# Béguinage · Béguinage

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems

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

**1** Das hohe Tor scheint keine einzuhalten,  
The high gate seems to keep no one inside,
> einhalten meaning to hold in: einhalten is a separable verb; with zu the prefix wraps the stem as einzuhalten. It usually means 'to keep, observe' a rule, but here it carries its literal sense, 'to hold in, hold back'. scheint keine einzuhalten means 'seems to hold none of them in'.

**2** die Brücke geht gleich gerne hin und her,  
the bridge goes just as gladly there and back,
> A fixed pair for both directions: hin marks motion away from the speaker, her marks motion toward. The fixed pair hin und her means 'to and fro, back and forth'. gleich gerne means 'just as gladly', describing how the bridge crosses in both directions.

**3** und doch sind sicher alle in dem alten  
and yet for certain all of them remain in the old

**4** offenen Ulmenhof und gehn nicht mehr  
open elm court, and go out no more
> A compound noun for a courtyard: Ulmenhof joins die Ulme, 'elm', and der Hof, 'court, courtyard', a compound German forms freely by stacking nouns. offener Ulmenhof names the open, elm-lined courtyard. It stands in the dative here, agreeing with offenen.

**5** aus ihren Häusern, als auf jenem Streifen  
from their houses, except along that strip
> aus plus the dative: aus, 'out of, from', always takes the dative, which gives the plural Häuser its -n ending: aus ihren Häusern means 'from their houses'. The phrase depends on gehn from the line above, across the line break.

**6** zur Kirche hin, um besser zu begreifen,  
toward the church, the better to grasp
> um zu plus infinitive for purpose: um plus zu plus an infinitive expresses purpose, 'in order to'. The infinitive begreifen, 'to grasp, comprehend', goes to the end of its clause. um besser zu begreifen means 'in order to understand better'.

**7** warum in ihnen so viel Liebe war.  
why there was so much love within them.


**8** Dort knieen sie, verdeckt mit reinem Leinen  
There they kneel, veiled in clean linen,
> verdeckt with a dative of means: verdeckt is the past participle of verdecken, 'to cover, conceal', used here as an adjective. mit reinem Leinen, 'with clean linen', is the instrumental dative; das Leinen is neuter, so reinem takes the -em ending.

**9** so gleich, als wäre nur das Bild der einen  
so alike, as though only the image of one
> An inverted verb marks it unreal: als, 'as though', with an inverted verb introduces an unreal comparison and takes the subjunctive. wäre is the subjunctive form of sein, 'to be'. als wäre nur das Bild der einen means 'as though only the image of the one were'.

**10** tausendmal im Choral, der tief und klar  
a thousandfold in the chorale, which deep and clear

**11** zu Spiegeln wird an den verteilten Pfeilern;  
turns to mirrors on the scattered pillars;
> werden zu meaning to turn into: werden, 'to become', combined with zu plus the dative means 'to turn into'. zu Spiegeln wird means 'becomes mirrors'. zu forces the dative, which gives the plural noun its -n ending: Spiegeln.

**12** und ihre Stimmen gehn den immer steilern  
and their voices climb the ever steeper
> immer plus a comparative: immer before a comparative adjective means 'ever, more and more': immer steiler means 'ever steeper'. steilern is steileren with its middle vowel elided for the meter, agreeing with the accusative noun Gesang on the next line.

**13** Gesang hinan und werfen sich von dort,  
song upward, and from there fling themselves,
> The reflexive werfen sich: sich werfen means 'to throw, fling oneself'. Its subject is ihre Stimmen, 'their voices', from the line above. werfen sich von dort means 'fling themselves from there', continuing into den Engeln zu two lines later.

**14** wo es nicht weitergeht, vom letzten Wort,  
where it goes no further, from the last word,
> The impersonal es geht weiter: weitergehen, 'to go on, carry on', is separable, but in a clause introduced by wo, 'where', it stays whole and moves to the end: wo es nicht weitergeht. The impersonal es geht nicht weiter means 'there is no going further'.

**15** den Engeln zu, die sie nicht wiedergeben.  
toward the angels, who do not give them back.
> Separable zuwerfen plus dative: This zu completes werfen sich zu from two lines above, the separable verb zuwerfen, 'to throw toward'. Its target stands in the dative, den Engeln, 'to the angels'. wiedergeben, 'to give back', stays whole and final in this relative clause.


