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| DaVinci's Last Supper |
The Last Supper
by Rainer Maria Rilke
Translated by Albert Ernest Flemming
© by owner. provided at no charge for educational purposes
Upon seeing Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper", Milan 1904,
the unnamed poet wrote the following verses:
They are assembled, astonished and disturbed
round him, who like a sage resolved his fate,
and now leaves those to whom he most belonged,
leaving and passing by them like a stranger.
The loneliness of old comes over him
which helped mature him for his deepest acts;
now will he once again walk through the olive grove,
and those who love him still will flee before his sight.
To this last supper he has summoned them,
and (like a shot that scatters birds from trees)
their hands draw back from reaching for the loaves
upon his word: they fly across to him;
they flutter, frightened, round the supper table
searching for an escape. But he is present
everywhere like an all-pervading twilight-hour.
Here they are gathered, wondering and deranged,
Round Him, who wisely doth Himself inclose,
And who now takes Himself away, estranged,
From those who owned Him once, and past them
flows.
He feels the ancient loneliness to-day
That taught Him all His deepest acts of love;
Now in the olive groves He soon will rove,
And these who love Him all will flee away.
To the last supper table He hath led.
As birds are frightened from a garden-bed
By shots, so He their hands forth from the bread
Doth frighten by His word: to Him they flee;
Then flutter round the table in their fright
And seek a passage from the hall. But He
Is everywhere, like dusk at fall of night.
- by Rainer Maria Rilke
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round him, who like a sage resolved his fate,
and now leaves those to whom he most belonged,
leaving and passing by them like a stranger.
The loneliness of old comes over him
which helped mature him for his deepest acts;
now will he once again walk through the olive grove,
and those who love him still will flee before his sight.
To this last supper he has summoned them,
and (like a shot that scatters birds from trees)
their hands draw back from reaching for the loaves
upon his word: they fly across to him;
they flutter, frightened, round the supper table
searching for an escape. But he is present
everywhere like an all-pervading twilight-hour.
Here they are gathered, wondering and deranged,
Round Him, who wisely doth Himself inclose,
And who now takes Himself away, estranged,
From those who owned Him once, and past them
flows.
He feels the ancient loneliness to-day
That taught Him all His deepest acts of love;
Now in the olive groves He soon will rove,
And these who love Him all will flee away.
To the last supper table He hath led.
As birds are frightened from a garden-bed
By shots, so He their hands forth from the bread
Doth frighten by His word: to Him they flee;
Then flutter round the table in their fright
And seek a passage from the hall. But He
Is everywhere, like dusk at fall of night.
- by Rainer Maria Rilke
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Analysis (ai)
This poem explores themes of abandonment and loneliness through the lens of Jesus's Last Supper. It captures the disciples' confusion and fear as Jesus prepares to depart, highlighting their sense of isolation and impending loss. The poem's imagery of a "shot" and "birds" conveys the sudden and disruptive nature of Jesus's words, while the twilight-like atmosphere suggests an all-encompassing sense of mystery and foreboding. In comparison to Rilke's other works, this poem exhibits a similar preoccupation with the human condition and the transformative power of art. It also reflects the modernist sensibility of the early 20th century, characterized by fragmentation, ambiguity, and a fascination with the inner workings of the mind.
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Commentary by Patrick Comerford
Rilke’s haunting images focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety: themes that tend to position him as a transitional figure between the traditional and the modernist poets. He wrote this poem after seeing Leonardi Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ in Milan in 1904, and this translation of the poem is by Albert Ernest Fleming.
René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (1875-1926), better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian-Austrian poet, and is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language.
He was born in Prague on 4 December 1875 in Prague, which was then the capital of Bohemia, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
He wrote in both verse and a highly lyrical prose. He is probably best-known to English-language readers for his Duino Elegies. TS Eliot says, reading Rilke’s ‘Duino Elegies,’ it is not important that we agree with the muddle of his life-philosophy – but only see into the poetic rhetoric he exhorts and exults in.
Rilke’s two most famous prose works are the Letters to a Young Poet and the semi-autobiographical Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
He also wrote more than 400 poems in French, dedicated to his homeland of choice, the Swiss canton of Valais, although he called two places his home – Bohemia and Russia. He died on 29 December 1926 in Montreaux, Switzerland.
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| Poet Rainer Maria Rilke |
Famous poet /1875-1926 • Ranked #22 in the top 500 poets
Rainer Maria Rilke is considered one of the most lyrically intense German-language poets. His work spans the late 19th and early 20th centuries, bridging the gap between the traditional Romantic era and the rising tide of Modernism. Rilke’s enduring appeal stems from his ability to capture the complexities of human emotion and the search for meaning in an increasingly uncertain world.
His poetry is characterized by a profound sensitivity to the subtle nuances of language. He explored themes of love, loss, faith, and the nature of existence, often through the use of evocative imagery and symbolism. Rilke's exploration of inwardness, his focus on subjective experience, and his experimentation with form and language, prefigured many aspects of Modernist poetry.
His influence can be seen in the works of other poets who grappled with existential questions and sought new modes of expression, including T.S. Eliot, W.B. Yeats, and Marina Ivanova Tsvetaeva. Rilke’s legacy continues to inspire readers and writers today, inviting them to confront the fundamental questions of existence and to find solace and beauty in the face of uncertainty.
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