# Buddha · Buddha

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/buddha-2. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/buddha-2.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/<line id>.m4a.

**1** Schon von ferne fühlt der fremde scheue  
Already from afar the strange, shy
> From afar: von ferne is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'from a distance'. der fremde scheue Pilger, 'the strange, shy pilgrim', strings two adjectives before the noun, each taking the weak ending -e after the definite article der.

**2** Pilger, wie es golden von ihm träuft;  
pilgrim feels how it drips golden from him;
> träufen, to trickle: träuft is the third-person present of träufen, 'to drip' or 'trickle slowly', an older poetic verb. wie es golden von ihm träuft is a clause governed by fühlt in the line above; the impersonal es leaves the source unnamed.

**3** so als hätten Reiche voller Reue  
as if kingdoms full of remorse had
> als with the verb fronted: so als means 'just as though'. When als introduces an unreal comparison without ob, the verb moves to the front of its clause: als hätten Reiche, 'as though kingdoms had'. hätten is the subjunctive of haben, forming the perfect with the participle aufgehäuft.

**4** ihre Heimlichkeiten aufgehäuft.  
heaped up their hidden secrets.
> Secret, hidden things: die Heimlichkeit means 'secrecy'; its plural Heimlichkeiten means 'secret' or 'hidden things'. The word shares a root with heim, 'home', and heimlich, 'secret'. aufgehäuft, 'heaped up', is the participle completing hätten from the previous line.


**5** Aber näher kommend wird er irre  
But coming nearer he grows bewildered
> irre werden, to grow confused: irre werden means 'to become confused' or 'lose one's bearings'. näher kommend, 'coming nearer', is a present participle used adverbially. wird … irre, 'grows bewildered', takes vor plus the dative for the cause.

**6** vor der Hoheit dieser Augenbraun:  
before the majesty of these eyebrows:
> A shortened genitive plural: die Augenbraue means 'eyebrow'; dieser Augenbraun is its genitive plural, 'of these eyebrows', after die Hoheit, 'majesty'. The regular plural ending -brauen is shortened here to -braun to rhyme with Fraun later in the poem.

**7** denn das sind nicht ihre Trinkgeschirre  
for these are not the drinking-vessels
> Trinkgeschirr, a drinking vessel: das Trinkgeschirr means 'a drinking vessel' or 'cup'; -geschirr names tableware or gear collectively, as in Geschirr, 'crockery'. das sind nicht keeps das singular and neuter even though the predicate Trinkgeschirre is plural, a normal pattern for 'these are not'.

**8** und die Ohrgehänge ihrer Fraun.  
and the ear-pendants of their women.
> A contracted genitive plural: ihrer Fraun is genitive plural, 'of their women', depending on die Ohrgehänge, 'the ear-pendants'. Fraun is a poetic contraction of Frauen, shortened to rhyme with Augenbraun.


**9** Wüßte einer denn zu sagen, welche  
Could anyone really say which
> wissen zu plus infinitive: wissen zu plus an infinitive means 'to know how to' or 'to be able to'. Wüßte einer zu sagen uses the subjunctive wüßte of wissen fronted to open a question. Rilke spells wüßte with ß, the pre-1996 spelling.

**10** Dinge eingeschmolzen wurden, um  
things were melted down, in order
> Passive with werden: einschmelzen means 'to melt down'. Dinge … wurden eingeschmolzen is a passive construction: wurden plus the participle eingeschmolzen, 'were melted down'. um begins the purpose clause completed in the next line.

**11** dieses Bild auf diesem Blumenkelche  
to raise this image upon this flower-calyx,
> Blumenkelch, a flower's calyx: der Blumenkelch is 'the calyx', the cup-shaped base of a flower. auf diesem Blumenkelche is dative after auf, marking position, with the older dative ending -e on Kelche.


**12** aufzurichten: stummer, ruhiggelber  
to raise it: more silent, more calmly golden
> zu inside a separable verb: um … zu plus an infinitive means 'in order to'. With the separable verb aufrichten, 'to set upright', the zu is inserted between prefix and stem, giving aufzurichten, 'in order to raise up'.

**13** als ein goldenes und rundherum  
than something golden, and all around
> als after a comparative: After the comparatives stummer and ruhiggelber, 'more silent' and 'more calmly golden', als means 'than'. ein goldenes is a neuter adjective used as a noun, 'a golden thing'.

**14** auch den Raum berührend wie sich selber.  
touching space too as it touches itself.
> Participle with a reflexive object: berührend is the present participle of berühren, 'to touch', used adverbially. den Raum is its accusative object, 'space', and wie sich selber means 'as itself', with sich selber the reflexive pronoun plus intensifier.

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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.