# Delphine · Dolphins

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

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

**1** Jene Wirklichen, die ihrem Gleichen  
Those real ones, who to their own kind
> Adjective turned into a noun: jene is the demonstrative 'those'. wirklich, 'real, actual', becomes a plural noun by capitalizing it after the article: die Wirklichen means 'the real ones'. Jene Wirklichen stands in the nominative as the subject, whose verb, fühlten, comes only in line 3.
> Adjective as a dative noun: gleichen here is the noun Gleichen, 'equals, those of like sort', in the dative after the verb geben in line 3. ihrem Gleichen ... gaben reads 'gave to their own kind'. The same word returns as Gleiche, an accusative object, in line 4.

**2** überall zu wachsen und zu wohnen  
gave room everywhere to grow and dwell,
> Zu infinitives depend on geben: The two zu infinitives zu wachsen, 'to grow', and zu wohnen, 'to dwell', depend on gaben in the next line: gaben ... zu wachsen und zu wohnen means 'granted room to grow and to dwell'. The main verb is held back until line 3.

**3** gaben, fühlten an verwandten Zeichen  
felt, by kindred signs,
> An plus dative for recognizing: fühlen an etwas, like erkennen an, uses an with the dative to mean 'to sense or recognize something by' a token. an verwandten Zeichen means 'by kindred signs'. verwandt means 'related, akin', agreeing with the dative plural noun Zeichen, 'signs'.

**4** Gleiche in den aufgelösten Reichen,  
their like in the dissolving realms
> Past participle as adjective: aufgelöst is the past participle of the separable verb auflösen, 'to dissolve, to break up', used here as an adjective in the dative plural. in den aufgelösten Reichen means 'in the dissolved realms', agreeing with Reichen, 'realms'.

**5** die der Gott, mit triefenden Tritonen,  
that the god, with dripping Tritons,
> Present participle from triefen: triefend is the present participle of triefen, 'to drip, to run with wet'. mit triefenden Tritonen means 'with dripping Tritons', with triefenden in the dative plural agreeing with Tritonen, 'Tritons', the sea-god's attendants.

**6** überströmt bisweilen übersteigt;  
flooding over, at times oversteps;
> Inseparable prefix uber-: Both verbs carry über- as an inseparable prefix, stressed on the stem. überströmen means 'to overflow, to flood over', shown here as überströmt. übersteigen means 'to exceed, to rise above', shown as übersteigt, the main verb. bisweilen means 'at times, now and then'.

**7** denn da hatte sich das Tier gezeigt:  
for there the creature had shown itself:
> Reflexive verb in past perfect: sich zeigen, 'to show itself, to appear', is reflexive. hatte sich ... gezeigt is its past perfect, 'had shown itself'. Because the clause opens with denn da, 'for there', the auxiliary hatte comes early and the participle gezeigt closes the line.

**8** anders als die stumme, stumpfgemute  
other than the mute, dull-spirited
> A compound Rilke coined: stumpfgemut is a compound of stumpf, 'blunt, dull', and -gemut, from Gemüt, 'mind, temper', giving 'dull of spirit'. It is modeled on words like wohlgemut, 'cheerful'. Here it is a nominative feminine singular adjective agreeing with Zucht in the next line.

**9** Zucht der Fische, Blut von ihrem Blute,  
breed of the fish — blood of their blood,
> Noun for breed or stock: Zucht means 'breed, stock, what is bred or reared', from ziehen, 'to draw, to rear'. die Zucht der Fische means 'the breed of the fish', with der Fische in the genitive plural. Blut von ihrem Blute uses the older dative form Blute, 'blood'.

**10** und von fern dem Menschlichen geneigt.  
and from afar inclined toward the human.
> Geneigt takes the dative: geneigt, 'inclined, well disposed', is the past participle of neigen, 'to incline, to bend toward', used as an adjective. The thing inclined toward stands in the dative: dem Menschlichen geneigt means 'inclined toward the human'. das Menschliche is menschlich made into a neuter noun.


**11** Eine Schar kam, die sich überschlug,  
A shoal came on, tumbling over itself,
> Noun for a troop: Schar means 'troop, throng, flock', a moving multitude, here the group of dolphins. sich überschlagen means 'to turn a somersault, to tumble head over heels'. die sich überschlug means 'which tumbled over itself', with sich as the reflexive object.

**12** froh, als fühlte sie die Fluten glänzend:  
glad, as if it felt the floods shining:
> Als plus subjunctive means as though: als meaning 'as though' takes the subjunctive and puts the verb first: als fühlte sie means 'as though it felt'. fühlte is the past subjunctive of fühlen, 'to feel'. This verb-first order marks the clause as 'as though' without needing ob.

**13** Warme, Zugetane, deren Zug  
warm ones, devoted ones, whose course
> Participle used as a noun: zugetan means 'devoted to, fondly attached', the past participle of the old verb zutun used only as an adjective. Capitalized here as a noun, die Zugetanen means 'the devoted ones', in apposition to Warme, another adjective used as a noun.
> Deren is whose for plurals: deren is the genitive plural relative pronoun, 'whose'. deren Zug ... weitertrug means 'whose train ... bore onward'. The relative clause it opens runs to the end of the stanza, with its verb, weitertrug, held back to the last line.

