Before the Beginning

Before the Beginning - R. M. Rilke

God speaks to each of us before we are made
then walks with us silently out of the night.
These are the words, the numinous words,
we hear before we begin:
You, called forth by your senses,
Reach to the edge of your Longing:
Become my body.
Grow like a fire behind things
so their shadows spread out
and cover me completely
Let everything into you: Beauty and Terror.
Keep going: remember, no feeling is forever.
Don't lose touch with me.
Nearby is the land
they call Life.
You will recognize it
by its intensity.
Give me your hand.

Translated by Kim Rosen and Maria Krekler