# Der Auferstandene · The Risen One

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

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

**1** Er vermochte niemals bis zuletzt  
Right to the very end he could never
> An elevated verb for being able: Vermochte is the simple past of vermögen, an elevated verb meaning 'to be able, to have the power to'. It governs an infinitive with zu that follows in the next line: er vermochte ... zu weigern, 'he was able to refuse.' Bis zuletzt means 'right up to the end.'

**2** ihr zu weigern oder abzuneinen,  
refuse her, or say no to her,
> A Rilke coinage: Abneinen is not standard German; it is built from ab-, 'away', and nein, 'no', on the model of abweisen, 'to turn away'. As a zu-infinitive of a separable verb the zu sits between prefix and stem: ab-zu-neinen, 'to say no to.'

**3** daß sie ihrer Liebe sich berühme;  
that she should boast of her love;
> Subjunctive of 'sich rühmen': Berühme, in sich berühme, is the subjunctive I of the archaic verb sich berühmen, 'to boast of, pride oneself on', marking indirect or reported intention. The reflexive verb takes a genitive object: ihrer Liebe, 'of her love.'

**4** und sie sank ans Kreuz in dem Kostüme  
and she sank down at the cross in the costume
> An with the accusative for motion: Ans contracts an das. With a verb of motion like sinken, 'to sink down', an takes the accusative to mark direction toward: ans Kreuz, 'down to the cross'. The dative in dem Kostüme that follows simply locates her, 'in the costume.'

**5** eines Schmerzes, welches ganz besetzt  
of a grief, one wholly studded over

**6** war mit ihrer Liebe größten Steinen.  
with the largest stones of her love.
> A phrase for being set with jewels: Besetzt sein mit means 'to be set, studded, or encrusted with', the phrase used for a crown set with jewels. Ihrer Liebe größten Steinen, dative after mit, means 'the largest stones of her love.'


**7** Aber da sie dann, um ihn zu salben,  
But then, when she, in order to anoint him,
> Purpose clause with um zu: Um ... zu plus infinitive expresses purpose, 'in order to'. Its accusative object ihn, 'him', sits inside the bracket, and the infinitive salben, 'to anoint', closes it: um ihn zu salben, 'in order to anoint him.'

**8** an das Grab kam, Tränen im Gesicht,  
came to the grave, tears upon her face,

**9** war er auferstanden ihrethalben,  
he had risen again for her sake,
> An archaic form for her sake: Ihrethalben is an archaic form meaning 'for her sake, on her account', built from the genitive ihrer plus the postposition -halben, on the pattern of meinethalben. War auferstanden ihrethalben: 'had risen again for her sake.'

**10** daß er seliger ihr sage: Nicht–  
so that, more blessed, he might tell her: Do not–
> Subjunctive of purpose, 'sage': Sage is the subjunctive I of sagen, 'to say', marking purpose: 'so that he might say'. Seliger is the comparative of selig, 'blessed', used adverbially, 'more blessedly'. The line breaks off unfinished on Nicht, 'Do not.'


**11** Sie begriff es erst in ihrer Höhle,  
She grasped it only later in her hollow,
> A word meaning not until: Erst here does not mean 'first' but 'not until, only then': sie begriff es erst means 'only then did she grasp it'. Begriff is the simple past of begreifen, 'to grasp, comprehend.'

**12** wie er ihr, gestärkt durch seinen Tod,  
how he, made strong through his own death,
> Past participle as modifier: Gestärkt is the past participle of stärken, 'to strengthen', used adjectivally, set off by commas: gestärkt durch seinen Tod, 'strengthened through his death'. Durch plus accusative marks the means.

**13** endlich das Erleichternde der Öle  
at last forbade her the relief of the oils
> Nominalized participle: From erleichtern, 'to ease, relieve', comes das Erleichternde, 'the relieving thing, that which gives relief', a present participle turned into a neuter noun with das. Der Öle is the genitive plural of das Öl, 'oil.'

**14** und des Rührens Vorgefühl verbot,  
and the foretaste of touching him,
> Verbieten with dative and accusative: Verbot, simple past of verbieten, 'to forbid', is the long-delayed main verb of the sentence: it forbids someone, dative, something, accusative. Des Rührens Vorgefühl means 'the foretaste of the touching', with the genitive des Rührens depending on Vorgefühl.


**15** um aus ihr die Liebende zu formen,  
in order to form out of her the loving woman,
> Present participle as a feminine noun: Die Liebende is the present participle of lieben, 'to love', used as a feminine noun: 'the woman who loves'. Um aus ihr ... zu formen is an um ... zu purpose clause: 'in order to form out of her.'

**16** die sich nicht mehr zum Geliebten neigt,  
who no longer leans toward the beloved,
> A reflexive verb for leaning toward: The reflexive sich neigen means 'to lean, incline, bend'; with zu plus dative it is 'to lean toward'. Zum Geliebten means 'toward the beloved.' The relative pronoun die sends neigt to the end of its clause.

**17** weil sie, hingerissen von enormen  
because she, swept away by enormous
> Past participle for being carried away: Hingerissen is the past participle of hinreißen, literally 'to tear away', figuratively 'to enrapture'. Hingerissen von, 'carried away by', governs the dative enormen Stürmen, 'enormous storms', that follows in the next line.

**18** Stürmen, seine Stimme übersteigt.  
storms, rises above his voice.
> The last verb of the poem: Übersteigt, from übersteigen, 'to climb over, surpass', is the final verb of the weil-clause, held to the last word of the poem: 'rises above his voice'. Its subject sie, 'she', governs the whole clause.

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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.