Rilke RM and Ukraine, Russia


As you already know, a great influence on the personality of Rilke was his journey through Russia and Ukraine. He met with outstanding figures of Russian culture, was interested in the life of the people. The poet visited Yasnaya Polyana, where he met Leo Tolstoy. The last year of his life corresponded with Boris Pasternak and Marina Tsvetaeva. He dedicated the Russian poetess to the poem “Elegy”. Shocked by Rilke’s death, Marina Tsvetaeva wrote the poem “New Year’s”, which sounds like a kind of appeal to a friend who left the life, but remained forever in the soul of the poetess.

Rilke translated into German “The Lay of Igor’s Regiment”, A. Chekhov’s play “The Seagull”, the poem by M. Lermontov. His works were translated into Russian by many translators, in particular B. Pasternak.

Rilke spent about two weeks in Kiev. He was so impressed by his greatness and beauty that he even thought about permanently settling in this city, which he called “close to God.” Most of the poet was attracted to religious monuments of antiquity: Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, St. Sophia’s Cathedral, monasteries and churches. Rilke read the works of T. Shevchenko in Russian, was interested in his paintings. The poet visited the grave of the Great Kobzar in Kanev. Many of Rilke’s works are inspired by Ukrainian impressions, especially the poem “The house is lonely on the edge of the village…”, the poem “Karl XII, the King of Sweden, riding the steppes of Ukraine”, as well as the stories “The Song of Truth” and “How Old Timothy Sang While Dying” . Among the translators of Rilke’s works in Ukrainian are such famous poets as Mykola Bazhan,


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Rilke RM and Ukraine, Russia