# Der Engel · The Angel

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems

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

**1** Mit einem Neigen seiner Stirne weist  
With a single bowing of his brow he waves
> weisen can mean to send away: weisen usually means 'to point, direct, show', but in von sich weisen it means 'to refuse, to send away from oneself'. The object of weist, was einschränkt und verpflichtet, arrives at the end of the next line, split by the line break.

**2** er weit von sich, was einschränkt und verpflichtet;  
far from himself whatever confines and binds;
> A clause completed across two lines: The clause begun in the line before finishes here: er weist weit von sich … was einschränkt und verpflichtet, 'he points far away from himself whatever confines and obliges'. was introduces a free relative clause, the object of weist.

**3** denn durch sein Herz geht riesig aufgerichtet  
for through his heart there moves, immense, erect,
> A participle used adverbially: aufgerichtet is the past participle of aufrichten, 'to raise, set upright', used here adverbially: 'raised up, towering, erect'. riesig, 'gigantic', modifies it. The fronted denn durch sein Herz geht pushes the subject to the next line.

**4** das ewig Kommende, das kreist.  
the eternally coming, which circles.
> A present participle used as a noun: das Kommende is a neuter substantivized present participle, 'that which is coming'. German freely turns adjectives and participles into nouns this way, capitalized with das. ewig, 'eternally', qualifies it; das kreist means 'which circles'.


**5** Die tiefen Himmel stehn ihm voll Gestalten,  
The deep heavens stand for him full of figures,
> voll governing a bare noun: voll, 'full of', can govern a noun directly without von and without an article: voll Gestalten means 'full of figures'. ihm is a dative of interest, 'for him'. Gestalt is a form, shape, or figure.

**6** und jede kann ihm rufen: komm, erkenn–.  
and each can call to him: come, know me–.
> Imperatives with the final -e dropped: komm and erkenn are both du-imperatives with the final -e dropped, as is normal in speech and verse: komm(e) from kommen, erkenn(e) from erkennen, 'to recognize, know'. The dash after erkenn leaves the command unfinished.

**7** Gib seinen leichten Händen nichts zu halten  
Give his light hands nothing to hold
> geben with a dative and accusative object: Gib is the imperative of geben. It takes a dative recipient, seinen leichten Händen, 'to his light hands', and an accusative object, nichts, 'nothing'. zu halten is an infinitive of purpose: 'nothing to hold'.

**8** aus deinem Lastenden. Sie kämen denn  
out of what weighs on you. Or else they would come
> A participle naming what weighs on you: das Lastende is a substantivized participle from lasten, 'to weigh, press heavily upon': 'that which burdens'. In the dative after aus, aus deinem Lastenden means 'out of what weighs on you'.
> kämen plus denn for an old warning: kämen is Konjunktiv II of kommen, 'they would come'. With denn at the end, sie kämen denn is an old conditional turn meaning 'for otherwise they would come, unless…', the warning the rest of the stanza spells out.


**9** bei Nacht zu dir, dich ringender zu prüfen,  
by night to you, to test you more wrestlingly,
> A coined comparative adverb: ringender is coined from ringen, 'to wrestle, struggle', as a comparative adverb: 'more wrestlingly, with more of a struggle'. dich … zu prüfen means 'to test you'; the angels would come at night to try you harder.

**10** und gingen wie Erzürnte durch das Haus  
and would go like enraged men through the house
> A participle naming angry people: Erzürnte is a substantivized participle of erzürnen, 'to anger, enrage': 'angered, wrathful ones'. wie Erzürnte means 'like people in a fury'. gingen continues the subjunctive chain from kämen; the angels would do all this.

**11** und griffen dich, als ob sie dich erschüfen,  
and would seize you, as though they created you,
> als ob plus the unreal mood: als ob, 'as though', triggers the subjunctive. erschüfen is Konjunktiv II of erschaffen, 'to create', with the umlaut typical of a strong verb's subjunctive: 'as though they were creating you'.

**12** und brächen dich aus deiner Form heraus.  
and would break you out of your own shape.
> A separable verb split by the line: herausbrechen, 'to break out', is separable: its prefix heraus lands at the very end of the line, brächen … heraus. brächen is Konjunktiv II of brechen, 'to break'. aus deiner Form means 'out of your form, shape'.

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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.