# Abisag · Abishag

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/abisag. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/abisag.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/<line id>.m4a.

**1** Sie lag. Und ihre Kinderarme waren  
She lay. And her child's arms were
> A 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** von Dienern um den Welkenden gebunden,  
bound by servants about the withering one,
> The 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** auf dem sie lag die süßen langen Stunden,  
on whom she lay the sweet long hours,
> Relative 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** ein wenig bang vor seinen vielen Jahren.  
a little afraid before his many years.
> A 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** Und manchmal wandte sie in seinem Barte  
And sometimes she would turn, into his beard,
> Past 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** ihr Angesicht, wenn eine Eule schrie;  
her face, when an owl cried out;
> An 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** und alles, was die Nacht war, kam und scharte  
and all that the night was came and gathered
> To 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** mit Bangen und Verlangen sich um sie.  
with dread and with longing about her.
> Dread 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** Die Sterne zitterten wie ihresgleichen,  
The stars trembled as ones of her own kind,
> Her 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** der Duft ging suchend durch das Schlafgemach,  
the fragrance went searching through the bedchamber,
> A 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** der Vorhang rührte sich und gab ein Zeichen,  
the curtain stirred and gave a sign,
> Reflexive 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** und leise ging ihr Blick dem Zeichen nach.  
and softly her gaze went following the sign.
> Separable 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** Aber sie hielt sich an dem dunkeln Alten,  
But she held to the dark old man,
> sich 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** und, von der Nacht der Nächte nicht erreicht,  
and, untouched by the night of nights,
> Genitive 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** lag sie auf seinem fürstlichen Erkalten  
she lay upon his princely growing-cold
> The 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** jungfräulich und wie eine Seele leicht.  
virginal and light as a soul.
> Virginal: From 'die Jungfrau', 'virgin, maiden', 'jungfraulich' means 'virginal, maidenly, untouched'. It is used adverbially here, describing 'sie' as a secondary predicate alongside 'leicht', 'light'.


**17** II  
II


**18** Der König saß und sann den leeren Tag  
The king sat and brooded on the empty day
> Past 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'.

**19** getaner Taten, ungefühlter Lüste  
of deeds once done, of pleasures never felt,
> Genitive 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** und seiner Lieblingshündin, der er pflag–.  
and of his favourite hound, whom he had tended—.
> Archaic 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** Aber am Abend wölbte Abisag  
But in the evening Abishag arched
> To 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** sich über ihm. Sein wirres Leben lag  
herself above him. His tangled life lay
> Tangled, 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** verlassen wie verrufne Meeresküste  
forsaken like a coast of evil name
> Of 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** unter dem Sternbild ihrer stillen Brüste.  
under the constellation of her quiet breasts.
> A 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.


**25** Und manchmal, als ein Kundiger der Frauen,  
And sometimes, as one well-versed in women,
> One 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** erkannte er durch seine Augenbrauen  
he made out, beneath his eyebrows,
> Past 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** den unbewegten, küsselosen Mund;  
the unmoved, kissless mouth;
> Kissless: A coinage: 'Kuss', 'kiss', plus the suffix 'los', 'less, without', giving 'kusselos', 'without kisses'. German forms such 'los' adjectives freely, compare 'hilflos', 'helpless'.

**28** und sah: ihres Gefühles grüne Rute  
and saw: the green rod of her feeling
> Fronted 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** neigte sich nicht herab zu seinem Grund.  
did not bend down to his depths.
> To 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** Ihn fröstelte. Er horchte wie ein Hund  
He shivered with cold. He listened like a dog
> Impersonal 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** und suchte sich in seinem letzten Blute.  
and sought himself in his last blood.
> Reflexive 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'.

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Source text: public domain (Rainer Maria Rilke, died 1926; Neue Gedichte published 1907 and 1908), from Wikisource. English translation and notes: © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC. Narration: synthesized for this edition.