Friday, June 19, 2020

The Panther

Listen to: 

The Panther (1:01)

By Rainer Maria Rilke

Translated by Jessie Lemont 

performed by Bob Gonzalez, rhapsode


His weary glance, from passing by the bars, 
Has grown into a dazed and vacant stare;
It seems to him there are a thousand bars 
And out beyond those bars the empty air.

The pad of his strong feet, that ceaseless sound 
Of supple tread behind the iron bands,
Is like a dance of strength circling around, 
While in the circle, stunned, a great will stands.

But there are times the pupils of his eyes 
Dilate, the strong limbs stand alert, apart, 
Tense with the flood of visions that arise 
Only to sink and die within his heart.

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