# Der Berg · The Mountain

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

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**1** Sechsunddreißigmal und hundertmal  
Six-and-thirty times and a hundred times
> Numbers plus -mal, times: Sechsunddreißigmal means 'six-and-thirty times', combining the number sechsunddreißig, 'thirty-six', with the suffix -mal, 'times'. hundertmal likewise means 'a hundred times'.

**2** hat der Maler jenen Berg geschrieben,  
the painter has written that mountain,
> Written, used for painting: geschrieben is the past participle of schreiben, which usually means 'to write' but here describes the painter's repeated act of painting the mountain: 'the painter has written that mountain', as though each painting were an entry or attempt.

**3** weggerissen, wieder hingetrieben  
torn away, driven back again,
> Two past participles in a row: weggerissen and hingetrieben are past participles of wegreißen, 'to tear away', and hintreiben, 'to drive toward, to drive back'. Both describe the same unnamed subject, the painter or his attention, without a stated main verb.

**4** (sechsunddreißigmal und hundertmal)  
(six-and-thirty times and a hundred times)


**5** zu dem unbegreiflichen Vulkane,  
to the incomprehensible volcano,
> Preposition taking the dative: zu, 'to, toward', always takes the dative case. dem unbegreiflichen Vulkane is dative singular of der Vulkan, 'volcano', with an older dative ending -e still visible on Vulkane.

**6** selig, voll Versuchung, ohne Rat,–  
blissful, full of temptation, at a loss,—
> An idiom, at a loss: ohne Rat literally means 'without counsel', an idiom for being at a loss, uncertain what to do. Rat means 'counsel, advice'; ohne, 'without', takes the accusative.

**7** während der mit Umriß Angetane  
while the one clad with outline
> A noun made from a participle: Angetane is the past participle of antun, 'to put on, to clothe with', turned into a noun, 'the one clad'. der mit Umriß Angetane means 'the one clad with outline', with mit Umriß, 'with outline', describing how he is dressed.

**8** seiner Herrlichkeit nicht Einhalt tat:  
called no halt to its glory:
> An idiom, to call a halt: Einhalt tun is an idiom meaning 'to call a halt, to put a stop to something'. Einhalt means 'halt, check'; tat is the simple past of tun, 'to do'. Negated by nicht, it means 'called no halt'.


**9** tausendmal aus allen Tagen tauchend,  
a thousand times surfacing out of all the days,
> Present participle, surfacing repeatedly: tauchend is the present participle of tauchen, 'to dive, to plunge, to surface'. tausendmal aus allen Tagen tauchend means 'surfacing a thousand times out of all the days', an ongoing, repeated action.

**10** Nächte ohnegleichen von sich ab  
letting nights without equal fall away
> A compound meaning without equal: ohnegleichen means 'without equal, unparalleled', combining ohne, 'without', and gleichen, 'to resemble, to equal'. Nächte ohnegleichen means 'nights without equal'.

**11** fallen lassend, alle wie zu knapp;  
from itself, all of them as if too scant;
> Causative verb, letting fall: fallen lassend combines the infinitive fallen, 'to fall', with the present participle of lassen, 'to let', meaning 'letting fall'. lassen plus an infinitive names something the subject permits or causes to happen.

**12** jedes Bild im Augenblick verbrauchend,  
using up each image in the instant,
> Present participle, using up: verbrauchend is the present participle of verbrauchen, 'to use up, to consume'. jedes Bild im Augenblick verbrauchend means 'using up each image in the instant'.

**13** von Gestalt gesteigert zu Gestalt,  
heightened from form to form,
> Marking a path, form to form: von Gestalt gesteigert zu Gestalt means 'heightened from form to form', with von and zu marking the starting and ending points. gesteigert is the past participle of steigern, 'to heighten, to intensify'.

**14** teilnahmslos und weit und ohne Meinung–,  
indifferent and vast and without opinion—,
> Suffix -los makes indifferent: teilnahmslos means 'indifferent, without participation', combining Teilnahme, 'participation', with the negating suffix -los. It describes the mountain as teilnahmslos und weit und ohne Meinung, 'indifferent and vast and without opinion'.

**15** um auf einmal wissend, wie Erscheinung,  
in order all at once, knowing, like an apparition,
> Opening another purpose clause: um here begins an um ... zu construction, completed by sich zu heben in the next line: 'in order, all at once knowing, like an apparition, to lift itself'. wissend is the present participle of wissen, 'to know'.

**16** sich zu heben hinter jedem Spalt.  
to lift itself behind every cleft.
> Infinitive completes a purpose clause: sich zu heben, 'to lift itself', completes the um ... zu construction begun in the line before. hinter jedem Spalt means 'behind every cleft', naming where the lifting happens.

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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.