**16** Drum sind die unten, wenn sie sich erheben  
And so those below, when they rise
> A shortened form of darum: drum is a colloquial, contracted form of darum, 'therefore, for that reason'. Placed first, it pushes the verb sind into second position: Drum sind die unten. sich erheben is the reflexive verb 'to rise, stand up'.

**17** und wenden, still. Drum reichen sie sich schweigend  
and turn, are silent. And so they pass, in silence,

**18** mit einem Neigen, Zeigende zu zeigend  
with a bow, the ones who show, showing to
> Two participles of zeigen: Zeigende and zeigend both come from zeigen, 'to show'. Zeigende is the participle used as a noun, 'those who show'. Zeigend is the same participle used adverbially, describing how they act toward Empfangenden, 'those receiving'.

**19** Empfangenden, geweihtes Wasser, das  
the receivers, holy water, which
> Participle used as adjective: Geweiht is the past participle of weihen, 'to consecrate'. Used adjectivally, geweihtes Wasser means 'consecrated water'. It is nominative neuter singular, agreeing with Wasser.

**20** die Stirnen kühl macht und die Munde blaß.  
cools the brows and turns the mouths pale.
> Machen plus adjective result: Machen combines with an uninflected adjective to mean 'to make something X'. Kühl macht means 'makes cool', and macht carries over in sense to blaß, 'pale'. The subject is das, referring back to Wasser.


**21** Und gehen dann, verhangen und verhalten,  
And then they go, shrouded and held in,
> Two participial adjectives paired: Verhangen is the participle of verhängen, 'to drape, curtain over', meaning shrouded. Verhalten is the participle of sich verhalten, 'to hold oneself back', meaning restrained. Both depend on gehen, describing how the women move.

**22** auf jenem Streifen wieder überquer–  
across that strip once more—
> An adverb meaning crosswise: Überquer is an adverb meaning 'crosswise, straight across', related to the verb überqueren, 'to cross'. It depends on auf jenem Streifen, naming the direction of movement across that strip.

**23** die Jungen ruhig, ungewiß die Alten  
the young ones calm, uncertain the old,
> Adjectives turned into nouns: Jung, 'young', and alt, 'old', are capitalized and given an article to become nouns: die Jungen, 'the young ones', and die Alten, 'the old ones'. Both are nominative plural, understood as women.

**24** und eine Greisin, weilend, hinterher–  
and one ancient woman, lingering, behind—
> A verb meaning to linger: Weilend is the present participle of weilen, a literary verb meaning 'to tarry, linger'. It functions as an adverb, depending on Greisin, describing how the old woman moves behind the others.

**25** zu ihren Häusern, die sie schnell verschweigen  
to their houses, which quickly hush them away
> A verb meaning to hush away: Verschweigen means 'to keep silent about, to conceal'. It is an infinitive verb whose subject is die, referring to Häusern, and whose object is sie, 'them'. The houses quickly hush the women out of sight.

**26** und die sich durch die Ulmen hin von Zeit  
and which, through the elms, from time

**27** zu Zeit ein wenig reine Einsamkeit,  
to time, a little pure solitude,
> A fixed time idiom: Von Zeit zu Zeit is a fixed phrase meaning 'from time to time'. It is split here across the line break, with zu Zeit landing on this line. It depends on the verb zeigen, describing how often solitude shows itself.

**28** in einer kleinen Scheibe schimmernd, zeigen.  
shimmering in a small pane, reveal.
> A word for windowpane: Scheibe can mean 'disk' or 'slice', but here it names a 'pane of glass'. It is dative feminine singular after in, in the phrase 'shimmering in a small pane'. Schimmernd depends on zeigen, the sentence's main verb.


**29** II  
II


**30** Was aber spiegelt mit den tausend Scheiben  
But what does it mirror, with its thousand panes,
> Used transitively here: Spiegeln, 'to mirror, reflect', is the main verb of this sentence. Its subject, Kirchenfenster, is nominative and named on the next line. Aber, 'but', in second position, marks the turn to a new question.

**31** das Kirchenfenster in den Hof hinein,  
the church window, into the court within,
> Accusative marks motion inward: In takes the accusative when it marks motion toward a goal, so der Hof becomes den Hof, 'into the court'. Hinein, 'within', reinforces the inward direction. Kirchenfenster is the nominative subject of spiegelt from the line above.

