Page:Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke (1918).djvu/51

 PRESAGING

I am like a flag unfurled in space,

I scent the oncoming winds and must bend with them,

While the things beneath are not yet stirring,

While doors close gently and there is silence in the chimneys

And the windows do not yet tremble and the dust is still heavy—

Then I feel the storm and am vibrant like the sea

And expand and withdraw into myself

And thrust myself forth and am alone in the great storm. 7