# Absaloms Abfall · Absalom's Fall

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems: The Other Part

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

**1** Sie hoben sie mit Geblitz:  
They raised them up amid lightning:
> Nominalized noun Geblitz: Geblitz is a noun built from blitzen, 'to flash, to lightning', with the collective ge- prefix, meaning 'lightning, a flashing'. mit Geblitz means 'amid lightning', dative after mit.

**2** der Sturm aus den Hörnern schwellte  
the storm out of the horns swelled
> Preterite schwellte: schwellte is the preterite of schwellen, 'to swell'. der Sturm ... schwellte means 'the storm swelled', with aus den Hörnern, 'out of the horns', describing where the swelling sound came from.

**3** seidene, breitgewellte  
silken, broad-billowing

**4** Fahnen. Der herrlich Erhellte  
banners. The gloriously illumined one
> Nominalized participle Erhellte: Erhellte is the past participle of erhellen, 'to illuminate', used as a noun: 'the illumined one'. Der herrlich Erhellte means 'the gloriously illumined one', herrlich modifying the participle as an adverb before it becomes a noun.

**5** nahm im hoch offenen Zelte,  
took, in the high open tent,

**6** das jauchzendes Volk umstellte,  
which an exulting people ringed about,
> Preterite umstellte: umstellte is the preterite of umstellen, 'to surround, to ring about'. das jauchzendes Volk umstellte means 'which an exulting people ringed about', with Volk as the subject and das as the accusative relative pronoun, object of umstellte.

**7** zehn Frauen in Besitz,  
ten women into his possession,


**8** die (gewohnt an des alternden Fürsten  
who (used to the aging prince's
> Genitive des Fürsten: des alternden Fürsten is genitive singular, 'of the aging prince'. alternden is the present participle of altern, 'to age', declined here like an adjective before the genitive noun Fürsten, 'prince'.

**9** sparsame Nacht und Tat)  
sparing night and deed)

**10** unter seinem Dürsten  
beneath his thirsting
> Nominalized infinitive Dürsten: Dürsten is the infinitive of dürsten, 'to thirst', used as a neuter noun, 'thirsting'. unter seinem Dürsten means 'beneath his thirsting', dative after unter, seinem agreeing with the neuter noun.

**11** wogten wie Sommersaat.  
they surged like summer corn.
> Preterite wogten, surged: wogten is the preterite of wogen, 'to surge, to wave'. wie Sommersaat compares the surging to summer corn swaying in a field, wie here meaning 'like' rather than 'how'.


**12** Dann trat er heraus zum Rate,  
Then he stepped out to the council,
> Separable verb heraustreten: heraustreten, 'to step out', is separable. trat, the preterite of treten, 'to step', carries its prefix heraus to the end of the clause: trat er heraus, 'he stepped out'. zum Rate means 'to the council'.

**13** wie vermindert um nichts,  
as if diminished by nothing,
> um nichts, by nothing: um nichts means 'by nothing at all'. vermindert um nichts, 'diminished by nothing', uses um to mark the amount of a change, here zero. wie here introduces a comparison without a real cause.

**14** und jeder, der ihm nahte,  
and each one who drew near to him
> Preterite nahte plus dative: nahte is the preterite of nahen, 'to draw near, to approach', which takes a dative object: der ihm nahte means 'who drew near to him'. der is the relative pronoun, subject of the clause; ihm is dative, the person approached.

**15** erblindete seines Lichts.  
went blind from his light.
> Genitive object with erblinden: erblinden, 'to go blind', here takes a genitive object rather than a preposition: erblindete seines Lichts means 'went blind from his light'. This older use of the genitive to mark a cause is now rare in modern German.


**16** So zog er auch den Heeren  
So he marched too before the armies,
> Separable verb voranziehen: voranziehen, 'to march ahead, to lead the way', is separable: zog, the preterite of ziehen, carries voran to the end of the clause, completed in the next line. den Heeren is dative plural, 'before the armies', the group he marched ahead of.

**17** voran wie ein Stern dem Jahr;  
ahead, like a star before the year;
> Dative dem Jahr in comparison: wie ein Stern dem Jahr compares him to a star that goes ahead of the year, with dem Jahr in the dative because voran, 'ahead', takes a dative object, the thing led. Jahr names a star that leads or opens a new year.

**18** über allen Speeren  
above all the spears

**19** wehte sein warmes Haar,  
streamed his warm hair,

**20** das der Helm nicht faßte  
which the helmet could not contain
> Preterite faßte, contained: faßte is the preterite of fassen, here meaning 'to hold, to contain'. das der Helm nicht faßte means 'which the helmet did not contain', das the accusative relative pronoun standing for something too large for the helmet.

