# Das Kind · The Child

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

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

**1** Unwillkürlich sehn sie seinem Spiel  
Unwittingly they watch its play
> Separable verb split by the line: sehn is short for zusehen, 'to watch, to look on', a separable verb whose prefix zu is split off and appears at the start of the next line. zusehen takes a dative object: seinem Spiel, 'its play'.

**2** lange zu; zuweilen tritt das runde  
a long while; at times the round
> Stranded prefix from the line before: This zu is the separable prefix of zusehen, 'to watch', carried over by the line break from sehn in the line before. zuweilen tritt, 'at times steps', begins the next clause with a different verb, treten.

**3** seiende Gesicht aus dem Profil,  
existing face steps out of the profile,
> Present participle of to be: seiende is the present participle of sein, 'to be', used as an adjective meaning 'existing, being'. das runde seiende Gesicht means 'the round, existing face', naming a face simply by the fact that it exists.

**4** klar und ganz wie eine volle Stunde,  
clear and whole like a full hour,
> Adjective agreeing with hour: volle is the adjective voll, 'full', agreeing with the feminine noun Stunde, 'hour'. wie eine volle Stunde means 'like a full hour', a complete unit of time.


**5** welche anhebt und zu Ende schlägt.  
which lifts and strikes itself to its end.
> Present tense, begins and strikes: anhebt is the present tense, third-person singular, of anheben, 'to lift, to begin, to strike up'. welche anhebt und zu Ende schlägt means 'which begins and strikes itself to its end', a single continuous stretch of time.

**6** Doch die andern zählen nicht die Schläge,  
Yet the others do not count the strokes,
> Plural noun for clock strokes: Schläge is the accusative plural of Schlag, 'stroke, blow', here the strokes of a clock. Doch die andern zählen nicht die Schläge means 'yet the others do not count the strokes'.

**7** trüb von Mühsal und vom Leben träge;  
dulled by toil and sluggish with living,
> Two predicate adjectives, dulled and sluggish: trüb and träge are predicate adjectives meaning 'dulled, dim' and 'sluggish, listless'. trüb von Mühsal und vom Leben träge means 'dulled by toil and sluggish with living', both describing the same unstated subject.

**8** und sie merken gar nicht, wie es trägt–;  
and they do not notice at all how it bears–;
> Indirect question after noticing: wie es trägt means 'how it bears', with wie introducing an indirect question after merken, 'to notice'. gar nicht strengthens the negation nicht, 'not at all'.


**9** wie es alles trägt, auch dann, noch immer,  
how it bears everything, even then, still even now,
> Fixed phrase, still even now: noch immer is a fixed phrase meaning 'still, even now', combining noch, 'still', with immer, 'always'. wie es alles trägt, auch dann, noch immer means 'how it bears everything, even then, still even now'.

**10** wenn es müde in dem kleinen Kleid  
when, tired, in its little dress
> Temporal clause delays the verb: wenn, 'when', introduces a subordinate clause, so its verb sitzt is delayed to the end of the sentence, appearing two lines later. wenn es müde in dem kleinen Kleid means 'when, tired, in its little dress'.

**11** neben ihnen wie im Wartezimmer  
beside them as in a waiting room
> Comparing the scene to waiting: Wartezimmer means 'waiting room', combining warten, 'to wait', with Zimmer, 'room'. wie im Wartezimmer means 'as in a waiting room', comparing the scene to sitting and waiting there.

**12** sitzt und warten will auf seine Zeit.  
sits and means to wait for its own time.
> Verb plus preposition, accusative object: warten auf means 'to wait for'; auf here takes the accusative, seine Zeit, 'its own time'. warten will combines wollen, 'to want, to mean to', with the infinitive warten, 'to wait': 'means to wait'.

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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.