The essential Rilke

This didn't slap me in the face the way Howl did, though it came pretty close. The mood seemed a combination of Rumi's slightly self-indulgent squishy softness (forgive the alliteration), with Schopenhauer's angry 19th century Germanic interpretation of Buddhism (WOE UNTO US ALL). I loved Rilke's use of natural imagery - trees growing out of ears, girls sleeping in ears, actually, I guess it was mostly ear stuff - and some of the poems really blow your socks off. The intro, also, was a treat; it made me hungry to take a MOOC on Rilke! Does such a MOOC exist!?!