# Josuas Landtag · Joshua's Council

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems

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

**1** So wie der Strom am Ausgang seine Dämme  
Just as the river at its mouth breaks through
> The word Damm and its plural: 'Damm' means a dam, dyke, or embankment. Its plural 'Damme' takes the umlaut. 'seine Damme' is the accusative object of 'durchbricht' in the next line, held over the line break.

**2** durchbricht mit seiner Mündung Übermaß,  
its dykes with the excess of its outflow,
> Inseparable here: 'durchbrechen' can be separable, 'er bricht durch', it breaks through, or inseparable, 'er durchbricht etwas', it breaches something, with a direct object. Here it is inseparable and transitive, the prefix 'durch-' staying fixed to the verb.
> The word Ubermass: 'Ubermaß' means excess, superabundance, literally 'over measure', from 'uber-' plus 'Maß', 'measure'. 'mit seiner Mundung Ubermaß' is a compressed genitive order for 'mit dem Ubermaß seiner Mundung', 'with the excess of its outflow'.

**3** so brach nun durch die Ältesten der Stimme  
so now there broke through the voices of the elders
> The so wie ... so simile frame: The correlative pair 'So wie ...' in the first two lines is answered here by 'so brach nun', 'so now broke'. German marks the second half of an extended simile with 'so', resuming the comparison begun earlier.

**4** zum letztenmal die Stimme Josuas.  
for the last time the voice of Joshua.
> Genitive of the name: 'die Stimme Josuas' means 'the voice of Joshua'. German forms the genitive of a personal name by adding '-s', with no apostrophe. 'die Stimme Josuas' is the subject of 'brach' in the line before.


**5** Wie waren die geschlagen, welche lachten,  
How struck down were those who had been laughing,
> A literary relative pronoun: Here 'welche' is not the question word 'which' but a relative pronoun meaning 'those who', an elevated alternative to 'die': 'die geschlagen, welche lachten' means 'struck down, those who laughed'. 'geschlagen' is the past participle of 'schlagen', 'to strike'.

**6** wie hielten alle Herz und Hände an,  
how all of them held heart and hands stock-still,
> A separable verb: 'anhalten', 'to halt, to hold still', is separable: its prefix 'an-' detaches to the clause's end. 'hielten' is the past of 'halten', standing early, with 'an' closing the line, 'hielten alle Herz und Hande an'.

**7** als hübe sich der Lärm von dreißig Schlachten  
as if the din of thirty battles rose up
> Past subjunctive of heben: 'hube' is the Konjunktiv II, past subjunctive, of 'heben', 'to lift, raise'; reflexive 'sich heben' means 'to rise'. After 'als', meaning 'as though', German uses the subjunctive for an unreal comparison.

**8** in einem Mund; und dieser Mund begann.  
in a single mouth; and this mouth began.


**9** Und wieder waren Tausende voll Staunen  
And again were thousands full of wonder
> The phrase voll Staunen: 'das Staunen' is the nominalized verb 'staunen', 'to be amazed': amazement, wonder. 'voll Staunen' means 'full of wonder'; after 'voll' the noun can stand bare, without an article, unlike everyday 'voller Staunen'.

**10** wie an dem großen Tag vor Jericho,  
as on the great day before Jericho,

**11** nun aber waren in ihm die Posaunen,  
but now the trumpets were inside of him,
> die Posaune and its plural: Today 'Posaune' means the orchestral trombone, but in Luther's Bible it names the trumpet. 'die Posaunen' is nominative plural, subject of 'waren': 'the trumpets were'.

**12** und ihres Lebens Mauern schwankten so,  
and the walls of their life swayed so much
> A fronted genitive: The genitive 'ihres Lebens', 'of their life', is placed before its head noun 'Mauern', 'walls', giving 'the walls of their life'. Plain prose would say 'die Mauern ihres Lebens'. 'schwankten' is the past of 'schwanken', 'to sway, totter'.


