DUINO ELEGIES AND THE SONNETS TO ORPHEUS

Devils and angels duke it out in these two verse masterpieces of 1923. They are, in a way, triumphant spiritual and aesthetic responses to the chaos of post WWI Europe by this century's greatest lyric poet. Difficult, if not impossible to translate, the beauty and expressive power of these works is nonetheless evident, albeit diminished, in English. As translator, Stephen Mitchell has done a fantastic job of rendering Rilke's stylistic character. Unfortunately, only poetasters could praise his wimpy, mannered reading, the sole virtue of which is his excellent phrasing. This is lyric. It should sing. All Mitchell can do is hum. Y.R. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 98]