# Der Reliquienschrein · The Reliquary

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

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

**1** Draußen wartete auf alle Ringe  
Outside, on every ring there waited
> Waiting for, with accusative: warten means 'to wait'; naming what is waited for takes auf plus the accusative, warten auf alle Ringe, 'to wait for all the rings'. The verb wartete opens the sentence before its subject, Schicksal, appears two lines later.

**2** und auf jedes Kettenglied  
and on each link of chain
> The noun for a chain link: das Kettenglied is a compound of die Kette, 'chain', and das Glied, 'limb, link, member', meaning 'a link of chain'. jedes Kettenglied, 'each link of chain', is accusative, joined by und to alle Ringe as another object of auf from the line before.

**3** Schicksal, das nicht ohne sie geschieht.  
fate, which does not come to pass without them.
> The verb for happening: geschieht is the third-person present of geschehen, 'to happen, to occur', a verb that takes no object. das nicht ohne sie geschieht means 'which does not happen without them', with das a relative pronoun referring to Schicksal, 'fate'.

**4** Drinnen waren sie nur Dinge, Dinge,  
Inside they were only things, things,
> Inside, opposite of outside: drinnen means 'inside, indoors', answering the question where. It answers draußen, 'outside', from the poem's first line. Drinnen waren sie nur Dinge means 'inside they were only things', with Dinge the predicate complement of waren.

**5** die er schmiedete; denn vor dem Schmied  
that he forged; for before the smith
> A coordinating word for because: denn means 'for, because'. Unlike the subordinating conjunction weil, denn is a coordinating conjunction and does not send the verb to the end of its clause; normal word order continues after it. vor dem Schmied, 'before the smith', uses the dative dem after vor.

**6** war sogar die Krone, die er bog,  
even the crown that he bent
> Past tense of biegen: bog is the simple past of the strong verb biegen, 'to bend, to curve'. die Krone, die er bog means 'the crown that he bent', a relative clause with die as its object and bog as its verb, placed at the clause's end as German requires.

**7** nur ein Ding, ein zitterndes und eines,  
only a thing, a trembling thing, and one
> Present participle used as adjective: zitternd, 'shaking, quivering', is the present participle of zittern, 'to shake, to quiver', used here as an adjective with a neuter ending, zitterndes. German forms such adjectives from most verbs. ein zitterndes [Ding] means 'a shaking thing'.

**8** das er finster wie im Zorn erzog  
that he, grim as if in anger, schooled
> The verb for raising or educating: erzog is the simple past of erziehen, normally 'to raise, to educate, to bring up a child'. das ... er ... erzog means 'that he raised', a relative clause with das referring to Ding from an earlier line. zu dem Tragen names the goal stated in the next line.

**9** zu dem Tragen eines reinen Steines.  
to the bearing of a pure stone.
> Infinitive used as a noun: das Tragen is the infinitive tragen, 'to carry, to bear', used as a neuter noun, 'the carrying, the bearing'. zu dem Tragen eines reinen Steines means 'to the bearing of a pure stone', with eines reinen Steines in the genitive after Tragen.


**10** Seine Augen wurden immer kälter  
His eyes grew ever colder
> Ever with a comparative: immer before a comparative adjective means 'ever more, increasingly'; immer kälter means 'colder and colder, ever colder'. wurden is the past tense of werden, 'to become', so Seine Augen wurden immer kälter means 'his eyes grew ever colder'.

**11** von dem kalten täglichen Getränk;  
from the cold daily drink;
> The noun for a drink: das Getränk means 'drink, beverage, draught', formed from trinken, 'to drink'. von dem kalten täglichen Getränk means 'from the cold daily drink', with von plus the dative dem Getränk giving the cause named in the line before.

**12** aber als der herrliche Behälter  
but when the glorious vessel
> When, for one past event: als means 'when' for a single completed event in the past, unlike wenn, which marks repeated occasions. As a subordinating conjunction it sends its verb to the end of its clause. Here that verb, stand, does not appear until two lines later.

