Das Buch der Bilder

by Rainer Maria Rilke

"Das Buch der Bilder" by Rainer Maria Rilke is a poetry collection first published in 1902, with a significantly expanded second edition in 1906. The collection bridges Rilke's early emotional phase and his later "Neue Gedichte," featuring impressionistic verses about figures like maidens, children, angels, and saints. Written during his time in Berlin and the Worpswede artists' colony, these poems employ rich sound patterns and romantic motifs. The second edition served as a transition work, gathering poems that no longer fit his emerging "Dinglyrik" aesthetic.