**13** daß sie sich wälzten, von Entsetzen trächtig  
that they writhed, pregnant with horror
> The word trachtig: 'trachtig' describes a pregnant animal, a cow or mare carrying young. 'von Entsetzen trachtig' pairs it with the dative 'Entsetzen', 'horror'. 'sich walzen' means 'to roll, writhe, wallow'.

**14** und wehrlos schon und überwältigt, eh  
and defenseless already and overwhelmed, before
> Defenseless, and the clipped eh: 'wehrlos' means 'defenseless, unable to resist', from 'Wehr', 'defense', plus '-los', 'less'. 'uberwaltigt' means 'overwhelmed', the past participle of 'uberwaltigen'. 'eh' is a clipped poetic form of 'ehe', 'before'.

**15** sie's noch gedachten, wie er eigenmächtig  
they had even thought it, how on his own authority
> The word eigenmachtig: 'eigenmachtig' means 'acting on one's own authority, without sanction', from 'eigen', 'own', plus 'Macht', 'power'. 'sie's' fuses 'sie es'; 'gedachten' here means 'thought of, were aware of', past of 'gedenken'.

**16** zu Gibeon die Sonne anschrie: Steh!  
at Gibeon shouted at the sun: Stand still!
> Separable, and the bare imperative Steh: 'anschreien', 'to shout at someone', is separable; in this subordinate clause it stays whole at the clause's end, 'die Sonne anschrie', 'shouted at the sun'. 'Steh!' is the bare singular imperative of 'stehen', 'to stand'.


**17** Und Gott ging hin, erschrocken wie ein Knecht,  
And God went over, startled like a servant,
> The word Knecht: 'Knecht' means a farmhand, manservant, or bondsman. 'hingehen', separable, means 'to go over there'; 'erschrocken', 'frightened, startled', is the past participle of 'erschrecken'.

**18** und hielt die Sonne, bis ihm seine Hände  
and held the sun, until his hands

**19** wehtaten, ob dem schlachtenden Geschlecht,  
ached for him, over the slaughtering race,
> wehtun, and the archaic ob: 'wehtun', separable, 'es tut weh' means 'it hurts'; here it appears in the past, 'wehtaten', 'they ached'. 'ob' is used in its archaic sense 'over, on account of', governing the dative that follows.
> The word Geschlecht: 'Geschlecht' means a race, lineage, or generation, though elsewhere it can mean sex or gender. 'schlachtend' is the present participle of 'schlachten', 'to slaughter, butcher', modifying 'Geschlecht' as an adjective.

**20** nur weil da einer wollte, daß sie stände.  
only because one man willed that it stand still.
> Subjunctive of stehen: 'stande' is the Konjunktiv II, past subjunctive, of 'stehen', 'to stand'. After 'wollte, daß', 'willed that', German uses the subjunctive in the dependent clause: 'daß sie stande', 'that it should stand still'.


**21** Und das war dieser; dieser Alte wars,  
And that was this one; this old man it was,
> A contraction of war es: 'wars' contracts 'war es', 'it was', a poetic elision that saves a syllable. 'dieser' and 'dieser Alte' are both nominative demonstratives, repeating the same referent for emphasis.

**22** von dem sie meinten, daß er nicht mehr gelte  
of whom they thought that he no longer counted
> Subjunctive of gelten in reported thought: 'gelten' means 'to be valid, to count'; 'gelte' is its Konjunktiv I, present subjunctive, marking reported speech or thought after 'meinten, daß'. 'von dem' means 'of whom', the preposition fronted before the relative clause.

**23** inmitten seines hundertzehnten Jahrs.  
in the midst of his hundred-and-tenth year.
> A preposition plus genitive: 'inmitten', 'in the midst of', governs the genitive: 'inmitten seines hundertzehnten Jahrs' means 'in the midst of his hundred and tenth year'. The genitive endings stack across the phrase, 'seines ... Jahrs'.

**24** Da stand er auf und brach in ihre Zelte.  
Then he stood up and broke into their tents.
> Separable: 'aufstehen', 'to stand up, rise', is separable: 'stand er auf' means 'he stood up', the prefix 'auf' thrown to the end. 'brach in ihre Zelte' uses 'brechen' with 'in' plus the accusative for motion, 'broke into their tents'.