**21** und das er manchmal haßte,  
and which he sometimes hated,

**22** weil es schwerer war  
because it was heavier
> Subordinating conjunction weil: weil, 'because', introduces a subordinate clause and sends its finite verb, war, to the very end: weil es schwerer war means 'because it was heavier'. es refers to something named just before this clause.

**23** als seine reichsten Kleider.  
than his richest robes.


**24** Der König hatte geboten,  
The king had commanded
> Pluperfect hatte geboten: hatte geboten is the pluperfect, past perfect, of gebieten, 'to command', built from hatte plus the participle geboten. It marks an order given before the events described around it: the king had commanded.

**25** daß man den Schönen schone.  
that the beautiful one be spared.
> Present subjunctive schone: schone is the present subjunctive, Konjunktiv I, of schonen, 'to spare'. It follows daß in reported command: daß man den Schönen schone means 'that the beautiful one be spared'. den Schönen is schön used as a noun, 'the beautiful one', accusative.

**26** Doch man sah ihn ohne  
Yet they saw him, without

**27** Helm an den bedrohten  
a helmet, at the threatened
> Sentence runs across lines: The sentence continues from the line before without pausing at the line break, a device called enjambment. Helm, 'helmet', is the object introduced there; an den bedrohten continues into the following line with the noun it modifies.

**28** Orten die ärgsten Knoten  
places hewing the fiercest knots
> Superlative ärgsten: ärgsten is the superlative of arg, 'bad, fierce', meaning 'fiercest, worst'. die ärgsten Knoten means 'the fiercest knots', accusative plural, describing the hardest tangles to be cut through.

**29** zu roten Stücken von Toten  
into red pieces of the dead

**30** auseinanderhaun.  
cut wide apart.
> Compound verb auseinanderhauen: auseinanderhauen combines auseinander, 'apart', and hauen, 'to hew, to chop', meaning 'to cut apart, to hack apart'. auseinanderhaun is a shortened verse form of the plural present auseinanderhauen, 'they cut apart'.

**31** Dann wußte lange keiner  
Then for a long time no one knew
> Pronoun keiner, no one: keiner means 'no one, none', nominative masculine singular, the subject of wußte, 'knew'. wußte is the preterite of wissen, 'to know'. lange means 'for a long time', modifying how long no one knew.

**32** von ihm, bis plötzlich einer  
of him, until suddenly someone

**33** schrie: Er hängt dort hinten  
cried: He's hanging back there

**34** an den Terebinthen  
in the terebinths

**35** mit hochgezogenen Braun.  
with his eyebrows drawn up high.
> Archaic plural Braun: Braun here is an old plural form of Braue, 'eyebrow', now normally Brauen. mit hochgezogenen Braun means 'with eyebrows drawn up high', dative plural after mit, hochgezogenen the past participle of hochziehen, 'to draw up'.


**36** Das war genug des Winks.  
That was hint enough.
> genug plus genitive: genug, 'enough', can take a genitive object in older or formal German: genug des Winks means 'enough of the hint'. Modern usage more often says genug Wink or genug an Wink. Winks is the genitive of Wink, 'hint, sign'.

**37** Joab, wie ein Jäger,  
Joab, like a hunter,

**38** erspähte das Haar–: ein schräger  
spied the hair—: a slanting,
> Preterite erspähte: erspähte is the preterite of erspähen, 'to spy, to catch sight of'. das Haar is its accusative object, 'the hair'. The sentence breaks off after a dash, then restarts describing what was spied: ein schräger, gedrehter Ast, 'a slanting, twisted branch'.

**39** gedrehter Ast: da hings.  
twisted branch: there it hung.
> Contraction hings: hings fuses hing, the preterite of hängen, 'to hang', with the enclitic pronoun es, 'it': hings means 'it hung'. This kind of contraction is common in spoken and verse German after a verb ending in a vowel-like sound.

**40** Er durchrannte den schlanken Kläger,  
He ran the slender plaintiff through,
> Preterite durchrannte: durchrannte is the preterite of durchrennen, 'to run through, to run someone through', here meaning he pierced the man by running him through. den ... Kläger is its accusative object, 'the plaintiff'.

**41** und seine Waffenträger  
and his armor-bearers
> Compound noun Waffenträger: Waffenträger combines Waffe, 'weapon', and Träger, 'bearer, carrier', meaning 'armor-bearer, weapon-bearer'. seine Waffenträger, nominative plural, names the men who carried Absalom's weapons and joined in the killing.

**42** durchbohrten ihn rechts und links.  
pierced him right and left.
> Preterite durchbohrten: durchbohrten is the third person plural preterite of durchbohren, 'to pierce through, to run through'. ihn is its accusative object, 'him'. rechts und links, 'right and left', describes the two sides they struck from.

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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.