“The Man Watching” – A Poem on the Spiritual Power of Being Defeated
With an essay by guest writer, Laurie Clark
The Man Watching
By Rainer Maria Rilke
I can tell by the way the trees beat, after
so many dull days, on my worried windowpanes
that a storm is coming,
and I hear the far-off fields say things
I can’t bear without a friend,
I can’t love without a sister.
The storm, the shifter of shapes, drives on
across the woods and across time,
and the world looks as if it had no age:
the landscape, like a line in the psalm book,
is seriousness and weight and eternity.
What we choose to fight is so tiny!
What fights with us is so great.
If only we would let ourselves be dominated
as things do by some immense storm,
we would become strong too, and not need names.
When we win it’s with small things,
and the triumph itself makes us small.
What is extraordinary and eternal
does not want to be bent by us.
I mean the Angel who appeared
to the wrestlers of the Old Testament:
when the wrestlers’ sinews
grew long like metal strings,
he felt them under his fingers
like chords of deep music.
Whoever was beaten by this Angel
(who often simply declined the fight)
went away proud and strengthened
and great from that harsh hand,
that kneaded him as if to change his shape.
Winning does not tempt that man.
This is how he grows: by being defeated, decisively,
by constantly greater beings.
–Translated by Robert Bly
When I read poems by Rainier Maria Rilke, I feel as though I am entering a little temple. Stepping inside this temple door, a veil is lifted from ordinary life and wisps of eternity are echoed. Often sudden and unexpected, the words that Rilke carries into the poem can be abrupt, it can take the breath away and shake the soul awake. Storms of great magnitude can sweep through the being of the reader, stirring up the forgotten places.
writer, Laurie Clark
This poem by Rilke can be interpreted in many various ways. The title of the poem, The Man Watching, suggests that the man is watching himself, observing his inner being as if he were looking down from a high mountain.
It is hard to pin down exactly what is meant in each of Rilke’s stunning works and it may be different for each person. The poem finds its way into the reader and what it brings up within the intimate depths of each person can be remarkably diverse. I will share here how this poem speaks to my heart.
“I can tell by the way the trees beat, after so many dull days, on my worried windowpanes that a storm is coming”
These ‘storms’ that come into our lives across time are our awakeners, they are a friend from eternity coming to remind us of all that we hope to become. The ideals that we brought into this life can be easily forgotten under everyday worries but are roused inside of us as the tempest draws close. The ‘storm‘ can be a tumultuous stirring that can cause worry, but it also has the capacity to draw us towards our future self, it brings us an important reminder of our origin.
“and I hear the far-off fields say things
I can’t bear without a friend,
I can’t love without a sister.”
In the book entitled, Sacred Companions by David Benner, that was recommended by Patrick Kennedy, is a remarkable description of our deep longing for connection with others, this “I can’t bear without a friend”. This hunger to share our lives with our ‘soul friends’ on our pilgrimage through life is so necessary. Perhaps the undeniable yearning that is heard coming from “the far-off fields”, is for the one most sacred companion, the Christ.
“The storm, the shifter of shapes, drives on
across the woods and across time,
And the world looks as if it had no age:
The landscape, like a line in the psalm book,
is seriousness and weight and eternity.”
The storm that is the ‘shifter of shapes’ drives us forwards towards our own becoming. It has the possibility of changing us, ‘shifting our shape’ if we can find the courage to let it find its way into our life. This process awakens the eternal self through the pathways of our everyday life and is often uncomfortable and challenging. The weight of the ‘seriousness’ of this landscape that is enkindled in our soul comes from the spiritual world, where we formed our original intentions that we carried into this life before birth.
“What we choose to fight is so tiny! What fights with us is so great!
What we choose in our lives to come to terms with is ‘tiny’, we don’t want to get too far away from our comfort zone. It can be difficult to accept circumstances that bring painful challenges to us. But the “immense storm” that is about to occur is a gift that may bring new possibilities and encounters that we would not have chosen consciously and asks that we take another step. We can inwardly ‘hear’ messages tapping on the windowpanes of our lives, something great, a transformation is asking to be let in. The higher self, the ‘angel’, is waiting at the door. There is a premonition that the greatness of “what fights with us” is so vast in its depths that it has the possibility of breaking the heart open.
