Loneliness Poem by Rainer Maria Rilke

Loneliness

Rating: 3.1


Being apart and lonely is like rain.
It climbs toward evening from the ocean plains;
from flat places, rolling and remote, it climbs
to heaven, which is its old abode.
And only when leaving heaven drops upon the city.

It rains down on us in those twittering
hours when the streets turn their faces to the dawn,
and when two bodies who have found nothing,
dissapointed and depressed, roll over;
and when two people who despise eachother
have to sleep together in one bed-

that is when loneliness receives the rivers...

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Aashish Ameya 29 March 2008

superb....loneliness is eternal source of happiness...

3 2 Reply
Kumari Stevenson 08 September 2014

I think this poem about being loneliness is a nice poem even though people go through this every day of their lives and the poet is saying that being apart and lonely is like rain I think loneliness for some people might think they are standing in the rain without anyone noticing. and how it climbs towards evening from the ocean plains; that reminds me that loneliness builds up after a long time in our lives. It can be a horrible thing to feel if you feel like that all the time it can get to you after a while if you don't handle it at that time.

3 1 Reply
Retno Iswandari 11 June 2009

metaphoric, another way to read 'loneliness' and 'two people who despise eachother'.

2 1 Reply
Mj Lemon 27 October 2016

This is a brilliant poem. In this age of social media, the first few lines of the second stanza can take on a whole new nuanced meaning.

1 0 Reply
Mountain Man 01 May 2017

Bulls eye with this poem.

1 0 Reply

Loneliness loveliness poem.two people who despise each other.

0 0 Reply
Chloe 04 February 2020

“Roll over.”, really something to think deep about.

0 0 Reply
Adeeb Alfateh 03 February 2020

loneliness loveliness beautiful poem

0 0 Reply
Charis Varnadore 05 July 2018

The reading of poetry on Poem Hunter is atrocious! ! !

1 0 Reply
Dr Shakira Nandini 17 November 2017

nice poetry. your feeling same as mine

0 0 Reply
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Rainer Maria Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke

Prague / Czech Republic
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