mediocre translation is equally clear. I find M.D. Herter Norton's translation by far the most beautiful, poetic and meaningful, although reading other translations can add to the reader's understanding, or else, show the reader which translation speaks to him.On the other hand, here is an opportunity to compare, free of charge, three translations. I have chosen to confine myself to the translation by M.D. Herter Norton's of Rilke's  Letters to a Young Poet , since I don't want to interrupt the flow of reading as I study these great letters, and feel it is best to choose one. It is a shame the M.D. Herter Norton translation is not currently in print in hardcover. Still, there are used copies to be found and I'd rather buy several paperback copies of Norton's than have a nice looking hardcover of a mediocre translation.

I’m stunned.First, a few disclaimers. I’m not a poet or an academic. Likewise, Rilke would likely tell you to put little stock in Amazon reviews as he writes of literary critics the following: “And let me at once make his request: read as little as possible in the way of aesthetics and criticism— it will either be partisan views, fossilized and made meaningless in its lifeless rigidity, or it will be neat wordplay, where one opinion will triumph one day and the opposite the next.”That said, I can only recommend you make the purchase, particularly if you stumbled upon this book. Several passages moved me in a way that has genuinely expanded my interest in both literary works and personal introspection. I’ve included below one of my favorites.There are several translations out there and I’m not in the position to assess one over the other. I can only say I found the language rich and personal. I compared three of my favorite passages to other translations and did not feel disserved by Louth’s work.

I bought this as a gift since it had been recommended to me by professors and friends - it has arrived damaged. The inside looks fine but the spine is already cracked (leaving an ugly crease), there is a scratch in the cover that's yellow for some reason, and the the bottom right has what appears to be an oil stain (??) and is creased. The packing is fine so this must have happened before shipment.I don't have time to return this and get a new one since its for someone else.Overall I am very disappointed in the quality of what claimed to be a new book

I'm a musician - the hastiness that I always felt when I trying to express my feelings is always a harsh and turbulent issue I have to dealt with everyday. And this is the book I seek for advices when I'm overwhelmed.The first time I read this book is when I was seventeen. I'm twenty-six now, and the wise words of Rilke's still comfort me and aid me in my path of pursuing my own expressions. I don't know whether those words will fade eventually or lost their weight in the unpredictable and changeable future, but the gifts I'd received are already proven worthwhile.

I only wish I had read this for a class, so I could've understood it better.

i wanted a beautiful edition as a gift for a young poet and i was surprised at how beautiful this edition is. the photos don't do it justice.

This is a must read for any artist (regardless of medium) and anyone else with a desire to grow. Rilke confronts not only craft, but love, solitude, and more. I gift this to many friends.

One of the more important books in my life. I've read and reread it for over 4 decades. I read Letters for inspiration, for comfort, for sheer pleasure at the lyricism. I've also been buying copies for friends and younger family members for that long.

O livro chegou rápido e em perfeitas condições. Recomendo.

If you ever wanted a life line from far off to offer support and insight to your solitary path, this would be one of the books to consider.

It is a collection of letters written by Rilke, addressed to a young person named Franz Xaver Kappus between the years 1903-04 from various locations in Europe such as Paris, Pisa, Rome, Florence, and Sweden while traveling. Kappus wants to write poetry and is unsure of his writing, so he decides to seek Rilke's advice who is an alumni of the military academy in Wiener Neustadt which Kappus also attended. The very first letter begins with a little discussion on the poems Rilke has been sent by this young writer, and is followed by a unexpected measure of generosity from this great poet towards a complete stranger who is just starting out as a poet. I cannot even come close to writing a summary of all that these letters contain, for it is beyond my capacity to try and encapsulate Rilke, but I shall advise everyone to read this slim book. It talks about God, love, the unsayable, death, and criticism amongst other things. I feel shocked that someone of Rilke's stature would be so unassuming of himself to respond to someone's letters with such interest and love. He opens himself up wholly to each word that is communicated to him by this young admirer and writes his response with such passion and faith as if this correspondence between them was all that ever mattered to him. I love him so much is all I can say presently. I wish I could write a proper review instead of gushing my feelings out, but such is the effect these letters have upon you.

Aren't any Rilke's letters quotable material? Because I've found his words powerful and full of insights; Rilke is brilliant and humble into his responses to Kappus: unfortunately we can't exactly know what Kappus wrote to him, but through Rilke's explanatory answers we can still find a common thread between one letter and another. There is a lot of ideas and advice for those who want to start writing or love art, life and everything that represents it in this little book. I wish I could exchange letters with Rilke myself.

Really beautiful book that I'm proud to have on my shelf, a great and quick read of a classic.