German · New Poems: The Other Part

Archaischer Torso Apollos

Archaic Torso of Apollo

14 lines · 18 notes

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1
We never knew his unheard-of head,
Wirwewir · pronoun, nominative, pluralsubject of kannten
kanntenknewkennen · verb, past, indicative, first-person, pluralmain verb of the sentence
nichtnotnicht · particledepends on kannten
seinhissein · determiner, accusative, neuter, singulardepends on Haupt
unerhörtesunheard-ofunerhört · adjective, accusative, neuter, singulardepends on Haupt
HauptheadHaupt · noun, accusative, neuter, singulardepends on kannten
WordUn- plus heard, unheard of unerhört comes from hören, 'to hear', with the prefix un-, so literally 'unheard': it means 'unheard of, outrageous, extraordinary'. It agrees with sein Haupt, 'his head', accusative, the object of kannten, 'knew'.
WordAn elevated word for head Haupt is a poetic, elevated word for 'head', where everyday German uses Kopf. It is accusative here, the object of kannten, 'knew', modified by unerhörtes, 'unheard of'.
2
in which the eyes' apples ripened. And yet
WordEyeball literally eye apple Augapfel, plural Augäpfel, spelled Augenäpfel here, is the ordinary German word for 'eyeball', literally 'eye apple'. It is nominative plural, the subject of reiften, 'ripened'.
3
his torso glows still like a candelabrum,
WordThe word for candelabrum Kandelaber is a tall branched candlestick or lamp stand, from Latin candelabrum. It follows wie, 'like', in the comparison to Torso, 'torso', both nominative. glüht, from glühen, means 'glows'; noch means 'still'.
4
in which his gazing, only screwed back low,
GrammarSeparable verb zurückschrauben zurückgeschraubt is the past participle of the separable verb zurückschrauben, 'to screw back, turn down', built on schrauben, 'to screw'. It modifies Schauen, 'gazing', describing it as turned low, not off.
5
holds itself and shines. Else the prow
GrammarSubjunctive form of können könnte is the Konjunktiv II, or subjunctive, of können, 'can': it means 'could, would be able to'. Its subject is der Bug, 'the prow', with the infinitive blenden supplied in the next line.
WordA nautical word for prow Bug means the bow or prow of a ship, and, of an animal, the shoulder. der Bug der Brust uses it for the curve of the chest, nominative, subject of könnte and of blenden in the next line.
6
of the breast could not dazzle you, and in the soft turning
WordTo dazzle or to blind blenden means 'to dazzle' and also 'to blind'. Here it is the infinitive governed by könnte, 'could': könnte ... blenden means 'could dazzle you'. dich is its accusative object.
7
of the loins a smile could not pass
WordThe word for loins die Lenden, plural, are the loins, the lower torso between ribs and hips. Here Lenden is genitive, depending on Drehen, 'turning': im leisen Drehen der Lenden means 'in the soft turning of the loins'.
8
toward that center which once bore procreation.
WordThe noun for procreation die Zeugung means 'procreation, begetting', from zeugen, 'to beget'. jener is the demonstrative 'that one', and Mitte, 'center', is dative after zu, 'toward'. die Zeugung trug means 'bore procreation'.
9
Else this stone would stand disfigured and stunted
GrammarSubjunctive form of stehen stünde is the Konjunktiv II of the strong verb stehen, 'to stand': it means 'would stand'. It continues the unreal condition begun earlier with könnte: sonst stünde, 'otherwise it would stand'.
WordPast participle used as adjective entstellt is the past participle of entstellen, 'to disfigure, deface', used here as an adjective meaning 'disfigured, marred'. kurz, 'short, stunted', stands beside it, both depending on stünde.
10
beneath the shoulders' translucent fall
GrammarGenitive placed before its noun der Schultern is the genitive plural of die Schulter, 'shoulder'. Placed before its noun, der Schultern durchsichtigem Sturz means 'the shoulders' translucent fall'; plain order would be der durchsichtige Sturz der Schultern. durchsichtig means 'transparent'.
11
and would not shimmer so like the pelts of beasts of prey
WordA compound for animal pelts Raubtierfelle compounds Raubtier, 'beast of prey', literally 'robber animal', and Fell, 'pelt, hide', so 'pelts of beasts of prey'. flimmern means 'to shimmer', here in the subjunctive flimmerte, continuing the unreal condition.
12
and would not burst from all its edges
GrammarSubjunctive of a separable verb bräche aus is Konjunktiv II of the separable verb ausbrechen, 'to break out', built on strong brechen, 'to break'. The prefix aus- is split off and pushed to the line's end, so the two pieces frame the clause 'would not burst out from all its edges'.
13
like a star: for there is no place here
GrammarCoordinating for denn means 'for, because'. Unlike the subordinating weil, it does not send the verb to clause end, so denn da ist keine Stelle keeps normal word order: denn, da, ist, keine Stelle, literally 'for there is no place'.
14
that does not see you. You must change your life.
GrammarRelative clause ending in the verb die is a relative pronoun pointing back to keine Stelle, and its verb sieht sits at the end of the clause, as German relative clauses require. keine Stelle, die dich nicht sieht literally reads 'no place that does not see you', a double negative that reads as positive.
WordModal plus bare infinitive ändern means 'to change, alter'. mußt is present tense of müssen, 'must', and takes a bare infinitive at the end of the clause: du mußt dein Leben ändern, 'you must change your life', with ändern as accusative object of the sentence's main modal verb.

The particulars

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