Rainer Maria Rilke 1875-1926.

Overtaken by events and confused by turbulent emotions, words escape me and I've turned to the poems of Rilke in an attempt to get to the heart of how I'm feeling. 'Remembrance' certainly echoes a part of it, but I'm reading an English translation from the original German and I'm sure it falls short of Rilke's intentions; I don't speak German, but if I did I'm sure I would find more beauty, more poetry in his writing.

Remembrance - Rainer Maria Rilke

And you wait, expecting that one thing

that your life endlessly shall multiply;

that one powerful, immense thing,

the awakening of stones,

depths, coming back to you.

Volumes of gold and brown emerge

as dawn out of the bookshelves;

and you reflect upon lands travelled through,

on images, on the garments

of women lost once again.

And then suddenly you realise; that was it.

You rise up and before you stands

the fear and shape and prayer

of a year gone by.

Erinnerung - Rainer Maria Rilke

Und du wartest, erwartest das Eine,

das dein Leben unendlich vermehrt;

das Mächtige, Ungemeine,

das Erwachen der Steine,

Tiefen, dir zugekehrt.

Es dämmern im Bücherständer

die Bände in Gold und Braun;

und du denkst an durchfahrene Länder,

an Bilder, an die Gewänder

wiederverlorener Fraun.

Und da weißt du auf einmal: das war es.

Du erhebst dich, und vor dir steht

eines vergangenen Jahres

Angst und Gestalt und Gebet.

The picture shows the view over Hythe, Hampshire, looking west from my window this morning; a perfect contrast to the turmoil in my head and a salve for my troubled heart.

Click on the link below to find out more about Rilke.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria_Rilke