Stories of God A New Translation

by RILKE, RAINER MARIA

• ISBN13: 9781590300381
• ISBN10: 1590300386
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-06-10
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

Composed in 1899 when Rilke was only twenty-three, the interconnected tales ofStories of Godwere inspired by a trip to Russia the young poet had made the year previously. It is said that the vastness of the Russian landscape and the profound spirituality he perceived in the simple people he met led him to an experience of finding God in all things, and to the conviction that God seeks to be known by us as passionately as we might seek to know God. All the great themes of Rilke's later powerful and complex poetry can be found in theStories of God, yet their charming, folktale-like quality has made them among the most accessible of Rilke's works, beloved by all ages.

Author Biography

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. His works include Duino Elegies, The Sonnets to Orpheus, and Letters to a Young Poet.

Table of Contents

The Tale of God's Hands	1	(11)
The Stranger	12	(5)
Why the Dear Lord Wants There to Be Poor People	17	(7)
How Treachery Came to Russia	24	(8)
How Old Timofei Died Singing	32	(9)
The Song of Justice	41	(12)
A Scene from the Venice Ghetto	53	(9)
The Man Who Listened to Stones	62	(5)
How the Thimble Came to Be the Dear Lord	67	(8)
A Tale of Death with a Strange Postscript	75	(10)
An Association That Arose Out of a Crying Need	85	(12)
The Beggar and the Proud Maiden	97	(8)
A Story Told to the Darkness	105