# Kretische Artemis · Cretan Artemis

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

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

**1** Wind der Vorgebirge: war nicht ihre  
Wind of the headlands: was not her
> Compound word for headland: Vorgebirge is a headland or promontory, literally 'fore-mountain', from vor-, 'before, in front of', plus Gebirge, 'mountain range'. Here it is genitive plural, der Vorgebirge, 'of the headlands', depending on Wind.
> A negated question: war nicht ihre ... ? is a negated question, formed the same way as in English: war, 'was', plus nicht, 'not'. The sentence runs on past the line break into Stirne in the next line, so the subject and predicate noun are separated by enjambment.

**2** Stirne wie ein lichter Gegenstand?  
brow like a luminous object?
> Licht means bright: licht is an adjective meaning 'bright, luminous', related to the noun Licht, 'light'. It is distinct from leicht, 'light in weight', which appears nearby. lichter takes the nominative masculine singular ending before Gegenstand, 'object'.

**3** Glatter Gegenwind der leichten Tiere,  
Smooth headwind of the light-footed animals,
> Compound word for headwind: Gegenwind is a headwind, built from gegen-, 'against, counter to', plus Wind. It is nominative singular here, head of the phrase glatter Gegenwind der leichten Tiere, 'smooth headwind of the light-footed animals'.
> Genitive plural after Gegenwind: der leichten Tiere is genitive plural, 'of the light-footed animals', depending on Gegenwind. The adjective leichten takes the weak ending -en because it follows the genitive article der, matching the genitive neuter plural noun Tiere.

**4** formtest du sie: ihr Gewand  
did you form her: her garment
> Second person past tense: formtest is the preterite of formen, 'to form, shape', second person singular. The subject du addresses the wind directly as 'you': formtest du sie, 'did you form her'. sie is the accusative object, referring to the goddess.


**5** bildend an die unbewußten Brüste  
shaping against her unconscious breasts
> Present participle continues the verb: bildend, 'shaping', is the present participle of bilden and depends on the earlier formtest, continuing that action across the line break. an die unbewußten Brüste is accusative after an, marking motion or pressure against a surface.
> Unbewußt means unaware: unbewußt means 'unconscious, unaware', taking the accusative feminine plural ending -en before Brüste. The old spelling with ß corresponds to modern unbewusst.

**6** wie ein wechselvolles Vorgefühl?  
like a shifting premonition?
> Compound noun for premonition: Vorgefühl is 'premonition, foreboding', literally 'fore-feeling', from vor-, 'before', plus Gefühl, 'feeling'. wechselvolles, 'shifting, full of change', takes the nominative neuter singular ending before it.

**7** Während sie, als ob sie alles wüßte,  
While she, as though she knew everything,
> Als ob plus subjunctive: als ob means 'as though' and takes the subjunctive: wüßte is Konjunktiv II of wissen, 'to know', so als ob sie alles wüßte means 'as though she knew everything'. Old spelling wüßte corresponds to modern wüsste.

**8** auf das Fernste zu, geschürzt und kühl,  
off toward the farthest distance, girt-up and cool,
> Auf and zu frame the noun: auf ... zu is a two-part construction meaning 'toward, in the direction of', with the noun phrase placed inside it: auf das Fernste zu, 'toward the farthest point'. das Fernste is a superlative adjective used as a noun, 'the most distant thing'.
> Past participle of schürzen: geschürzt is the past participle of schürzen, 'to tuck up, gird up' a garment, as a runner hitches up a skirt at the belt. It functions as a predicate adjective describing sie from the previous line, paired with kühl, 'cool'.


**9** stürmte mit den Nymphen und den Hunden,  
stormed on with the nymphs and the hounds,
> The delayed main verb arrives: stürmte, 'stormed on, rushed', is the preterite of stürmen and is the main verb of the während-clause begun several lines earlier, held back by German subordinate word order. mit takes the dative: mit den Nymphen und den Hunden, 'with the nymphs and the hounds'.

**10** ihren Bogen probend, eingebunden  
trying out her bow, bound fast
> The archer’s weapon: der Bogen is 'the bow', the archer's weapon here, though the word can also mean an arch or a sheet of paper. probend, 'trying out', is the present participle of proben, depending on the earlier main verb stürmte.
> Past participle of einbinden: eingebunden is the past participle of the separable verb einbinden, 'to bind in, fasten into', prefix ein- plus binden, 'to bind'. It depends on stürmte and reaches across the line break to in den harten hohen Gurt, 'into the hard, high belt'.

**11** in den harten hohen Gurt;  
into the hard, high belt;
> Accusative after in for direction: in den harten hohen Gurt is accusative because eingebunden in expresses motion into something, not static location. Masculine der Gurt becomes den Gurt, and the adjectives harten and hohen take the weak accusative ending -en.


**12** manchmal nur aus fremden Siedelungen  
only now and then, from foreign settlements,
> Plural noun for settlements: die Siedelung, here plural Siedelungen, is 'settlement', a place where people have settled, an older spelling of modern Siedlung. It is dative plural after aus, depending on fremden, 'foreign'.

**13** angerufen und erzürnt bezwungen  
called upon, and, angered, overcome
> Past participle of anrufen: angerufen is the past participle of the separable verb anrufen, 'to call upon, invoke'. The prefix an- splits off in finite forms but stays attached in the participle. It is passive in sense, coordinated with the following bezwungen.
> Two coordinated participles: erzürnt, 'angered', comes from erzürnen, related to Zorn, 'wrath'. bezwungen is the past participle of bezwingen, 'to conquer, subdue, master'. The two stand side by side as coordinated participles: 'angered, overcome'.

**14** von dem Schreien um Geburt.  
by the crying out for birth.
> Von plus dative names the agent: In a passive construction, von plus dative names who or what performs the action: bezwungen von dem Schreien, 'overcome by the crying out'. das Schreien is the infinitive schreien, 'to scream', used as a noun. um Geburt means 'for birth'.

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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.