Rainer Rilke Riddles of Romance and Ravines
The poem Time and Again by Rainer Marie Rilke is one that equivocatingly tells about the process of love in a solemn tone. Rilke explains love as an ongoing process that may be gloomy at first and can even destroy itself. The message is that sticking to each other can have an outcome of infinite love, which is supported through imagery, symbolism, and personification. If a couple can survive the struggle of love, in return, they can have everlasting bliss.
First, Rilke uses an analogy to describe the love. The analogy describe the love as a “landscape” (Line 1). The imagery is how the reader interprets the “landscape”. The reader could decipher as the love being picturesque and perfect beyond the eye could see. The love is created and begins on how “well we know” (line 1) the other person and their love in return. The bond is created and the love is explored between one another. The moral of sticking together to experience absolute love, begins where one first falls in love with what one sees in the other person.
Next, Rilke uses a melancholy way of experiencing a falling out of a relationship. She uses the symbolism of the “frightfully silent ravine” (line 3) to represent a path a relationship can take where “all the others end“ (line 3-4). The “ravine” is where one can drown unexpectedly, due to its quietness. The drowning could portray the death of a relationship or the struggle of one. The theme of Rilke’s poem to stay united no matter what to be exposed to true love is recognized by the strive to be together or how easily a relationship can fall apart.
Thirdly, the poem ascends to a lighter note to exemplify representations of love. Personification is used for coming “face to face with the sky” (line 6). To clarify, the sky’s face is the beginning of a whole new level of intimacy. Love is infinite and everlasting. In this case, sky’s the limit. The poem’s message of staying strong will help a couple’s...