German · New Poems

Gesang der Frauen an den Dichter

Song of the Women to the Poet

14 lines · 16 notes

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1
See how everything opens up: so are we;
Siehseesehen · verb, imperative, second-person, singularmain verb of the sentence
wiehowwie · subordinating conjunctiondepends on auftut
sichitselfsich · pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexivedepends on auftut
alleseverythingalle · pronoun, nominative, neuter, singulardepends on auftut
auftutopens upauftun · verb, present, indicative, third-person, singulardepends on Sieh
sososo · adverbdepends on sind
sindaresein · verb, present, indicative, first-person, pluralmain verb of the sentence
wirwewir · pronoun, nominative, pluraldepends on sind
GrammarA reflexive separable verb Auftun splits into the particle auf, 'open', and tun, 'to do', used reflexively as sich auftun, 'to open itself up, to unfold'. In a main clause the particle moves to the end, alles tut sich auf; in this subordinate clause the whole verb stays together at the end.
2
for we are nothing but such blessedness.
GrammarNothing but, nothing other Nichts als means 'nothing but, nothing other than'. Denn is the coordinating conjunction 'for, because' and, unlike weil, keeps normal word order with the verb second. Die Seligkeit means 'blessedness, bliss'.
3
What was blood and darkness in an animal,
GrammarWas as a free relative Was here is not the question word 'what' but a free relative pronoun, 'that which, whatever'. Was Blut und Dunkel war in einem Tier means 'that which was blood and darkness in an animal'. Its main verb, wuchs … an, arrives only in the next line.
4
that grew in us into soul and cries
WordSeparable verb anwachsen Anwachsen is the separable verb 'to grow, swell, increase'; its particle an lands at the end of the clause, das wuchs … an. Das picks up was … war in einem Tier from the line before. Zur Seele is zu der Seele, 'into the soul'.
5
on as soul. And it cries out for you.
GrammarA verb split across lines The verb schreit at the end of the previous line finishes here with its particle weiter, 'on, onward': schreit … weiter means 'cries on, keeps crying'. Schreien nach, plus dative, means 'to cry out for, to scream after'.
6
You, though, only take it into your face,
WordAdmittedly, though, of course Freilich is a concessive particle, 'admittedly, to be sure, of course, though'. In dein Gesicht nehmen, 'to take into one's face', means to receive something merely as an expression, a look, rather than to answer it.
7
as though it were landscape: gentle and without greed.
GrammarKonjunktiv I after als Als sei es Landschaft means 'as though it were landscape'. After als, 'as though', German uses the subjunctive and inverts the verb, rather than saying als ob es … wäre. Sei is the present subjunctive, Konjunktiv I, of sein.
8
And so we think it is not you,
GrammarFor that reason, therefore Darum means 'for that reason, and so, therefore'. Meinen means 'to think, to believe, to hold as an opinion'. The clause du bist es nicht, 'it is not you', is the object of meinen.
9
the one it cries for. And yet, are you not the one
GrammarDoch marking a reversal Doch here is the adversative 'yet, and yet, nevertheless', marking a reversal of the previous claim. Der is a demonstrative pronoun, 'the one, he', picked up by the relative clause that follows in the next line.
10
in whom we would lose ourselves wholly, without remainder?
GrammarKonjunktiv II, hypothetical Verlören is the past subjunctive, Konjunktiv II, of sich verlieren, 'would lose oneself', making the clause a hypothetical: 'the one in whom we would lose ourselves'. Sich verlieren an, plus accusative, means 'to lose oneself in, to give oneself up to'. Ohne Rest means 'without remainder, nothing held back'.
GrammarRelative pronoun with its preposition An den is the masculine accusative relative pronoun den, governed by an, pointing back to der in the line before: 'the one in whom'. German keeps the preposition in front of the relative pronoun, unlike English, which often strands it at the end.
11
And in anyone else, do we become more?
WordSome or other, anyone Irgendein means 'some or other, any one whatsoever'; here it appears in the dative, in irgendeinem, 'in anyone at all'. Werden … mehr means 'to become more'.
12
With us the Infinite passes by.
WordAn adjective made into a noun Das Unendliche is the adjective unendlich, 'endless, infinite', turned into a neuter noun, 'the Infinite'. Vorbeigehen is the separable verb 'to pass by, go past'; its particle vorbei stands at the end, geht … vorbei.
13
But you, be — you mouth — that we may hear it,
GrammarImperative of sein Sei is the singular imperative of sein, 'be'. Du aber sei means 'but you, be'. Aber is the contrastive conjunction 'but'.
GrammarPurpose clause with daß Daß is the conjunction 'so that, that', spelled with ß in this older orthography, modern dass. Daß wir es hören is a clause of purpose, 'so that we may hear it'. As a subordinate clause it sends its verb, hören, to the end.
14
but you — you who say Us: you be.
WordA coined agent noun This is a Rilkean coinage: the present participle sagend, 'saying', made into a noun and fused with its object uns, 'us', giving der Uns-Sagende, 'the one who says us'. German freely builds such compounds from a participle and its object.

The particulars

The text: Neue Gedichte, Rainer Maria Rilke. New Poems.
Reading aloud: Digital narration, directed by 1732 Studios.
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