German · New Poems

Abisag

Abishag

31 lines · 30 notes

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1
She lay. And her child's arms were
SieShesie · pronoun, nominative, feminine, singulardepends on lag
laglayliegen · verb, past, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentence
UndAndund · conjunctiondepends on waren
ihreherihr · determiner, nominative, masculine, pluraldepends on Kinderarme
Kinderarmechild's armsKinderarm · noun, nominative, masculine, pluraldepends on waren
warenweresein · auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, pluralmain verb of the sentence
WordA child's arms 'Kinderarme' compounds 'Kind', 'child', and 'Arme', 'arms': 'child's arms'. It is nominative plural, the subject of 'waren'. German builds such compounds freely, the first noun modifying the second, with no linking word needed.
2
bound by servants about the withering one,
WordThe withering one 'welken' means 'to wilt, to wither'. Its present participle 'welkend' is used as a noun, 'der Welkende', 'the one who is withering'. Here it is accusative singular, 'den Welkenden', object of the preposition 'um', 'around'.
3
on whom she lay the sweet long hours,
GrammarRelative auf dem, on whom 'auf dem' is the preposition 'auf' plus the dative relative pronoun 'dem', referring back to 'den Welkenden': 'on whom'. The dative follows because 'auf' marks position, lying on, not motion toward.
4
a little afraid before his many years.
GrammarA feeling word plus vor The adjective 'bang', 'anxious, afraid', governs 'vor', 'before, of', with the dative: 'bang vor seinen vielen Jahren' means 'afraid of his many years'. 'vor' after a feeling word names the thing feared.
5
And sometimes she would turn, into his beard,
GrammarPast tense of wenden 'wandte' is the simple past of 'wenden', 'to turn', a mixed verb taking a vowel change plus a te ending. Its object, 'ihr Angesicht', 'her face', follows only in the next line.
6
her face, when an owl cried out;
WordAn elevated word for face 'das Angesicht' is a heightened word for the face; everyday German says 'das Gesicht'. 'schrie' is the simple past of 'schreien', 'to cry out, to shriek', third person singular.
7
and all that the night was came and gathered
WordTo cluster together 'sich scharen' means 'to gather in a throng, to cluster', from 'die Schar', 'a crowd, a flock'. The reflexive 'sich' completes only in the next line: 'scharte ... sich um sie', 'clustered about her'.
8
with dread and with longing about her.
WordDread and longing Two infinitives turned into nouns: 'das Bangen', 'dread, anxiety', and 'das Verlangen', 'longing, craving'. Both are dative plural after 'mit', 'with', and coordinated by 'und'.
9
The stars trembled as ones of her own kind,
WordHer own kind 'ihresgleichen' is a fixed, indeclinable form meaning 'her like, those of her own sort, her equals'. 'wie ihresgleichen' means 'like her kind', following the comparative 'wie'.
10
the fragrance went searching through the bedchamber,
GrammarA present participle of manner 'suchend', 'searching', is the present participle of 'suchen', added to 'ging', 'went', to describe how the motion happens. German uses the bare participle this way as an adverb of manner.
11
the curtain stirred and gave a sign,
GrammarReflexive sich ruhren, to stir 'sich ruhren' means 'to move, to stir'. The reflexive 'sich' takes the subject as its own object: 'der Vorhang ruhrte sich', 'the curtain stirred'. Without 'sich', 'ruhren' takes a separate object, as in stirring a pot.
12
and softly her gaze went following the sign.
GrammarSeparable verb nachgehen plus dative 'nachgehen', 'to follow, to go after', is separable: the prefix 'nach' splits off to the clause's end, 'ging ... nach'. It governs the dative, 'dem Zeichen nach', 'after the sign'.
13
But she held to the dark old man,
Grammarsich halten an plus dative 'sich halten an' means 'to hold on to, to cling to'. 'an' takes the dative 'dem dunkeln Alten' because it marks a fixed point, not motion toward. 'der Alte' is the adjective 'old' used as a noun, 'the old man'.
14
and, untouched by the night of nights,
GrammarGenitive der Nachte 'der Nachte' is the genitive plural of 'die Nacht': 'of the nights'. 'die Nacht der Nachte' means 'the night of nights', a noun governing its own plural, as in 'king of kings'.
15
she lay upon his princely growing-cold
WordThe going cold 'erkalten' means 'to grow cold, to cool entirely', the 'er-' prefix marking a completed change. Used as a neuter noun, 'das Erkalten' means 'the growing cold'. It is dative singular after 'auf'.