“If only we would let ourselves be dominated
As things do by some immense storm,
When picturing the plant, particularly the rose, we can observe how it accepts with grace whatever is brought to it. When the sun is out, it opens its petals to it, when a great storm comes, it is also compliant with that. The green sap of the rose is accepting, tolerant of whatever comes, living in fulfillment with nature. The red blood of the human being is just the opposite, it brings deep emotions, questioning, passions and reactions to the circumstances (storms) that enter our destiny. Often struggling and wringing our hands in the world of arduous situations, it can be hard to ‘hear’ the message that the storm is bringing.
We would become strong too, and not need names.”
What is meant by “not needing names?” How can this make us strong?
The poet, Mary Oliver, also speaks in her poem, The Leaf and the Cloud, expressing her experience concerning the world of names and how this can become an offering:
What is my name,
O what is my name
That I may offer it back
To the beautiful world?
“When we win it’s with small things,
And the triumph itself makes us small
What is extraordinary and eternal
does not want to be bent by us.
I mean the angel who appeared
to the wrestlers of the Old Testament.
When the wrestler’s sinews
Grew long like metal strings,
He felt them under his fingers
Like chords of deep music.
We live in a world where ‘winning’ is the goal, but the victory of one person over another “makes us small.” In the book of Genesis there is the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel. During this wrestling which occurs during the night, during sleep, when the human being enters the spiritual world, Jacob is beaten by the angel. There is then a renaming of Jacob, he is given the name, Israel, which means, ‘one that struggled with the divine angel’, another meaning is, ‘triumphant with God.’ Grappling and letting go of ‘the win” becomes a “triumph” with the divine.
Whoever was beaten by this Angel
(who often simply declined the fight)
went away proud and strengthened
and great from that harsh hand,
that kneaded him as if to change his shape,
Winning does not tempt that man.
This is how he grows: by being defeated, decisively,
By constantly greater beings.
What is remarkable is that Jacob “went away proud and strengthened” with this defeat. Through the process of this struggle, by losing, he finds himself blessed. When the angel wins, it changes us substantially, “kneads us”, disarms us, so that the temptation of ‘winning’ is overcome. The ‘loss’ of the wrestling match becomes an inner victory. “This is how he grows: by being defeated, decisively, by constantly greater beings.
John Lewis February 21,1940 – July 17, 2020
“Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. Why? Because human beings are the most dynamic link to the divine on this planet.” Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.”
You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light … Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.” – John Lewis
I think of the late John Lewis when I read Rilke’s poem. Growing up in an era of racial discrimination, John joined the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King, Jr. as his guide and inspiration. Non-violence was the key that he adapted and lived by even in the harshest of circumstances. During the march on Washington in 1963 and walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, he endured beatings by police and dozens of arrests, some of which came during his time in Congress. He entered ‘the immense storm’ that raged and chose to wrestle with ‘what is extraordinary and eternal’, saying, “When you see something that is not right … say something! Do something!” He counseled his audiences on the periodic need for “good trouble, necessary trouble to help redeem the soul of America” by opposing racially prejudiced policiesand upholding the work of political justice through nonviolent practices. He took on the ‘great fight”, wrestling across time, facing the storm with unbelievable courage and perseverance.
This poem by Rainer Maria Rilke has essential meaning for our times. It has a very different perspective than the world is holding right now in terms of how it is determined who the winners are. The essence of Rilke’s poem is reflected In Luke 9:25 when Christ speaks these words; “What use is it to a human being to win the whole world, and lose or corrupt himself in the process?”
Rilke paints a picture with his words that has a quality of sensitive understanding that can turn the world and our fellow human beings towards a precious longing and expectation for a true encounter with the divine.
Laurie Clark has had the privilege of being a Waldorf Early childhood educator for the last four decades. She is the mother of three daughters and now has three precious grandchildren who she treasures. This year she is grateful to be a student in the Distance Learning Program being held at the Seminary of the Christian Community.
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