Black Swan Green / Letter to a Poet

Through reading excerpts from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke and Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, Rilke’s counsel to the young poet applies greatly to the main character in David Mitchell’s story, Jason Taylor. Both of the works are to poets from someone who is giving advice, however, Jason Taylor does not seek advice, while the young poet does. The advice given to the poets is similar and helpful to their cause. In Rilke’s letter to the young poet, Rilke tells the poet that his poetry must be unique in style and words, “Don’t write love poems; avoid those forms that are too facile and ordinary: they are the hardest to work with, and it takes a great, fully ripened power to create something individual…”( from Letters to a Young Poet 34-36). This advice applies to Jason because Jason tries to make his poetry “pretty” with beautiful words to try and make them better. “Beautiful words ruin your poetry. A touch of beauty enhances a dish, but you throw a hill of it into the pot!” (Black Swan Green p. 147). Rilke’s advice that beauty is within him and surrounding him by nature also applies to this. Instead of using beautiful words, work from things in nature, “For the creator must be a world for himself and must find everything in himself and in Nature..” (LTAYP 6162) Rilke explains to the young poet in his letters that you need to be yourself in your poetry and bring yourself into it. “If you’re everyday life seems poor, don’t blame it; blame yourself; admit to yourself that you are not enough of a poet to call forth its riches..” (LTAYP 41-43). This advice to be yourself and find things within your life is advice that also applies to Jason Taylor. Jason already expresses some emotion in his poetry, but he hides behind a pseudonym. Rilke’s advice of being yourself in your poetry would assist Jason. By putting his real name on his poems and becoming more personal, his poetry will become better.
Other advice Rilke gives to the young poet is that