# Der Einsame · The Solitary One

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

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

**1** Nein: ein Turm soll sein aus meinem Herzen  
No: a tower shall be made out of my heart
> Modal plus infinitive, intended outcome: soll sein combines sollen, 'shall, is to', with the infinitive sein, 'to be': ein Turm soll sein, 'a tower is to be [made]'. sollen expresses an intended or commanded outcome, not simple future.

**2** und ich selbst an seinen Rand gestellt:  
and I myself set at its edge:
> Past participle, set, placed: gestellt is the past participle of stellen, 'to set, to place'. an seinen Rand gestellt means 'set at its edge', describing ich, the speaker, placed at the tower's rim.

**3** wo sonst nichts mehr ist, noch einmal Schmerzen  
where else there is nothing more, once again pains
> Once again, a repeated phrase: noch einmal means 'once again, one more time'. It modifies the nouns that follow in this list, Schmerzen, Unsäglichkeit, and Welt, each repeated 'once again'.

**4** und Unsäglichkeit, noch einmal Welt.  
and unsayableness, once again world.
> A noun for unsayableness: Unsäglichkeit is a noun built from unsäglich, 'unsayable, inexpressible', itself un- plus sagen, 'to say'. It names the abstract state of what cannot be said.


**5** Noch ein Ding allein im Übergroßen,  
One more thing, alone in the over-vast,
> A noun for the over-vast: Übergroßen is a noun formed from übergroß, 'oversized, over-vast', itself über-, 'over, beyond', plus groß, 'great, large'. im Übergroßen means 'in the over-vast [expanse]'.

**6** welches dunkel wird und wieder licht,  
which grows dark and again light,
> Relative pronoun referring back: welches, 'which', is a relative pronoun, nominative neuter singular, agreeing with Ding from the line before. It introduces the clause welches dunkel wird und wieder licht, 'which grows dark and again light'.

**7** noch ein letztes, sehnendes Gesicht  
one last, longing face
> Present participle used as adjective: sehnendes is the present participle of sich sehnen, 'to long, to yearn', used here as an adjective: ein letztes, sehnendes Gesicht, 'one last, longing face'.

**8** in das Nie-zu-Stillende verstoßen,  
cast out into the never-to-be-stilled,
> A compound adjective used as noun: das Nie-zu-Stillende is an adjective, 'never to be stilled', built from nie, 'never', and zu stillen, 'to be stilled', turned into a noun by the article das. It names an abstract state rather than a specific thing.


**9** noch ein äußerstes Gesicht aus Stein,  
one uttermost face of stone,
> Superlative meaning uttermost: äußerstes is the superlative of äußer, 'outer', meaning 'uttermost, extreme'. ein äußerstes Gesicht aus Stein means 'one uttermost face of stone'.

**10** willig seinen inneren Gewichten,  
willing toward its inner weights,
> Dative object of willig: willig, 'willing', here governs the dative case: seinen inneren Gewichten, 'toward its inner weights'. Adjectives like willig that express disposition toward something often take a dative object in German.

**11** das die Weiten, die es still vernichten,  
which the distances, that silently destroy it,
> Nested relative clauses: das die Weiten, die es still vernichten, zwingen nests one relative clause inside another: die Weiten is modified by die es ... vernichten, 'that silently destroy it', before the outer clause's verb zwingen, 'force', is reached.

**12** zwingen, immer seliger zu sein.  
force ever more blissful to be.
> Verb plus infinitive with zu: zwingen ... zu sein means 'force ... to be'. zwingen, 'to force', takes an infinitive with zu to name what someone or something is forced to do: immer seliger zu sein, 'to be ever more blissful'.

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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.