Rilke - "Letters to a Young Poet"

Reiner Maria Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" are beautifully written.  I found the book ispirational and wanted to share an excerpt here:

"Letter Four 
Worpswede, near Bremen 
July 16, 1903 

... 

Don't be confused by surfaces; in the depths everything becomes law. And those who live the mystery falsely and badly (and they are very many) lose it only for themselves and nevertheless pass it on like a sealed letter, without knowing it. And don't be puzzled by how many names there are and how complex each life seems. Perhaps above them all there is a great motherhood, in the form of a communal yearning. The beauty of the girl, a being who (as you so beautifully say) "has not yet achieved anything," is motherhood that has a presentiment of itself and begins to prepare, becomes anxious, yearns. And the mother's beauty is motherhood that serves, and in the old woman there is a great remembering. And in the man too there is motherhood, it seems to me, physical and mental; his engendering is also a kind of birthing, and it is birthing when he creates out of his innermost fullness. And perhaps the sexes are more akin than people think, and the great renewal of the world will perhaps consist in one phenomenon: that man and woman, freed from all mistaken feelings and aversions, will seek each other not as opposites but as brother and sister, as neighbors, and will unite as human beings, in order to bear in common, simply, earnestly, and patiently, the heavy sex that has been laid upon them. 

But everything that may someday be possible for many people, the solitary man can now, already, prepare and build with his own hands, which make fewer mistakes. Therefore, dear Sir, love your solitude and try to sing out with the pain it causes you. for those who are near you are far away, you write, and this shows that the space around you is beginning to grow vast. And if what is near you is far away, then your vastness is already among the stars and is very great; be happy about your growth, in which of course you can't take anyone with you, and be gentle with those who stay behind; be confident and calm in front of them and don't torment them with your doubts and don't frighten them with your faith or joy, which they wouldn't be able to comprehend. Seek out some simple and true feeling of what you have in common with them, which doesn't necessarily have to alter when you yourself change again and again; when you see them, love life in a form that is not your own and be indulgent toward those who are growing old, who are afraid of the aloneness that you trust. Avoid providing material for the drama that is always stretched tight between parents and children; it uses up much of the children's strength and wastes the love of the elders, which acts and warms even if it doesn't comprehend. Don't ask for any advice from them and don't expect any understanding; but believe in a love that is being stored up for you like and inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it. 

It is good that you will soon be entering a profession that will make you independent and will put you completely on your own, in every sense. Wait patiently to see whether your innermost life feels hemmed in by the form this profession imposes. I myself consider it a very difficult and very exacting one, since it is burdened with enormous conventions and leaves very little room for a personal interpretation of its duties. but your solitude will be a support and a home for you, even in the midst of very unfamiliar circumstances, and from it you will find all your paths. All my good wishes are ready to accompany you, and my faith is with you. 

Yours, 
Rainer Maria Rilke" 

Kill Bill Part I

Like Tarantino's previous films, Kill Bill -- Vol. 1 borrows many references and tricks from Japanese cinema. Entertaining but violent, this film contains little plot and even less character development. For lovers of eye candy in the form of sparkling villains, stunning landscapes, perfectly groomed Asians, and colorful animation, there is plenty to enjoy. 

When the dialogue begins to seriously lack in cleverness, the messy anime sequences distract  from excessive blood flow and severed limb counts. That said, the film is well worth watching for the sake of seeing the Bride equipped with the solemn defense of noble revenge.  


Uma Thurman is perfectly cast in the role of the Bride. She looks equally beautiful lying in a coma, being beaten, or fighting samurai in her skin tight “Bruce Lee” motorcycle suit.  With a slick sword in hand, her bright suit looks orange from the blood of two dozen Japanese heads.   Surrounded by darkness, lit only by an amber light from the restaurant windows, she faces Lucy Liu inside a Japanese garden.

Liu looks best in a perfectly white kimono and socks, stands on a perfectly white snow, with white snowflakes falling against her very white face, accented only by black eyes and  black hair.  

Tarantino's careful attention to stylistic detail results in an overall aesthetically pleasing spectacle.   Out of the kaleidoscope of colors,  the subtle midnight hues of samurai action stand out the most. Though picture perfect, this homage to the Asian action genre falls short of a cinematographic masterpiece.