The Beggars

The Beggars

By Rainer Maria Rilke

You didn’t know
what was in the heap. A visitor found
it to contain beggars. They sell the hollow
of their hands.

They show the sightseer
their mouths full of filth,
and let him (he can afford it) peer
at the mange eating away at them.

In their twisted vision
his stranger’s face is skewed;
they are pleased with their accession,
and when he speaks they spew.

Summary of The Beggars

  • Popularity of “The Beggars”: The Beggars was written by Rainer Maria Rilke, a renowned Austrian poet and novelist. This a symbolic poem first appeared in his collection of New Poems in 1908. Michael Hofmann translated this poem into English. The main focus of this poem is to draw attention towards the pitiful and woeful existence of beggars. It also brings attention to the way they live their lives as if they are residents of an unfamiliar world to the Earth’s inhabitants. The use of poetic elements along with a touch of realism, has made this poem to become well known across the globe.
  • “The Beggars” As a Representative of Sorrow: This poem is about the awful life of the beggars. It begins when the speaker addresses the readers and asks them if they know what can be there in a heap. Then, he explains how they fill their stomach with dirt and filth. The fact that they are destined to live in unclean conditions results in their perception of others as unfamiliar. It is evident that they are unable to communicate in a normal manner with the stranger who is attempting to engage with them.
  • Major Themes in “The Beggars”: Misery, sarcastic approach to the world, and begging as a curse are the significant themes of the poem. The poem best highlights the dreadful and horrific conditions of the beggars who spend their lives in dirty places. The author beautifully explained that when an individual is isolated from society, they appear unable to communicate confidently with others. Although the beggar he encounters looks like a normal human being, he cannot respond accordingly when the stranger tries to speak to him. Through this simple poem, the writer has highlighted the neglected group of the world. Instead of arranging any social welfare for these poor souls, people mistreat and abuse them. As a result, they become violent and aggressive with those who try to reach them.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Beggars

The use of literary devices in poetry has the power to enchant and captivate audiences. Rainer Maria Rilke used a few literary devices in this poem, whose analysis is as follows.

  1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ “it to contain beggars. They sell the hollow” and again the sound of /a/ in “at the mange eating away at them.”
  2. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /w/ in “what was” and /f/ in “full of filth.”
  3. Allusion: Allusion is a belief and an indirect reference of a person, place, thing, or idea of a historical, cultural, political, or literary significance. The poet alludes to the miserable and battling life of the beggars throughout the poem such as “what was in the heap. A visitor found it to contain beggars. They sell the hollow of their hands”.
  1. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ and the sound of /l/ in “it to contain beggars. They sell the hollow” and the sound of /r/ in “they are pleased with their accession.”
  2. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,

“They show the sightseer
their mouths full of filth,
and let him (he can afford it) peer
at the mange eating away at them.”

  1. Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a device used to exaggerate any statement for the sake of emphasis. Rainer exaggerates about the misery of the beggars such as “They sell the hollow of their hands.”
  2. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “They show the sightseer their mouths full of filth”, “his stranger’s face is skewed,” and “and when he speaks, they spew.”
  3. Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. Rainer Maria Rilke has used situational irony in the second stanza of the poem such as,

“They show the sightseer
their mouths full of filth,
and let him (he can afford it) peer
at the mange eating away at them.”

  1. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows misery and amazement as extended metaphors to show how the poor beggars live in this world.
  2. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of sadness, misery, and despair just to show the poor life of the beggars.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Beggars

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

  1. Diction and Tone: The poem shows descriptive diction having rhetoric devices, symbolism, and impressive images. The tone, however, is sorrowful and tragic.
  2. Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
  3. Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here, each stanza is quatrain.
  1. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas in this poem, with each having the same number of verses.

Quotes to be Used

These lines from “The Beggars” are useful to quote while talking about the people living in streets and slums.

“They show the sightseer
their mouths full of filth,
and let him (he can afford it) peer
at the mange eating away at them.”