Descensus III by D.E. Willer

He who fights against monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you stare long into the abyss, the abyss also stares into you.

—Friedrich Nietzsche

Notes for Translations:  I have included the two Rilke translations on this website because I have never found any that satisfactorily portrayed the dark, searching mood of the poems.  The Eliot translation is actually a poem that he originally wrote in French.  To my knowledge, an English translation has not been previously available, which is unfortunate, because the poem is a biting bit of social criticism that one wouldn't normally have associated with Eliot.  This sharp little poem is evidence of Eliot's strong distaste and enmity toward the corrosive outcome of extreme liberal democracy and capitalism. —D.E. Willer

Autumn Day  by Rilke

Autumn         by Rilke

The Director   by T.S. Eliot