I have been working very hard writing the English songs to my upcoming releases.
I had to dig deep and in that process I remembered a book that my manager gave me.
It's called Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke, one of the greatest German lyric poets.
Born in 1875, Rainer Maria Rilke published his first collection of poems in 1898 depicting the trials and tribulations of the creative human heart.
Attracted by his encouraging public statements, young artists began to write to Rilke about their artistic aspirations and fears to get his advice.
From 1903 to 1908 Rilke wrote a series of the most remarkable letters in reply to a young, aspiring poet on how to survive as a tender observer in a harsh world that doesn't understand why he wants to be a poet.
Written to Franz Xaver Kappus, Rilke tells him:
"Go within. Search for the cause, find the impetus that bids you write. Put it to this test: Does it stretch out its roots in the deepest place of your heart? Can you avow that you would die if you were forbidden to write? Above all, in the most silent hour of your night, ask yourself this: Must I write? Dig deep into yourself for a true answer. And if it should ring its assent, if you can confidently meet this serious question with a simple, "I must," then build your life upon it. It has become your necessity. Your life, in even the most mundane and least significant hour, must become a sign, a testimony to this urge."
This paragraph is a fresh source of inspiration to me always.
I simply "must"!
I am so glad I have read these letters.
They have certainly helped me 124 years later. Thank you Rainer!
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