Poems to Night

In 1916, Rainer Maria Rilke presented his friend Rudolf Kassner with a notebook, containing twenty-two poems meticulously inscribed in his own hand and bearing the title Poems to Night. This evocative sequence of poems, which echoes some of the great themes of German romanticism, is now thought to represent one of the key stages in the creative breakthrough and spiritual evolution of the preeminent European poet of the twentieth century. This collection brings all the poems together in English for the first time and is enhanced by a rich selection of further poems Rilke dedicated to night at various stages of his life. The Poems to Night and the background to them are illuminated by the translator's valuable introduction.

In 1916, Rainer Maria Rilke i-a prezentat prietenului sau Rudolf Kassner un caiet, care continea douazeci si doua de poezii inscriptionate cu meticulozitate in propria mana si purtand titlul Poezii catre noapte. Aceasta secventa evocatoare de poezii, care ecoua unele dintre marile teme ale romantismului german, este acum considerata a reprezenta una dintre etapele cheie in progresul creativ si evolutia spirituala a preeminentului poet european al secolului XX.