Thought of supplication at your feet

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plea, at your feet is an extraordinary love poem , written by Reiner Kunze in the 1980s.

Emergence

"Bittgedanke, you at your feet" was published in 1986 in the volume of poetry of "every single life". This collection of poems is one of the most important works by Reiner Kunze . It was publicized shortly after he was relocated from the GDR to the West. For Reiner Kunze, this change of location was a kind of “taking a deep breath” and “releasing the pressure”. This new zest for life gave birth to probably the best poems by Kunze.

content

The poem Pleading, at Your Feet is a different kind of declaration of love reduced to five lines. In addition, it confronts the reader with the inevitable end of every human's life.

Thought of supplication, at your feet

Die earlier than me, a little
earlier

So that you don't have
to walk
back to the house by yourself

shape

The love poem is made up of five lines that are not subordinated to any rhyme scheme. Reiner Kunze is not bound by any literary rules, which means that the poem can be structured freely. The sentences are broken with the line break, which is called enjambements . For example, line two contains only one word. However, the first line ends in the middle of the sentence.

The poem is written with personal narrative behavior. The implicit reader is clearly mentioned as "you". The suspicion arises that it could be direct speech . Reiner Kunze puts a special emphasis on the third line. He uses an inversion to emphasize the "you", ie the person addressed.

The language in the poem is simple and easy to understand. The choice of words and sentence formation is concise and written under the motto "not a word too much", which Reiner Kunze uses in his works. Sometimes abbreviated word forms are available, which is an influence of everyday language.

interpretation

The work Pleading, at Your Feet is a brief declaration of love. At the same time the reader is confronted with death. The idea of ​​a funeral in which the sad partner walks back from the grave alone is generated.

This still image integrates a whole "system of existence". The work confronts the reader with the tragic side of life in just five lines. But despite this tragedy, the inevitability of death, it takes away the reader's fear of dying.

Reiner Kunze clearly shows that the death of the partner is the more painful imposition for those who are still alive. With the death of a loved one, part of the remaining person dies as well. An emotional bond breaks with it. The partner of the deceased suffers from this loss. In the poem, death is presented more as a redemption, of which man need not be afraid. Reiner Kunze sheds a different light on the subject of "dying". It conveys the tragedy of every fate and yet contains something reassuring.

The most impressive part of this poem is the first line with the words "Die earlier". At first glance, this is an unusual, incomprehensible request. With a catchy interpretation, however, Kunze's intention becomes clear.

It is a well-intentioned, forward-feeling compassion on the part of the partner. This assumption is confirmed in the third line by the inversion. It creates a strong focus on the well-being of the loved one with the emphasis on the word "you". Reiner Kunze shifts the pity that has always been directed at the deceased to those who remain. With this request from the author, he wants to protect the loved one. He wants to take on the uncomfortable situation of being alone after a death. So what is perceived at first glance as completely unfamiliar and perhaps egotistical is a touching token of love. Because whoever takes on the great suffering of being alone enables his partner to rest in peace.

The poem gives the reader hope that death will redeem a person. Death is less to be feared than life. Even if the poem is so short, it has a long impact.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Edited by Marcel Reich-Ranicki: German poems and their interpretations from Peter Rühmkorf to Volker Braun. Reiner Kunze: Pleasure, at your feet, Inselverlag, 2002, p. 215.
  2. ↑ Interview with Reiner Kunze, German
  3. ↑ Edited by Marcel Reich-Ranicki: German poems and their interpretations from Peter Rühmkorf to Volker Braun. Gabrielle Wohmann: A pious wish. Inselverlag, 2002, p. 217.
  4. ↑ Dr. Arnold Mettnitzer: This earth is full of life and full of death  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.mettnitzer.at  
  5. ↑ Edited by Marcel Reich-Ranicki: German poems and their interpretations from Peter Rühmkorf to Volker Braun. Reiner Kunze: Pleasure, at your feet, Inselverlag, 2002, p. 215.

literature

  • Marcel Reich-Ranicki (editor): German poems and their interpretations from Peter Rühmkorf to Volker Braun. Pious wish. Gabriele Wohmann. Inselverlag, 2002, pp. 216, 217, 218.