**25** Er ging wie Hagel nieder über Halmen.  
He came down like hail over the standing stalks.
> niedergehen and uber Halmen: 'niedergehen', separable, 'ging nieder' means 'came down, fell'. 'uber Halmen' means 'over the stalks', a 'Halm' being a stalk of grain, the dative plural after 'uber' marking place.

**26** Was wollt ihr Gott versprechen? Ungezählt  
What do you mean to promise God? Uncounted
> wollen plus infinitive, dative Gott: 'wollen' here means 'to intend, to mean to', not just 'to want'. 'Gott' is the dative indirect object, 'was' the accusative direct object of 'versprechen', 'to promise', an inseparable verb.

**27** stehn um euch Götter, wartend, daß ihr wählt.  
stand gods around you, waiting for you to choose.
> A clipped form, and wartend: 'stehn' is the poetic short form of 'stehen', 'to stand', dropping the '-e-' for metre. 'wartend' is the present participle of 'warten', 'to wait', used adverbially. 'daß ihr wahlt' means 'that you choose'.

**28** Doch wenn ihr wählt, wird euch der Herr zermalmen.  
Yet if you choose, the Lord will crush you.
> The word zermalmen: 'zermalmen' means 'to crush, to grind to bits, to pulverize'. The prefix 'zer-' marks destruction into pieces. 'wird ... zermalmen' is the future tense, 'werden' plus infinitive, with dative 'euch' as the one crushed.


**29** Und dann, mit einem Hochmut ohnegleichen:  
And then, with an arrogance beyond compare:
> Hochmut and ohnegleichen: 'Hochmut' means 'pride, haughtiness, arrogance', literally 'high spirit'. 'ohnegleichen' means 'without equal, unparalleled', from 'ohne', 'without', plus 'gleichen', 'to equal'; it is indeclinable and follows the noun it modifies.

**30** Ich und mein Haus, wir bleiben ihm vermählt.  
I and my house, we stay wedded to him.
> The word vermahlt: 'vermahlt' means 'married, wedded', the past participle of 'vermahlen', an elevated word for 'to wed'. 'wir bleiben ihm vermahlt' means 'we remain wedded to him', with dative 'ihm' as the one married.


**31** Da schrien sie alle: Hilf uns, gib ein Zeichen  
Then they all cried out: Help us, give a sign
> Irregular imperatives hilf and gib: 'helfen', 'to help', and 'geben', 'to give', are strong verbs whose stem vowel shifts e to i in the singular imperative: 'hilf!' and 'gib!'. 'hilf' takes the dative 'uns'; 'gib' takes the accusative 'ein Zeichen'.

**32** und stärke uns zu unsrer schweren Wahl.  
and strengthen us for our heavy choice.
> die Wahl and starke: 'Wahl' is 'choice', the noun form of 'wahlen', 'to choose'. 'zu unsrer schweren Wahl' is dative after 'zu', 'for our hard choice'. 'starke' is the imperative of 'starken', 'to strengthen'; 'unsrer' contracts 'unserer'.


**33** Aber sie sahn ihn, wie seit Jahren schweigend,  
But they saw him, silent as for years now,
> The word schweigend: 'schweigend' is the present participle of 'schweigen', 'to keep silent, say nothing', distinct from 'still sein', 'to be quiet'. 'sahn' is a poetic short form of 'sahen', past plural of 'sehen', 'to see'.

**34** zu seiner festen Stadt am Berge steigend;  
climbing toward his fortified town on the mountain;
> A fortified town, and steigend: 'fest' means 'firm, solid', and of a town, 'fortified, walled', related to 'Festung', 'fortress'. 'steigend' is the present participle of 'steigen', 'to climb', used adverbially with 'zu seiner festen Stadt'.

**35** und dann nicht mehr. Es war das letzte Mal.  
and then no more. It was the last time.
> No more, and the closing echo: 'nicht mehr' means 'no more, no longer'. The fragment 'und dann nicht mehr' has no verb of its own. 'Es war das letzte Mal' repeats the phrase 'zum letztenmal' from the opening stanza.

---

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.