# Die Schwestern · The Sisters

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

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

**1** Sieh, wie sie dieselben Möglichkeiten  
See how they bear the very same potentials
> The very same, in two parts: derselbe, dieselbe, dasselbe means 'the very same one', stressing identity rather than likeness. It declines in two halves: the article half agrees in case, the adjective half takes the weak ending. Here dieselben is feminine accusative plural, agreeing with Möglichkeiten, 'possibilities'.

**2** anders an sich tragen und verstehn,  
upon themselves, and grasp them, otherwise —
> An idiom for wearing something: etwas an sich tragen means 'to carry or wear something about one, to have it upon oneself'. anders, 'differently, otherwise', governs the whole verb, so each sister carries the same possibilities in a different way. verstehn is the poetic short form of verstehen.

**3** so als sähe man verschiedne Zeiten  
as if one watched two different ages move
> als plus subjunctive, no ob: sähe is the Konjunktiv II, past subjunctive, of sehen, 'to see', used after so als, 'as though', to mark a comparison as imagined. In this short form the verb follows als directly, before the subject man, 'one'. verschiedne contracts verschiedene, 'different'.

**4** durch zwei gleiche Zimmer gehn.  
across two rooms that are alike.
> gleich meaning identical: gleich here is the adjective 'alike, equal, identical', not the common adverb gleich meaning 'soon, at once'. zwei gleiche Zimmer means 'two identical rooms', completing the simile of two different ages moving through the same setting.


**5** Jede meint die andere zu stützen,  
Each thinks that she is propping up the other,
> meinen plus a zu-infinitive: meinen means 'to think, believe, suppose'; with a zu-infinitive it reports the subject's own belief about her action: Jede meint ... zu stützen means 'each believes she is propping up the other'. jede means 'each one', standing for the sisters.

**6** während sie doch müde an ihr ruht;  
while in truth she leans on her, worn out;
> während with doch for contrast: während is the subordinating conjunction 'while, whereas', so its verb ruht goes to the end of the clause. The particle doch adds 'yet, in fact', marking a contrast: während sie doch ... ruht means 'while she in fact rests on her'.

**7** und sie können nicht einander nützen,  
and neither one can be of use to the other,
> A reciprocal pronoun with dative: einander is the invariable reciprocal pronoun 'one another, each other'; it never declines. nützen, 'to be of use, benefit', takes a dative object, so einander nützen means 'to be of use to one another'.

**8** denn sie legen Blut auf Blut,  
for they lay blood upon blood,
> Blood repeated for emphasis: Blut means 'blood', doubled here as Blut auf Blut, 'blood upon blood'. As sisters they share one blood, so stacking like upon like adds nothing new, only more of the same weakness.


**9** wenn sie sich wie früher sanft berühren  
when, as before, they gently touch each other
> wenn holding its verb to the end: wenn, 'when, whenever', sends its verb berühren to the end of the clause. The reflexive sich reads reciprocally here, sie berühren sich meaning 'they touch one another', with sanft, 'gently', modifying berühren.

**10** und versuchen, die Allee entlang  
and try, on down the avenue of trees,
> entlang following its noun: die Allee is a tree-lined avenue, from French allée, not just any street. entlang, 'along', is a postposition here, following its noun in the accusative: die Allee entlang means 'along the avenue'.

**11** sich geführt zu fühlen und zu führen:  
to feel themselves both led and leading on:
> Two zu-infinitives on one verb: Two zu-infinitives depend on versuchen, 'to try', from the line above: sich geführt zu fühlen means 'to feel oneself led', with geführt, the past participle of führen, used passively; zu führen means 'to lead'. The reflexive sich belongs to fühlen, 'to feel'.

**12** ach, sie haben nicht denselben Gang.  
ah, they do not share the same way of walking.
> Gang, a word for gait: der Gang means 'walk, gait, the way one moves', from gehen, 'to go, walk'. denselben Gang uses derselbe again, masculine accusative: 'the very same gait'. The line states plainly that the sisters cannot keep step with each other.

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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.