# Die Berufung · The Calling

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

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

**1** Da aber als in sein Versteck der Hohe,  
But then, as into his hiding place the Exalted One,
> A temporal clause introduced by als: als, 'as, when', introduces a subordinate clause describing an action happening at the same time as the main clause. Da aber als in sein Versteck der Hohe ... trat means 'but then, as into his hiding place the Exalted One ... stepped'.
> Naming the angel before Engel: Hohe is the adjective hoch, 'high, exalted', used as a noun with the article der, 'the exalted one'. It names the angel before Engel is given explicitly two lines later.

**2** sofort Erkennbare: der Engel, trat  
at once recognizable: the angel, stepped
> Adjective turned into a noun: Erkennbare is the adjective erkennbar, 'recognizable', used as a noun, 'the recognizable one'. sofort Erkennbare means 'at once recognizable', naming the angel just before der Engel identifies him directly.

**3** aufrecht, der lautere und lichterlohe,  
upright, the pure one and the blazing one,
> The blazing one, as noun: lichterlohe is the adjective lichterloh, 'ablaze, all aflame', used as a noun paired with der lautere, 'the pure one'. Both nouns describe the angel: 'the pure one and the blazing one'.

**4** da tat er allen Anspruch ab und bat,  
then he laid aside all claim and begged,
> Separable verb, tat ... ab: abtun means 'to lay aside, to dismiss'. As a separable verb it splits in the main clause: tat er allen Anspruch ab puts ab at the end, 'he laid aside all claim'.


**5** bleiben zu dürfen, der von seinen Reisen  
to be allowed to stay, he who from his travels
> Modal verb, being allowed to: bleiben zu dürfen combines the infinitive bleiben, 'to stay', with dürfen, 'to be allowed to'. It follows bat, 'begged', naming what the merchant asked permission for.

**6** innen verwirrte Kaufmann, der er war;  
was inwardly bewildered, the merchant that he was;
> An adjective before its noun: innen verwirrte Kaufmann means 'the merchant, inwardly bewildered'. verwirrte, 'bewildered', modifies Kaufmann directly, and der er war, 'that he was', restates what he in fact was, a merchant.

**7** er hatte nie gelesen und nun gar  
he had never read, and now of all things
> An intensifying particle: gar here intensifies nun, 'now', adding emphasis close to 'of all things' or 'now especially'. und nun gar means 'and now, of all things', stressing how unlikely the situation is.

**8** ein solches Wort, zu viel für einen Weisen.  
such a word — too much even for a wise man.
> Preposition governing the accusative: für, 'for', always takes the accusative case. einen Weisen, 'a wise man', is accusative singular after für: zu viel für einen Weisen means 'too much even for a wise man'.


**9** Der Engel aber, herrisch, wies und wies  
The angel, though, imperious, pointed and pointed
> Repeated verb for emphasis: wies is the simple past, third-person singular, of weisen, 'to point, to indicate'. Repeating it, wies und wies, shows the action continuing insistently: 'pointed and pointed'.

**10** ihm, was geschrieben stand auf seinem Blatte,  
to him at what stood written on his page,
> An idiom, stood written: geschrieben stand combines the past participle geschrieben, 'written', with stand, the simple past of stehen, 'to stand'. Together the idiom means 'stood written, was written', naming what was on the page.

**11** und gab nicht nach und wollte wieder: lies.  
and did not relent and wanted again: read.
> Separable verb, gab ... nach: nachgeben means 'to give way, to relent'. As a separable verb it splits: gab ... nach, 'did not relent' when negated by nicht, with the prefix nach landing after the negation.


**12** Da las er: so, daß sich der Engel bog,  
Then he read — so, that the angel bent down,
> Marking a result clause: so, daß introduces a result clause: 'so, that ...'. It reports the outcome of the reading before it, sich der Engel bog, 'the angel bent down', as a consequence of what he read.

**13** und war schon einer, der gelesen hatte  
and he was already one who had read
> Relative pronoun after one: einer, 'one', is followed by der, a relative pronoun agreeing with it in gender and number, introducing the clause der gelesen hatte, 'who had read'. hatte is the auxiliary of the pluperfect.

**14** und konnte und gehorchte und vollzog.  
and could and obeyed and carried it out.
> Simple past, carried out: vollzog is the simple past, third-person singular, of vollziehen, 'to carry out, to perform, to execute'. und konnte und gehorchte und vollzog lists three verbs in a row: 'could', 'obeyed', 'carried it out'.

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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.