"Rose, o pure contradiction, desire to be no one’s sleep beneath so many lids." This was ’s self-composed epitaph, written before leukemia took his life on December 29, 1926. The rose was a symbol of love, beauty, and devotion in many of Rilke’s writings.With quotes such as this Rilke became known as one of the best poets of the 20th century. was born on December 4, 1875 in Prague, which is now the capital of Czechoslovakia. He was the only child of a very unhappy marriage, which eventually ended in a divorce. When his ....