German · New Poems

Jugendbildnis meines Vaters

Portrait of My Father as a Young Man

14 lines · 13 notes

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1
Dream in the eye. The brow as if in touch
Iminin · prepositiondepends on Traum
AugeeyeAuge · noun, dative, neuter, singulardepends on Im
TraumdreamTraum · noun, nominative, masculine, singularhead of the phrase
Dietheder · determiner, nominative, feminine, singulardepends on Stirn
StirnbrowStirn · noun, nominative, feminine, singularhead of the phrase
wieas ifwie · conjunctiondepends on in
ininin · prepositiondepends on Stirn
BerührungtouchBerührung · noun, dative, feminine, singulardepends on in
GrammarContraction of in and dem Im fuses the preposition in with the dative article dem, so im Auge means 'in dem Auge', 'in the eye'. In takes the dative when it marks location, where something is, and the accusative when it marks direction, where something goes. The line has no verb; Traum stands alone, 'dream'.
2
with something far away. About the mouth, enormous
GrammarAdjective as noun after etwas Fernem is the adjective fern, 'distant, far', used as a neuter noun after etwas, meaning 'something distant'. After etwas the adjective is capitalized and takes the strong dative ending -em, here governed by mit. German forms such nouns freely, as in etwas Schönes, 'something beautiful', or nichts Neues, 'nothing new'.
3
much youth, an unsmiled seduction,
WordA coined negated participle Ungelächelt is coined from lächeln, 'to smile', with the negating prefix un- added to its past participle. There is no ordinary verb 'to un-smile'; Rilke builds the word for this line. Ungelächelte agrees with the feminine noun Verführung, 'seduction', taking the nominative ending -e.
4
and before the full ornamenting lacing
GrammarPresent participle used as adjective Schmückend is the present participle of schmücken, 'to adorn, to decorate', used here as an adjective meaning 'ornamenting'. German forms such participles with -end, like English -ing, then declines them like any adjective. Here it takes -en for dative feminine after vor der. Verschnürung names the cording or braided lacing on a uniform.
5
of the slim aristocratic uniform
WordAdjective meaning noble Adelig, also spelled adlig, means 'noble, aristocratic', from der Adel, 'the nobility'. It takes the genitive ending -en in der schlanken adeligen Uniform, 'of the slim aristocratic uniform', agreeing with the feminine noun Uniform.
6
the sabre-guard and both the hands—, that
WordA compound noun for equipment Säbelkorb combines Säbel, 'sabre', and Korb, 'basket', naming the basket shaped metal guard that protects the hand on a cavalry sabre's hilt. Die, in the next clause, is a relative pronoun meaning 'that, which', referring back to Hände, 'hands'.
7
wait, calm, pressed toward nothing.
GrammarSeparable prefix in a participle Hindrängen, 'to press or urge toward', is a separable verb. In main clauses its prefix hin- splits off, but in the past participle it rejoins the stem with -ge- inserted between them, giving hingedrängt. Zu nichts hingedrängt means 'urged toward nothing'.
8
And now almost no longer visible: as though they
GrammarA phrase that triggers subjunctive Als ob means 'as though' and triggers the subjunctive, Konjunktiv II, the mood for the hypothetical. The verb it governs, verschwänden, 'were vanishing', appears only at the end of the next line. German can hold such a clause open across a line break before supplying its verb.
9
first, the ones that grasp at distance, were vanishing.
GrammarParticiple used as a noun Die greifenden nominalizes the participle greifend, 'grasping', into 'the ones that grasp'. Fernes greifend, 'grasping at the distant', is folded inside it, standing for the hands. German often lets such a participial phrase function as a noun itself. Verschwänden is the subjunctive, Konjunktiv II, of verschwinden, 'to vanish'.
10
And all the rest entangled with itself
WordTo drape or cover Verhängen means 'to drape, to hang over, to cover', as when a mirror is verhängt with cloth. Mit sich selbst verhängt means 'covered over with itself'. The word can also mean 'imposed, ordained', a secondary sense present alongside the literal one.
11
and extinguished, as though we did not understand it,
GrammarContraction of wir and es Wirs is a colloquial contraction of wir, 'we', and the clitic es, 'it', joined for the meter. The clause again uses als ob with the subjunctive, Konjunktiv II. Verständen is the subjunctive form of verstehen, 'to understand', so the phrase means 'as though we did not understand it'.
12
and dim, deep out of its own depth—.
WordOwn, and a repeated root Eigen means 'own, particular to itself'; eignen is its dative form. Tief, 'deep', appears beside its own noun Tiefe, 'depth', a repetition of the same root called figura etymologica. Trüb means 'cloudy, dim, murky'.
13
You swiftly fading daguerreotype
14
in my own more slowly fading hands.
GrammarComparative adverb before participle Langsamer is the comparative of langsam, 'slow', meaning 'more slowly'. It modifies the participle vergehenden, 'fading, passing away', which agrees with the dative plural noun Händen, 'hands'.

The particulars

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