Rainer Maria Rilke's Spiritual Poetics

This lecture takes transformation as a through-line through Rainer Maria Rilke’s work, from just earliest poems to his last. Although this lecture contains some helpful academic elements, it’s mostly a meditation. In our readings of Rilke tonight, we’ll consider how encountering art and reading poetry is a spiritual practice that you may need. It is a way to tend what Rilke called the “Temple Within.” And along the way, as always, I attend closely to the elements of his poetry.

Teaser 0:00-0:36
Rilke's Spiritual Poetics 0:36-7:00
"The Panther" 7:00-15:10
"The Torso of Apollo" 15:10-29:08
The Elegies 29:08-45:09