On Rilke's "Archaic Torso of Apollo"

by Edward Picot

The gist of the poem seems to be this: all that remains of the statue of Apollo is a headless trunk, yet despite the fact that we will never know the head or the gazing eyes which once belonged to it, it still seems to be watching us.

Having grasped this broad outline, however, one question remains - how does Rilke get from his admiration of the statue to his closing phrase - "Du mußt dein Leben ändern" ("You must change your life")? Why should a marble torso, however magnificent, seem to be sending him (and us) such a powerful challenge?