**14** wie mit Zuversicht die Fahrt bekränzend,  
as if with confidence garlanding the voyage,
> Noun for confidence: Zuversicht means 'confidence, trustful assurance'. wie mit Zuversicht means 'as though with confidence', with Zuversicht in the dative after mit. bekränzend is the present participle of bekränzen, 'to wreathe, to garland', modifying Zug from the line before.

**15** leichtgebunden um den runden Bug  
lightly bound about the rounded prow
> Nautical word for prow: der Bug is the 'bow, prow' of a ship. um den runden Bug means 'around the rounded prow', with Bug in the accusative after um. leichtgebunden, 'lightly bound', comes from binden, 'to bind'.

**16** wie um einer Vase Rumpf und Rundung,  
as round a vase's body and curve,
> Genitive placed before noun: einer Vase is a genitive placed before its noun, an older word order, so einer Vase Rumpf und Rundung means 'a vase's body and roundness', equal to der Rumpf und die Rundung einer Vase. Rumpf means 'trunk, hull, body', Rundung means 'curve, swell'.

**17** selig, sorglos, sicher vor Verwundung,  
blissful, carefree, safe from any wound,
> Sicher vor plus dative: sicher vor etwas means 'safe, secure from something', with the danger marked by vor plus the dative: sicher vor Verwundung means 'safe from wounding'. Verwundung, 'a wounding, injury', comes from verwunden, 'to wound'.

**18** aufgerichtet, hingerissen, rauschend  
reared up, carried away, roaring,
> Past participle of hinreissen: hingerissen is the past participle of hinreißen, 'to sweep away, to carry away', used as an adjective. It stands between aufgerichtet, the participle of aufrichten, 'to rear up', and rauschend, the present participle of rauschen, 'to rush, to roar'.

**19** und im Tauchen mit den Wellen tauschend  
and in their diving trading places with the waves
> Two near-twin verbs: tauchen means 'to dive, to plunge'; tauschen means 'to exchange, to swap'. im Tauchen uses the infinitive as a noun after in, 'in diving'. mit den Wellen tauschend, the present participle of tauschen, means 'exchanging with the waves'.

**20** die Trireme heiter weitertrug.  
bore the trireme cheerfully onward.
> Separable verb held to the end: weitertragen, 'to carry on, to bear onward', is separable, combining weiter- and tragen. weitertrug is its simple past. As the verb of the relative clause opened by deren Zug in line 3, it is held back to the end of the stanza.


**21** Und der Schiffer nahm den neugewährten  
And the seaman took the newly granted
> Compound with gewahren: neugewährt combines neu, 'new', and gewährt, the past participle of gewähren, 'to grant, to bestow', so 'newly granted'. In the accusative, den neugewährten Freund means 'the newly granted friend'. der Schiffer means 'boatman, mariner'.

**22** Freund in seine einsame Gefahr  
friend into his solitary peril
> In plus accusative for motion: in with the accusative, seine einsame Gefahr rather than seiner, marks motion into rather than rest in: nahm den Freund in seine einsame Gefahr means 'took the friend into his solitary danger'. einsam means 'lonely', Gefahr means 'danger, peril'.

**23** und ersann für ihn, für den Gefährten,  
and devised for him, for his companion,
> Simple past of ersinnen: ersann is the simple past of ersinnen, 'to devise, to think up', a strong verb: ersinnen, ersann, ersonnen. ersann für ihn ... eine Welt means 'devised for him ... a world'. The prefix er- gives sinnen, 'to ponder', the sense of bringing something forth.
> Weak noun takes -n ending: der Gefährte means 'companion, fellow traveler', someone who shares the Fahrt, 'journey'. It is a weak masculine noun, so the accusative adds -n: für den Gefährten means 'for the companion'. It restates Freund from line 1.

**24** dankbar eine Welt und hielt für wahr,  
gratefully a world, and held it true
> Fur wahr halten means to believe: etwas für wahr halten means 'to hold something true'; jemanden für etwas halten means 'to take someone for, to regard as'. hielt is the simple past of halten. hielt für wahr, daß introduces the belief that fills the closing lines. dankbar means 'gratefully'.

**25** daß er Töne liebte, Götter, Gärten  
that it loved sounds, gods, gardens,
> Dass sends the verb last: daß, 'that', is a subordinating conjunction, so its verb liebte, 'loved', the simple past of lieben, stands at the end of the clause: daß er Töne liebte means 'that it loved sounds'. daß is the older spelling of modern dass.

**26** und das tiefe, stille Sternenjahr.  
and the deep, silent year of stars.
> Compound noun with linking n: Sternenjahr joins Sterne, 'stars', with the linking -n-, and Jahr, 'year', giving 'star-year, the year of the stars'. das tiefe, stille Sternenjahr means 'the deep, silent year of stars', accusative object continuing the list after liebte.

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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.