Sonnets to Orpheus. Rainer Maria Rilke

in the Sonnets, especially in I:7, 8, 9. Here and there lament is mixed with the praise, as in the machine sonnets (I:18, 24 and II:10, 22, for example) and in at least one sonnet dealing with Wera’s illness and death (I:15). Entirely untempered praise would not be believable. Sonnet I:8 clearly sets forth, however, that praise must always go along with lament: Nur im Raum der Rühmung darf die Klage /gehn (“ Only where there’s praise may lamentation / sound”)—a mixture of emotions reminiscent of the Old Testament Psalms.