My eyes already touch the sunny hill.
going far beyond the road I have begun,
So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;
it has an inner light, even from a distance-
we already are; a gesture waves us on
answering our own wave…
but what we feel is the wind in our faces.
~ Translated by Robert Bly
Spiritual Renewal
Rainer Maria Rilke captures in the brevity of this poem, an immense idea, which reaches beyond walking in nature on an earthy path, with the light of the sky ahead. Far be it from Rilke to simply assert the stroller’s unity with nature. A walk can be beneficial in more than one way. It can clear cobwebs from the mind, facilitate the solving of a problem, quell inner chatter, soften the buffets of a difficult day. Yet Rilke suggests something even deeper. A nature walk in this poem, where we see a sunny hill, takes us into the mystery of our being. The landscape has “an inner light, even from a distance.” The light is somehow recognizable, and evokes a wave of greeting. In response,
“a gesture waves us on,” and communication has occurred. However, Rilke doesn’t pretend to have an explanation for that communal experience, other than to say, “we are grasped by what we cannot grasp.” But we are gifted by the breath of wind we feel in our faces. Wind, in many religious and mythical traditions, is understood to be the breath of divinity.
Rilke’s poem offers the blessing of taking a walk, which when we feel the wind, is a reminder of our own divine essence.
Do you have a favorite place to walk where you feel a respite, and at the same time a certain “connectivity”?
