# Die Laute · The Lute

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

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

**1** Ich bin die Laute. Willst du meinen Leib  
I am the lute. If you would set my body
> The lute, an instrument: die Laute is the lute, the pear-bodied, fretted string instrument of the Renaissance, not to be confused with der Laut, 'a sound', or laut, 'loud'.
> The living body: der Leib means 'body' in the sense of the living, fleshly body, unlike der Körper, a more neutral or anatomical 'body'. meinen Leib is accusative, object of beschreiben in the next line.

**2** beschreiben, seine schön gewölbten Streifen:  
in words, its lovely curving, swelling ribs:
> Vaulted, curving ribs: gewölbt is the past participle of wölben, 'to arch, vault, curve outward', used as an adjective. die Streifen here are the curved staves or ribs of a lute's rounded back.

**3** sprich so, als sprächest du von einer reifen  
speak as you would were you to speak of a ripe
> Als plus subjunctive comparison: als sprächest du means 'as though you were speaking'. als introduces an unreal comparison and takes the subjunctive II; sprächest is the subjunctive II of sprechen, 'to speak'.

**4** gewölbten Feige. Übertreib  
and swelling fig. Exaggerate
> A clipped imperative: Übertreib is the imperative of übertreiben, 'to exaggerate, overdo', with the usual -e ending dropped, übertreib for übertreibe, as German allows in speech and verse.


**5** das Dunkel, das du in mir siehst. Es war  
the darkness that you see in me. It was
> Das used twice, article then pronoun: The first das is the neuter article of das Dunkel, 'the darkness'; the second das is the relative pronoun 'that, which', opening das du in mir siehst, 'that you see in me'.

**6** Tullias Dunkelheit. In ihrer Scham  
Tullia's darkness once. Within her shame
> Shame, and a body sense: die Scham means 'shame, modesty', but it is also an old, discreet word for the sexual parts, compare Schamgegend, the pudendal region. In ihrer Scham means 'within her shame'.

**7** war nicht so viel, und ihr erhelltes Haar  
there was not so much, and her lit-up hair
> Lit up, brightened: erhellt is the past participle of erhellen, 'to light up, illuminate, brighten', used as an adjective: ihr erhelltes Haar, 'her brightened, lit-up hair', nominative, agreeing with Haar.

**8** war wie ein heller Saal. Zuweilen nahm  
was like a hall of light. At times she drew
> A great hall: der Saal is a large hall or grand room, a ballroom or concert hall, not an ordinary Zimmer. war wie ein heller Saal means 'was like a bright hall'.
> Fronted adverb, verb second: zuweilen means 'at times, now and then', an elevated word for manchmal. Placed first, it pushes the finite verb nahm, simple past of nehmen, 'to take', into second position.


**9** sie etwas Klang von meiner Oberfläche  
some sound up from my surface to her face
> Resonant sound: der Klang is sound as resonance or timbre, richer than the neutral das Geräusch, a mere noise. etwas Klang von meiner Oberfläche means 'some sound from my surface'.

**10** in ihr Gesicht und sang zu mir.  
and sang to me.
> Accusative marks motion into: in here governs the accusative ihr Gesicht, 'her face', marking motion toward: 'into her face'. With the dative in ihrem Gesicht it would instead mean rest, 'in her face'.

**11** Dann spannte ich mich gegen ihre Schwäche,  
Then I would tauten myself against her weakness,
> To tense, to draw taut: spannen means 'to stretch, to tension, to draw taut'; reflexive sich spannen means 'to tense oneself'. gegen, 'against', takes the accusative ihre Schwäche, 'her weakness, faintness'.

**12** und endlich war mein Inneres in ihr.  
and at the last my inwardness was in her.
> The inside, the inner self: das Innere is a nominalized adjective meaning 'the inside, the interior, one's inner being'. mein Inneres means 'my inner part, my inmost self'. in ihr is dative, marking rest.

---

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.