# Archaischer Torso Apollos · Archaic Torso of Apollo

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

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

**1** Wir kannten nicht sein unerhörtes Haupt,  
We never knew his unheard-of head,
> Un- 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'.
> An 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** darin die Augenäpfel reiften. Aber  
in which the eyes' apples ripened. And yet
> Eyeball 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** sein Torso glüht noch wie ein Kandelaber,  
his torso glows still like a candelabrum,
> The 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 dem sein Schauen, nur zurückgeschraubt,  
in which his gazing, only screwed back low,
> Separable 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** sich hält und glänzt. Sonst könnte nicht der Bug  
holds itself and shines. Else the prow
> Subjunctive 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.
> A 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** der Brust dich blenden, und im leisen Drehen  
of the breast could not dazzle you, and in the soft turning
> To 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** der Lenden könnte nicht ein Lächeln gehen  
of the loins a smile could not pass
> The 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** zu jener Mitte, die die Zeugung trug.  
toward that center which once bore procreation.
> The 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** Sonst stünde dieser Stein entstellt und kurz  
Else this stone would stand disfigured and stunted
> Subjunctive 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'.
> Past 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** unter der Schultern durchsichtigem Sturz  
beneath the shoulders' translucent fall
> Genitive 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** und flimmerte nicht so wie Raubtierfelle  
and would not shimmer so like the pelts of beasts of prey
> A 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** und bräche nicht aus allen seinen Rändern  
and would not burst from all its edges
> Subjunctive 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** aus wie ein Stern: denn da ist keine Stelle,  
like a star: for there is no place here
> Coordinating 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** die dich nicht sieht. Du mußt dein Leben ändern.  
that does not see you. You must change your life.
> Relative 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.
> Modal 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.

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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.