---
product_id: 1695023
title: "The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke: Bilingual Edition (English and German Edition)"
price: "A$43"
currency: AUD
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reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/1695023-the-selected-poetry-of-rainer-maria-rilke-bilingual-edition-english
store_origin: AU
region: Australia
---

# The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke: Bilingual Edition (English and German Edition)

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- **What is this?** The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke: Bilingual Edition (English and German Edition)
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The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke: Bilingual Edition (English and German Edition) [Rilke, Rainer Maria, Mitchell, Stephen, Mitchell, Stephen, Hass, Robert] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke: Bilingual Edition (English and German Edition)

Review: Excellent! - One of the best poets to ever live, this is a quintessential selection with translations of high quality (judging from my meager German knowledge). Magnificent!
Review: "You must change your life." - Stephen Mitchell is a highly-regarded translator. I appreciate this work--his translations are very poetic, sometimes taking a bit of liberty away from the word-for-word translation. (I studied Translation at university; one of the first aspects we encountered is that there are a number of theories of translation; if you love foreign literature, you've surely encountered a number of these, esp. in poetry.) I taught this book and the students were quite excited by the poetry (if you read German, it is en face), for many their first adventure in translated literature. I also bought Edward Snow's translation of "New Poems" and "New Poems, the Other Part" for comparison with Mitchell--this is interesting, even if you don't read German, because you can decipher some of the German to see how these 2 differ in the application of their theories. Rilke is challenging yet beautiful. Many of my favourite poems are Rilke's. "Archaic Torso of Apollo" is a message for all of us who think about our lives, about who we are and could be. Many of the poems will lead you to contemplation, far beyond the superficial "self-help" industry.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | 0679722017 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #75,976 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #12 in German Poetry (Books) #16 in German Literature (Books) #132 in Love Poems |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (482) |
| Dimensions  | 5.15 x 0.82 x 7.97 inches |
| Edition  | First Edition |
| ISBN-10  | 9780679722014 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0679722014 |
| Item Weight  | 11 ounces |
| Language  | English, German |
| Print length  | 356 pages |
| Publication date  | March 13, 1989 |
| Publisher  | Vintage |

## Images

![The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke: Bilingual Edition (English and German Edition) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91lmW7zJWbL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent!
*by S***E on January 13, 2026*

One of the best poets to ever live, this is a quintessential selection with translations of high quality (judging from my meager German knowledge). Magnificent!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "You must change your life."
*by J***S on September 18, 2025*

Stephen Mitchell is a highly-regarded translator. I appreciate this work--his translations are very poetic, sometimes taking a bit of liberty away from the word-for-word translation. (I studied Translation at university; one of the first aspects we encountered is that there are a number of theories of translation; if you love foreign literature, you've surely encountered a number of these, esp. in poetry.) I taught this book and the students were quite excited by the poetry (if you read German, it is en face), for many their first adventure in translated literature. I also bought Edward Snow's translation of "New Poems" and "New Poems, the Other Part" for comparison with Mitchell--this is interesting, even if you don't read German, because you can decipher some of the German to see how these 2 differ in the application of their theories. Rilke is challenging yet beautiful. Many of my favourite poems are Rilke's. "Archaic Torso of Apollo" is a message for all of us who think about our lives, about who we are and could be. Many of the poems will lead you to contemplation, far beyond the superficial "self-help" industry.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Touched by an Angel
*by O***L on October 12, 2013*

"Oh gather it, Angel, that small-flowered herb of healing, Create a vase and preserve it. Set it among the joys not yet open to us; on that lovely urn praise it with the ornately flowing inscription: "Subrisio Saltat." Rainier Maria Rilke surely was touched by an angel, and through his magnificent poems, so are we. Stephen Mitchell seems to have been touched also by these great spirits when he translated and interpreted almost 300 pages of Rilke's poems and other writings. This generous-hearted book includes selections from Rilke's major works: The Book of Hours; The Book of Pictures; New Poems; Requiem; Uncollected Poems (1913-1918); The Duimo Elegies; The Sonnets to Orpheus; Uncollected Poems (1923-1926);and The Notebooks of Malte Lauris Brigge (prose). Gloriously, all of the Elegies are given. ("Oh gather it, Angel" is from the Fifth Elegy, dedicated to Frau Hertha Koenig.) One can hardly read these, particularly the selections from the "Sonnets to Orpheus," suffused with Rilke's feelings associated with the too-early death of a young girl, without trembling. This book offers riches upon riches: --A wise, informative introductory essay, "Looking for Rilke," by Robert Hass --The poems themselves, in German and English on facing pages --45 pages of notes with many translations of Rilke's letters about the poems --a title & first line index in German and another title & first line index in English The poetry is of profound beauty in both languages. Some believe Rilke may have been the greatest of poets writing in German. Reading the poems aloud in German can help convey one aspect---the play of sound on/in the ear---even if we're not fluent in Rilke's first language. (Later, he wrote in French.) However, Mitchell's wonderful poems in English capture Rilke's voice, the complexity and humanity of his thoughts, and his amazing images. Mitchell gives us the cadence, the style (including Rilke's own changes over the years), and the darkness, angers, longings, questionings, depths & heights of Rilke's feelings. Reader alert: Could other translations be made? Sure, but perhaps not as true to the beauty and power of Rilke, so splendid is Mitchell's achievement. Yet this is a 1982 book, reprinted in 1989 by Vintage International. There are later translations and what some future poet/translator may achieve, who can say? In some places---a very few, in my opinion---perhaps the English word-net has not quite caught the nuances of Rilke's thought. Other reviewers might see more instances, still others none. A reminder too that these are selections from Rilke: parts, not the whole of his work. Some readers may find their favorites missing. For me, Stephen Mitchell's "The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke" is a treasure almost beyond measure----and at used book prices, an outstanding value. Most highly recommended.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke: Bilingual Edition (English and German Edition)
- Letters to a Young Poet (Penguin Classics)
- Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God

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*Product available on Desertcart Australia*
*Store origin: AU*
*Last updated: 2026-01-29*