Das Stunden-Buch

Stunden-Buch, Das, a collection of poems by Rilke, written 1899-1903 and published in 1905. It is linked with Rilke's visits to Russia in 1899 and 1900, and dedicated to his travelling companion Lou Andreas-Salomé. The title alludes to medieval ‘books of hours’ and the book is based on the fiction that it is written by a Russian monk engaged in painting icons. The poems are organized in three sections, each rapidly written in a period of intense inspiration. Das Buch vom mönchischen Leben (1899) is the closest to Rilke's Russian experience. Das Buch von der Pilgerschaft belongs to 1901 and Das Buch von der Armut und vom Tode to 1903. All the poems are untitled to form a continuous cycle. The god of Rilke's monk is not the Christian God, but the ‘dark’ god on whom the monk depends for his creation and existence. The poems embody Rilke's early admiration for the simple of heart. They are also an attempt to grapple with the fear of death and show the beginnings of his religion of art, which alone seems to offer him fulfilment.