The Seventh Elegy is a poem of celebration and affirmation, in contrast to the Fourth Elegy, which is one of regret and bitterness, and the Sixth, which praises the hero. The poet hides in his longing from boyhood days when he reads about Samson and wishes to be the hero. He sets forth into his chosen world of danger, rushing onwards towards destined self-destruction to enter his new life. The single minded hero, in contrast, does not succumb to temptation. Man chooses to hold on and delight in his flowering, thereby delaying the true purpose of his allotted days in artificial pursuits. They do not normally ripen into fruit until late summer of the following year, seeming almost to skip their flowering. The flowers of the fig tree are concealed within its fleshy body. Original by Ranier Maria Rilke - Translated by Lore Confino
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