Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926)
Translation by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows
Widening Circles
Book of Hours, I 2
I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I give myself to it.
I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I’ve been circling for thousands of years
and I still don’t know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?
