Cand. Sc. (Philology), Leading researcher, head of Department of Literary Studies, Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of Russian Academy of Sciences, e.v.sokolova@inion.ru
By examining three poems composed at different periods — The Garden of Gethsemane (Der Ölbaumgarten, 1906), The Death of Moses (Der Tod Moses, 1915), and Sonnets to Orpheus, Part I, V (Sonette an Orpheus, Erster Teil, V, 1922) — this article traces the evolution of Rainer Maria Rilke’s conceptualization of the relationship between human creativity and the Divine, his artistic vocation, and his ‘biographical myth’. The analysis demonstrates that, in Rilke’s later works, Orpheus embodies a synthesis of Christ (The Garden of Gethsemane) and Moses (The Death of Moses). While The Garden of Gethsemane explores the arduous ascent from the resisting material world toward God, and The Death of Moses presents the significant culmination of this journey in the form of a personal, ‘mature’ death, the Sonnets to Orpheus, particularly the fifth sonnet of the first part, articulate the idea that art itself can attain a life-giving force through the artist’s perseverance, focused dedication, and unwavering fidelity to the Divine.
Rainer Maria Rilke; The Garden of Gethsemane; The Death of Moses; Orpheus in literature; Sonnets to Orpheus; poetry as life-creation
Download textFor citing: Sokolova E.V. (2025) Creator or Victim: Christ, Moses and Orpheus in Rilke’s Works. Human being: Image and essence. Humanitarian aspects. Moscow. INION RAN. Vol. 3 (63). pp. 55-72. DOI: 10.31249/chel/2025.03.03