16
virginal and light as a soul.
WordVirginal From 'die Jungfrau', 'virgin, maiden', 'jungfraulich' means 'virginal, maidenly, untouched'. It is used adverbially here, describing 'sie' as a secondary predicate alongside 'leicht', 'light'.
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II
18
The king sat and brooded on the empty day
GrammarPast tense of sinnen 'sann' is the simple past of the strong verb 'sinnen', 'to ponder, to muse, to brood'. It can take a direct accusative object of what is mused upon, here 'den leeren Tag', 'the empty day'.
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of deeds once done, of pleasures never felt,
GrammarGenitive getaner Taten, ungefuhlter Luste Both phrases are genitive plurals depending on 'sann', naming what was mused upon: 'of deeds done, of pleasures unfelt'. 'getan' is the past participle of 'tun', 'to do'; 'ungefuhlt' negates 'gefuhlt', 'felt', with 'un-'.
20
and of his favourite hound, whom he had tended—.
GrammarArchaic past of pflegen 'pflag' is an old, strong simple past of 'pflegen', 'to tend, to care for'; modern German uses the weak 'pflegte'. It takes its object in the dative, 'der er pflag', 'whom he tended'.
21
But in the evening Abishag arched
GrammarTo arch, to vault 'sich wolben' means 'to curve, to arch, to vault'. The reflexive 'sich' and its phrase 'uber ihm' land only in the next line: 'wolbte ... sich uber ihm', 'arched herself over him'.
22
herself above him. His tangled life lay
WordTangled, confused 'wirr' means 'tangled, disordered, confused'. 'sein wirres Leben' is nominative neuter singular, 'wirres' agreeing with 'Leben' and taking the strong ending after the possessive 'sein'.
23
forsaken like a coast of evil name
WordOf ill repute 'verrufen' means 'notorious, ill famed, of evil reputation', a past participle used as an adjective. 'verrufne Meereskuste' elides the e of 'verrufene' for the metre; it is nominative feminine singular after 'wie'.
24
under the constellation of her quiet breasts.
WordA constellation 'Sternbild' compounds 'Stern', 'star', and 'Bild', 'image, figure': a constellation. It is dative singular after 'unter', and 'ihrer stillen Bruste', 'of her quiet breasts', is a genitive depending on it.
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And sometimes, as one well-versed in women,
WordOne who knows 'kundig' means 'knowledgeable, skilled, conversant'; 'ein Kundiger' is that adjective used as a noun, 'a knowing one'. It governs the genitive 'der Frauen', 'of women': 'a connoisseur of women'.
26
he made out, beneath his eyebrows,
GrammarPast tense of erkennen 'erkannte' is the simple past of 'erkennen', 'to recognize, to perceive, to discern', a mixed verb taking the vowel of 'kennen' plus a te ending. The subject 'er' follows the verb because 'manchmal' opens the sentence, and German inverts after a fronted element.
27
the unmoved, kissless mouth;
WordKissless A coinage: 'Kuss', 'kiss', plus the suffix 'los', 'less, without', giving 'kusselos', 'without kisses'. German forms such 'los' adjectives freely, compare 'hilflos', 'helpless'.
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and saw: the green rod of her feeling
GrammarFronted genitive ihres Gefuhles 'ihres Gefuhles' is the genitive of 'das Gefuhl', 'feeling', placed before its noun: 'ihres Gefuhles grune Rute', 'the green rod of her feeling'. Plain prose would say 'die grune Rute ihres Gefuhles'.
29
did not bend down to his depths.
GrammarTo bend down 'sich neigen' means 'to bend, to incline'. The directional particle 'herab', 'down, downward', adds the sense of bending down; the reflexive 'sich' and negation 'nicht' both sit between subject and particle.
30
He shivered with cold. He listened like a dog
GrammarImpersonal Ihn frostelte 'frosteln', 'to shiver, to feel chilled', is used impersonally with the person in the accusative: 'ihn frostelte' means 'it chilled him'. Compare 'mich friert', 'I am cold'. 'horchte' is the past of 'horchen', 'to listen intently'.
31
and sought himself in his last blood.
GrammarReflexive sich suchen 'suchte sich' means 'sought himself', the reflexive 'sich' making the subject also the object. 'in seinem letzten Blute' carries an old dative singular 'e' ending on 'Blut', 'blood'.

The particulars

The text: Neue Gedichte, Rainer Maria Rilke. New Poems.
Reading aloud: Digital narration, directed by 1732 Studios.
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