# Der Turm · The Tower

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems

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

**1** Erdinneres. Als wäre dort, wohin  
Earth-interior. As though there, toward which
> A compound for earth's interior: Erdinneres is a compound and nominalized adjective meaning 'the earth's interior', joining Erde, 'earth', with innere, 'inner'. It is nominative here, naming the place the sentence goes on to describe.
> An unreal clause, verb first: als introduces an unreal comparison and moves the verb to the front when ob does not appear: Als wäre, 'as though there were'. wäre is the past subjunctive of sein, 'to be'.

**2** du blindlings steigst, erst Erdenoberfläche,  
you blindly climb, the earth's surface waits,
> The suffix -lings: blindlings is an adverb meaning 'blindly', built with the suffix -lings that also appears in words like rücklings, 'backward'. du blindlings steigst means 'you climb blindly'.

**3** zu der du steigst im schrägen Bett der Bäche,  
to which you climb in the slanting bed of streams,
> A preposition plus relative pronoun: zu der combines the preposition zu, 'to', with the relative pronoun der, 'which', dative feminine, referring back to Erdenoberfläche, 'the earth's surface'. It sends du steigst, 'you climb', into a relative clause describing the surface.

**4** die langsam aus dem suchenden Gerinn  
that slowly out of the searching channel
> A rare noun for a channel: das Gerinn is a rare, poetic noun for 'a channel' or 'trickle of water', related to rinnen, 'to run' or 'trickle'. dem suchenden Gerinn, 'the searching channel', is dative after aus, 'out of'.


**5** der Dunkelheit entsprungen sind, durch die  
of darkness have sprung, through which
> entspringen, to spring from: entspringen means 'to spring' or 'arise from' a source, and forms its perfect tense with sein rather than haben: sind entsprungen, 'have sprung'. der Dunkelheit, genitive here, names 'the darkness' as that source.

**6** sich dein Gesicht, wie auferstehend, drängt  
your face, as if resurrecting, presses,
> drängt with a reflexive object: sich drängen means 'to press forward' or 'push oneself'. sich dein Gesicht … drängt places the reflexive sich early, and the subject dein Gesicht, 'your face', and the verb drängt, 'presses', at the end of the clause.
> A participle for rising again: auferstehend is the present participle of auferstehen, 'to rise again' or 'resurrect', used here adverbially. wie auferstehend describes the manner in which the face presses forward, 'as though rising'.

**7** und die du plötzlich siehst, als fiele sie  
and which you suddenly see, as though it fell
> An unreal clause with fallen: als introduces an unreal comparison and moves the verb to the front: als fiele sie, 'as though it fell'. fiele is the past subjunctive of fallen, 'to fall'.

**8** aus diesem Abgrund, der dich überhängt  
out of this abyss that overhangs you
> der Abgrund, an abyss: der Abgrund means 'abyss' or 'chasm', literally the ground's absence. diesem Abgrund is dative after aus, 'out of', naming the place something emerges from.


**9** und den du, wie er riesig über dir  
and which you, as it hugely above you

**10** sich umstürzt in dem dämmernden Gestühle,  
topples over in the dusking framework of beams,
> sich umstürzen, to topple: sich umstürzen means 'to topple over' or 'collapse'. umstürzt is its third-person present, agreeing with an implied subject continuing from the earlier line.
> Gestühl, a framework: das Gestühl usually means 'a set of seats or pews', but here it names 'a framework of wooden beams', using the collective ge- prefix pattern seen in words like Gebälk. dem dämmernden Gestühle takes the older dative ending -e after in.

**11** erkennst, erschreckt und fürchtend, im Gefühle:  
recognize, terrified and fearing, in the feeling:
> Participle plus present participle: erschreckt, 'terrified', is the past participle of erschrecken, 'to frighten', used adjectivally, and fürchtend, 'fearing', is the present participle of fürchten, 'to fear'. Both describe the state of the person who erkennst, 'recognizes'.

**12** o wenn er steigt, behängen wie ein Stier–:  
oh when it rises, draped over like a bull—:
> A participle for draped or hung: behängen is the past participle of behängen, 'to hang something over' or 'drape', used adjectively here to mean 'draped, hung with something'. wie ein Stier, 'like a bull', gives the comparison for how it is draped.
> Dash and colon together: This punctuation combines a dash and a colon, a mark Rilke uses to hold a thought open before it resolves into what follows. It reads as longer than a comma but still forward-looking, unlike a full stop.


**13** Da aber nimmt dich aus der engen Endung  
But then a windy light takes you out of the narrow
> Da aber, but then: Da here is an adverb meaning 'then' or 'at that point', not the conjunction 'since'. aber, 'but', follows it to mark contrast. nimmt dich aus der engen Endung means 'takes you out of the narrow ending'.

**14** windiges Licht. Fast fliegend siehst du hier  
ending; windy light. Almost flying, you see here

**15** die Himmel wieder, Blendung über Blendung,  
the heavens again, dazzlement over dazzlement,
> A noun for dazzlement: die Blendung is a noun formed from blenden, 'to dazzle' or 'blind', meaning 'the state of being dazzled'. Blendung über Blendung, 'dazzlement over dazzlement', repeats the noun for emphasis.

**16** und dort die Tiefen, wach und voll Verwendung,  
and there the depths, awake and full of use,
> A noun for use or application: die Verwendung means 'use' or 'application', from verwenden, 'to use' or 'employ'. voll Verwendung, 'full of use', takes the genitive Verwendung after voll, 'full of'.


**17** und kleine Tage wie bei Patenier,  
and little days as in Patinir,

**18** gleichzeitige, mit Stunde neben Stunde,  
simultaneous ones, with hour beside hour,
> An adjective used as a noun: gleichzeitige is the adjective gleichzeitig, 'simultaneous', used here as a plural noun through its ending, meaning 'simultaneous ones'. It continues a list of things named in the sentence before it.

**19** durch die die Brücken springen wie die Hunde,  
through which the bridges leap like dogs,
> Two forms of die in a row: The first die is the relative pronoun 'which', accusative plural, referring back to an earlier noun. The second die is the definite article 'the', nominative plural, belonging to Brücken, 'bridges', the subject of springen.

**20** dem hellen Wege immer auf der Spur,  
always on the trail of the bright road,
> A fixed phrase for on the trail: auf der Spur is a fixed phrase meaning 'on the trail' or 'track of' something, taking the dative after auf here because it describes a fixed position, not motion toward. dem hellen Wege, 'the bright road', is the dative object this phrase depends on.

**21** den unbeholfne Häuser manchmal nur  
which clumsy houses only now and then
> unbeholfen, clumsy: unbeholfen means 'clumsy' or 'awkward', built from the negating prefix un- and beholfen, 'resourceful'. unbeholfne is a shortened poetic form, dropping the expected -e before the ending, describing die Häuser, 'the houses'.

**22** verbergen, bis er ganz im Hintergründe  
hide, until far off in the background it
> A verb for hiding: verbergen means 'to hide' or 'conceal', formed from bergen, 'to shelter', with the prefix ver-. Here it is third-person plural, agreeing with an implied subject continuing from the line before, likely die Häuser, 'the houses'.

**23** beruhigt geht durch Buschwerk und Natur.  
goes on calmed through thicket and open country.
> A participle used as an adverb: beruhigt is the past participle of beruhigen, 'to calm', used here adverbially rather than as part of a passive verb. It describes the manner of geht, 'goes', meaning 'goes on calmed'.

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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.