Rainer Maria Rilke - You Who Never Arrived

You who never arrived 
in my arms, Beloved, who were lost 
from the start, 
I don't even know what songs 
would please you. I have given up trying 
to recognize you in the surging wave of 
the next moment. All the immense 
images in me -- the far-off, deeply-felt 
landscape, cities, towers, and bridges, and 
unsuspected turns in the path, 
and those powerful lands that were once 
pulsing with the life of the gods-- 
all rise within me to mean 
you, who forever elude me. 

You, Beloved, who are all 
the gardens I have ever gazed at, 
longing. An open window 
in a country house-- , and you almost 
stepped out, pensive, to meet me.
Streets that I chanced upon,-- 
you had just walked down them and vanished. 
And sometimes, in a shop, the mirrors 
were still dizzy with your presence and, 
startled, gave back my too-sudden image.
Who knows? Perhaps the same 

bird echoed through both of us 
yesterday, separate, in the evening... 

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/you-who-never-arrived/

On December 4, 1875, Rainer Maria Rilke was born in Prague, When he was born his parents were unhappy within their marriage . Rilke’s childhood was unhappy.His parents put him in military school with the thought that he become an officer. With the help of his uncle, who saw that Rilke was a highly talented child, Rilke left his military academy and entered a German preparatory school. By the time he enrolled in Charles University in Prague in 1895, he knew that he would pursue a literary career: he had already published his first volume of poetry, Leben und Lieder, the previous year. At the turn of 1895-96, Rilke published his second collection,Larenopfer (Sacrifice to the Lares). A third collection,Traumgekrönt (Dream-Crowned) followed in 1896. That same year, Rilke decided to leave the university for Munich, Germany, and later made his first trip to Italy.

SPEAKER: Based on what we know about the speaker from the poem, our speaker is in love with whom ever he's speaking to. The feelings between the two have clearly been built over a period of time or just a quick connection.

IMAGERY: "All the immense 

images in me -- the far-off, deeply-felt 

landscape, cities, towers, and bridges, and 

unsuspected turns in the path" The speaker is using the sense sight. This part of the poem is just another view from the speaker and whom ever the speaker is talking about.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: "You, Beloved, who are all 

the gardens I have ever gazed at, 

longing" is a metaphor. The speaker is comparing whom ever he/she is speaking about and comparing them to scenery. "Streets that I chanced upon,-- 

you had just walked down them and vanished." which is a metaphor. The speaker is comparing this person leaving to someone disappearing in a magic act. 

TONE: The tone of the poem is passionate with a touch of being shy. The speaker is constantly comparing the person to the beautiful world around our speaker. Whenever he meets the person, he never says what he's thinking.

THEME: When having feelings for someone we should be brave and speak up. Our speaker was at first shy, later finding the person being met felt the same way. The speaker thought through his/her feelings to find the many characteristics he/she (our speaker) admired or enjoyed about the person. Many times the speaker is comparing them to the world around them.