# Der Apfelgarten · The Apple Orchard

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

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

**1** Komm gleich nach dem Sonnenuntergänge,  
Come just after the setting of the sun;
> Compound noun for sunset: Sonnenuntergänge is dative singular here, from Sonnenuntergang, 'sunset', combining Sonne, 'sun', unter, 'under', and Gang, 'going'. nach dem Sonnenuntergänge means 'after the sunset'.

**2** sieh das Abendgrün des Rasengrunds;  
look at the evening-green of the lawn;
> Genitive after des: des Rasengrunds is genitive singular of der Rasengrund, 'lawn, grassy ground', combining Rasen, 'lawn, turf', and Grund, 'ground'. It depends on Abendgrün, 'evening-green of the lawn'.

**3** ist es nicht, als hätten wir es lange  
is it not as though we had long
> Subjunctive after als, as though: als hätten wir uses hätten, the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) of haben, 'to have'. als plus the subjunctive means 'as though': 'as though we had long gathered it'.

**4** angesammelt und erspart in uns,  
gathered and saved it up within us,
> Two past participles, gathered and saved: angesammelt and erspart are past participles of ansammeln, 'to gather, to accumulate', and ersparen, 'to save up'. Together they describe what was 'gathered and saved' in uns, 'within us'.


**5** um es jetzt aus Fühlen und Erinnern,  
in order now, out of feeling and remembering,
> Setting up a later purpose: um here begins an um ... zu construction, 'in order to', completed by hinzustreun several lines later. jetzt aus Fühlen und Erinnern names the material the purpose clause will describe scattering.

**6** neuer Hoffnung, halbvergeßnem Freun,  
new hope, half-forgotten gladness,
> Gladness, not a friend: Freun is a poetic elision of Freuen, the infinitive of sich freuen, 'to rejoice', used as a noun meaning 'gladness'. It is not related to Freund, 'friend'. halbvergeßnem Freun means 'half-forgotten gladness'.

**7** noch vermischt mit Dunkel aus dem Innern,  
still mingled with darkness from within,
> Noun for the inward part: Innern is dative singular of das Innere, 'the inward part, the interior', a noun formed from the adjective inner, 'inner'. aus dem Innern means 'from within'.

**8** in Gedanken vor uns hinzustreun  
to scatter out before us in our thoughts,
> Infinitive completes a purpose clause: hinzustreun is a poetic elision of hinzustreuen, the infinitive of hinstreuen, 'to scatter out', dropping the final -en for the meter. It completes the um ... zu construction begun earlier: 'in order to scatter it out before us'.


**9** unter Bäume wie von Dürer, die  
beneath trees as if by Dürer, which
> Accusative shows motion, not location: unter, 'under, beneath', can take either accusative or dative depending on whether motion or location is meant. unter Bäume is accusative, showing motion: 'beneath trees', into that space, not simply resting there.

**10** das Gewicht von hundert Arbeitstagen  
the weight of a hundred days of labor

**11** in den überfüllten Früchten tragen,  
bear in their overladen fruit,
> Dative plural for overladen: überfüllten is the dative plural of überfüllt, 'overfilled, overladen', from über-, 'over', plus füllen, 'to fill'. in den überfüllten Früchten means 'in their overladen fruit'.

**12** dienend, voll Geduld, versuchend, wie  
serving, full of patience, testing how
> Two present participles in a row: dienend and versuchend are present participles of dienen, 'to serve', and versuchen, 'to try, to test'. Both describe the same unstated subject, stringing together qualities without a main verb: 'serving, full of patience, testing'.


**13** das, was alle Maße übersteigt,  
that which surpasses all measure
> A relative clause with was: das, was ... übersteigt uses was as a relative pronoun after the neutral antecedent das, 'that which'. was alle Maße übersteigt means 'which surpasses all measure', with übersteigen, 'to surpass', as the verb.

**14** noch zu heben ist und hinzugeben,  
can still be lifted and given over,
> Can still be, passive sense: noch zu heben ist uses zu plus the infinitive to mean 'can still be lifted', a passive sense like nicht mehr zu bestreiten elsewhere in these poems. heben means 'to lift'; hinzugeben means 'to give over'.

**15** wenn man willig, durch ein langes Leben  
if one, willing, through a long life
> An impersonal subject pronoun: man is an impersonal pronoun meaning 'one, a person', used as the subject of a general statement. wenn man willig ... means 'if one, willing, ...', not naming any particular person.

**16** nur das Eine will und wächst und schweigt?  
wills the One thing only, and grows, and stays silent?
> A noun for the One: das Eine, 'the One thing', is a noun formed from the numeral eine, capitalized and given the article das. nur das Eine will und wächst und schweigt means 'wills, grows, and stays silent only as the One thing does'.

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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.