Along the Sun-Drenched Roadside

Rainer Maria Rilke 1875 (Prague) – 1926 (Montreux)



Along the sun-drenched roadside, from the great
hollow half-treetrunk, which for generations
has been a trough, renewing in itself
an inch or two of rain, I satisfy
my thirst: taking the water's pristine coolness
into my whole body through my wrists.
Drinking would be too powerful, too clear;
but this unhurried gesture of restraint
fills my whole consciousness with shining water.

Thus, if you came, I could be satisfied
to let my hand rest lightly, for a moment,
lightly, upon your shoulder or your breast.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 18, 2023

26 sec read
248

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXXXXXXX XXX
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 506
Words 87
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 9, 3

Rainer Maria Rilke

René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke — better known as Rainer Maria Rilke — was a Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist, "widely recognized as one of the most lyrically intense German-language poets", writing in both verse and highly lyrical prose. more…

All Rainer Maria Rilke poems | Rainer Maria Rilke Books

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    "Along the Sun-Drenched Roadside" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/29638/along-the-sun-drenched-roadside>.

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