**13** (goldgetrieben, köstlich, vielkarätig)  
(gold-chased, precious, many-carated)
> A compound for gold chasing: goldgetrieben combines Gold with getrieben, the past participle of treiben, which in metalwork means 'to chase, to emboss', raising a relief by hammering from behind. So goldgetrieben means 'worked in chased gold'. It describes Behälter, 'vessel', from the line before.

**14** fertig vor ihm stand, das Weihgeschenk,  
stood finished before him, the votive gift,
> The noun for a votive gift: das Weihgeschenk combines weihen, 'to consecrate, to dedicate', and das Geschenk, 'gift', meaning 'a votive offering'. It stands in apposition to Behälter, restating the finished vessel as an object given to a shrine.

**15** daß darin ein kleines Handgelenk  
so that inside it a small wrist
> Introducing a purpose clause: daß, spelled dass in current orthography, introduces a subordinate clause and sends its verb to the end. daß darin ein kleines Handgelenk ... means 'so that inside it a small wrist ...', stating a purpose. Its verb, wohne, appears in the next line.

**16** fürder wohne, weiß und wundertätig:  
might henceforth dwell, white and miracle-working:
> Subjunctive after daß: wohne is the present subjunctive, Konjunktiv I, of wohnen, 'to dwell, to live', used in the purpose clause opened by daß in the line before: 'so that a small wrist might dwell'. fürder is an old adverb meaning 'henceforth, from now on'.


**17** blieb er ohne Ende auf den Knien,  
he stayed endlessly upon his knees,
> Verb before subject: blieb is the past tense of bleiben, 'to remain, to stay'. Because the preceding aber als clause fills first position, the finite verb blieb takes first position in the main clause and the subject er follows it. auf den Knien, 'on his knees', uses the dative den after auf.

**18** hingeworfen, weinend, nicht mehr wagend,  
thrown down, weeping, daring no more,
> Past participle of hinwerfen: hingeworfen is the past participle of the separable verb hinwerfen, 'to throw down, to fling down', from werfen, 'to throw', with the prefix hin-. Used without an auxiliary, it describes a state, 'thrown down', joining weinend and wagend in a series describing er.

**19** seine Seele niederschlagend  
casting his soul down low,
> The verb for casting down: niederschlagend is the present participle of the separable verb niederschlagen, 'to strike down, to cast down, to lower', from schlagen, 'to strike', with the prefix nieder-, 'down'. seine Seele niederschlagend means 'casting his soul down', with Seele as its accusative object.

**20** vor dem ruhigen Rubin,  
before the tranquil ruby,
> Dative after vor for position: vor takes the dative to mark a fixed position, 'before, in front of'. vor dem ruhigen Rubin means 'before the tranquil ruby', with dem and ruhigen in the dative agreeing with Rubin. The phrase depends on niederschlagend from the line before.

**21** der ihn zu gewahren schien  
which seemed to perceive him
> The verb for perceiving: gewahren means 'to perceive, to become aware of, to notice'. der ihn zu gewahren schien means 'which seemed to perceive him', with der a relative pronoun referring back to Rubin and schien, 'seemed', governing the infinitive zu gewahren.

**22** und ihn, plötzlich um sein Dasein fragend,  
and, suddenly questioning him about his existence,
> fragen um plus accusative: fragend is the present participle of fragen, 'to ask'; naming what is asked about takes um plus the accusative, um sein Dasein fragend, 'asking about his existence'. das Dasein, from da, 'there', and sein, 'to be', is the noun for 'existence'.

**23** ansah wie aus Dynastien.  
looked at him as if out of dynasties.
> Separable verb in the past: ansah is the simple past of the separable verb ansehen, 'to look at, to regard'; the prefix an- rejoins the verb in the simple past. wie aus Dynastien, 'as though out of dynasties', depends on ansah, naming the manner of the look.
> The noun for dynasties: die Dynastie, plural Dynastien, means 'dynasty', a line of rulers. wie aus Dynastien means 'as though out of dynasties', with Dynastien dative plural after aus. The phrase describes the manner of ansah, the look given in this line.

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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.