I must admit that I dabbled in Rainer Maria Rilke's works primarily because of my love of the band Rainer Maria. Though Bono's appearance at the Inaugural Concert with this Edun "Rainer Maria Rilke" Poem Scarf will be recognized as bringing Rilke's work back "in vogue", I'm still giving credit to my favorite female-fronted band.

Here is "The Eighth Elegy" for you to read and enjoy:

With all its eyes the natural world looks out
into the Open. Only our eyes are turned 
backward, and surround plant, animal, child 
like traps, as they emerge into their freedom. 
We know what is really out there only from 
the animal's gaze; for we take the very young 
child and force it around, so that it sees 
objects--not the Open, which is so 
deep in animals' faces. Free from death. 
We, only, can see death; the free animal 
has its decline in back of it, forever, 
and God in front, and when it moves, it moves 
already in eternity, like a fountain.

Here is another image:

And here is an awesome video of the band Rainer Maria. Because they rule:

[$70, Edun]

[Via Selectism]