Sunset by Rainer Maria Rilke Poem Analysis
A Rainer Maria Rilke poem analysis on theme and imagery within his piece titled, Sunset. This examination challenges his perspective of life and death, he sees the two as a division where I find their unity and harmony.
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About the Author:
1875–1926: Rainer Maria Rilke was an Austrian poet and novelist. Recognized for his lyrical German poems, he crafted expressions aiding answers to life, beauty, death, and spirituality.
For context on this analysis, read the poem, here.
What the sunset symbolizes in the poem
Rilke is one of my favorite poets. He has a way of mixing words with beautiful imagery that bring me to my knees.
This poem made me reflect on his view of life and death as an entity that pulls apart from one another. It seems he feels they cannot coexist; this may be him trying to understand death given his religious influence.
Rilke grew up Catholic and although he left the religion, he still believed in God. The first two stanzas made me feel that the sunset is the imagery that divides one world and the next. In crafting this poem, he seeks to figure out humanity and eternity but only sees them as separate entities.
I challenge to see how death and life merge.
When the sun sets to the west and the colors in the atmosphere mix, the composition of the golden hues magnetizes our eyes. The clouds bend as if they are two dance partners in a ballet. Then a celestial presence emerges when the baby blue sky fades behind the mountain range, shifting to sapphire. The world shifts from daylight to night, and both worlds bring different elements to life. They are two worlds divided.
In the poem, the sunset is the entity that guides us from one plane to the next, but not as a division because day and night coexist. There is not one without the other; both are present to unify a wholeness. Like humans, we are both lightness and darkness. As psychologist Dr. Jordan B. Peterson expresses it, "we must integrate our shadows."
Rilke may be battling the darkness and light of life. We cannot understand death, merely experience it. The journey to the eternal is revealed to us in due time. This concept is challenging to accept because people tether themselves to the physical world. Life isn’t a straight path because it's full of bends that must be traveled with care and courage.
Sunset by Rilke Poem Analysis:
Imagery:
Rilke does a beautiful job painting a picture of a sunset. When he expresses the shadows and their division, we see it before our eyes, or we may recall one.
The ending lines of each stanza echo the same idea Rilke is expressing. The physical part of us— our bodies sink to the earth— while our soul turns into a star.
Theme:
Humanity divides the world into two: negative and positive. A sunset shows us their mixture, and for a moment we understand both. For unity within the soul, we must acknowledge the duality and complexity of our humanity. Nature is the greatest teacher. Not every element of darkness is bad, but it can be symbolized as the celestial or deadened elements of our world. Light is seen as divine, open, and alive. This makes it appear positive, but you cannot have one without the other.
Rilke helps us view the physical and the eternal worlds around us. Questioning its meaning and existence is a tangled mess that can lead down different paths but seeking is the first step to understanding. Reflecting on this poem can help us see the unification of life and death.
Tell us what this poem makes you feel. We’d love to hear your perspective in the comments below!
