Silent Friend Of Many Distances By Rainer Maria Rilke

This poem speaks to the quiet bond that exists beyond words and distance. It reminds you that true connection doesn’t depend on presence — it lives in understanding, respect, and shared stillness. In *Silent Friend of Many Distances*, Rainer Maria Rilke reflects on love that gives space rather than control, and listens more than it demands. It teaches that relationships rooted in trust allow both souls to grow freely, and that sometimes, silence can express more care than any spoken word.

Transcript

Silent friend of many distances,

Feel how your breath enlarges all of space.

Let your presence ring out like a bell into the night.

What feeds upon your face grows mighty from the nourishment thus offered.

Move through transformation,

Out and in.

What is the deepest loss that you have suffered?

If drinking is bitter,

Change yourself to wine.

In this immeasurable darkness,

Be the power that rounds your senses in their magic ring,

The sense of their mysterious encounter.

And if the earthly no longer knows your name,

Whisper to the silent earth,

I'm flowing.

To the flashing water say,

I am.