stanza 2

Solitude
Originally uploaded by Giuseppe Scognamiglio Fotografia

I am too alone in the world, and yet not alone enough
to make every hour holy.
I am too small in the world, and yet not tiny enough
just to stand before you like a thing,
dark and shrewd.
I want my will, and I want to be with my will
as it moves towards deed;
and in those quiet, somehow hesitating times,
when something is approaching,
I want to be with those who are wise
or else alone.


Rainer Maria Rilke
I Am Much Too Alone in This World, Yet Not Alone, st. 2 (as translated by Cliff Crego)