The star-like quality of the sculpture shows how it is bursting with power. The fur of a wild beast says that it majestic and untamable and cannot be trapped or have its fire squelched. The claim of Rilke is that fragmentation of a masterpiece still leaves the masterpiece intact. In Archaic Torso of Apollo, he proves his claim. His poem is fragmented yet still remains a masterpiece in its own right.
Sentences end at unexpected points on the lines.
Most of the sentences begin with and or otherwise. Sentences that start with these two words would suggest a break in thought. It is as if the poet forgot something important and then simply inserted the idea into the poem. Despite all of the fragmentations, the poem itself is powerful. Instead of the usual sonnet form, where the poem is arranged in a group of eight lines that present a problem and a group of six lines that make a contrast or offer a solution, it is arranged in a groups of one line, twelve lines, and one line.