**32** darin sich Schweigen, Schein und Widerschein  
in which silence, sheen and counter-sheen
> A gleam and its counterpart: Schein means 'shine, gleam' and Widerschein means 'reflection, reflected glow', built with the prefix wider-, 'back, counter'. Both are nominative singular nouns joined by und, coordinate with Schweigen, 'silence'.

**33** vermischen, trinken, trüben, übertreiben,  
mingle, drink, dim, and overdo each other,
> Four verbs share one subject: Vermischen, 'to mingle', trüben, 'to make turbid', and übertreiben, 'to overdo', are coordinate with trinken, 'to drink', all third-person plural present. They share the reflexive sich introduced earlier by darin sich, naming what happens inside the glass.

**34** phantastisch alternd wie ein alter Wein?  
aging fantastically, like an old wine?
> Altern means to age: Alternd is the present participle of altern, 'to age, grow old', describing the light in the window. Phantastisch, 'fantastically', modifies it as an adverb. Wie ein alter Wein means 'like an old wine', giving the comparison.


**35** Dort legt sich, keiner weiß von welcher Seite,  
There settles—no one knows from which side—
> A verb meaning to settle: Sich legen means 'to lie down, settle, come to rest'. Legt is the finite verb, with sich its reflexive pronoun; the subject waits until the next line. Keiner, 'no one', is the subject of the parenthetical verb weiß, 'knows'.

**36** Außen auf Inneres und Ewigkeit  
outerness upon innerness, and eternity
> Adverbs turned into nouns: Außen, 'outside', and Innere, 'inside', are adverbs made into neuter nouns, das Außen and das Innere. Auf takes the accusative here, Inneres, marking the settling named by legt. Ewigkeit, 'eternity', is coordinate with Inneres.

**37** auf Immer-Hingehn, Weite über Weite,  
upon ever-passing-on, expanse over expanse,
> A hyphenated coined noun: Rilke joins immer, 'ever, always', to Hingehn, a noun from hingehen, 'to go on, pass away', coining Immer-Hingehn, 'ever-passing-on'. It is accusative neuter singular, depending on auf, parallel to Weite über Weite, 'expanse over expanse'.

**38** erblindend, finster, unbenutzt, verbleit.  
going blind, dark, unused, leaded over.
> Two participles closing the line: Erblindend is the present participle of erblinden, 'to go blind', with the prefix er- marking entry into a state. Verbleit is the past participle of verbleien, 'to seal with lead'. Both describe the window, following finster, 'dark', and unbenutzt, 'unused'.

**39** Dort bleibt, unter dem schwankenden Dekor  
There remains, beneath the wavering décor
> A preposition taking the dative: Unter, 'under, beneath', takes the dative for a fixed position, so dem schwankenden Dekor is dative neuter singular. Schwankend is the present participle of schwanken, 'to sway, waver'. The phrase depends on bleibt, 'remains', the main verb.

**40** des Sommertags, das Graue alter Winter:  
of the summer day, the grey of old winters:
> A nominalized adjective plus genitive: Das Graue nominalizes the adjective grau, 'grey', giving 'the grey'. It is the nominative subject of bleibt from two lines above. Alter Winter is genitive plural, 'of old winters', using the strong -er ending since no article precedes it.

**41** als stünde regungslos ein sanftgesinnter  
as though there stood, motionless, a gentle-minded,
> An unreal comparison in the subjunctive: Als followed by an inverted subjunctive verb introduces an unreal comparison, meaning 'as though'. Stünde is the subjunctive of stehen, 'to stand'. Regungslos, 'motionless', and sanftgesinnter, 'gentle-minded', both depend on Wartender, named on the next line.

**42** langmütig lange Wartender dahinter  
long-suffering, long-waiting one behind it,
> A participle naming a person: Wartender is the present participle of warten, 'to wait', used as a noun for a person, 'one who waits'. It is nominative masculine singular, the subject of stünde. Langmütig, 'long-suffering', and lange, 'long', both describe it.

**43** und eine weinend Wartende davor.  
and a weeping waiting woman before it.
> An adverb answering dahinter: Davor means 'before it, in front of it', balancing dahinter, 'behind it', from two lines above. Wartende is the feminine form of the same participle noun, 'a waiting woman'. Weinend, 'weeping', depends on Wartende, describing her.

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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.