# Persisches Heliotrop · Persian Heliotrope

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

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

**1** Es könnte sein, daß dir der Rose Lob  
It could be that to you the rose's praise
> Conditional opening, subjunctive könnte: könnte is Konjunktiv II of können, 'can', softening a statement into a supposition: 'it could be that...'. daß, the old spelling of dass, sends its verb to the clause's end, here erscheint two lines on. der Rose Lob fronts a genitive, 'the rose's praise'.

**2** zu laut erscheint für deine Freundin: nimm  
seems too loud for your beloved: take
> To seem, to appear: erscheinen means 'to appear, to seem'; zu laut erscheint means '[the praise] seems too loud'. This is the verb the daß-clause has been waiting for since line 1: 'the rose's praise seems too loud for your beloved'. die Freundin is 'girlfriend, beloved'.

**3** das schön gestickte Kraut und überstimm  
the prettily embroidered herb and outvote
> The herb, finely embroidered: das Kraut means 'herb, plant, leafy growth', here the heliotrope itself. gestickt is the past participle of sticken, 'to embroider'; schön gestickt means 'prettily embroidered', picturing the plant as needlework.

**4** mit dringend flüsterndem Heliotrop  
with the urgently whispering heliotrope
> Inseparable verb, to outvote: überstimm is the imperative of überstimmen, 'to outvote, overrule by voice'; über- stays fixed to the stem here, so the verb is inseparable. The command runs across the line break: überstimm ... den ßülbül, 'outvote the nightingale'.


**5** den ßülbül, der an ihren Lieblingsplätzen  
the bülbül, who at her favorite haunts

**6** sie schreiend preist und sie nicht kennt.  
praises her with shouts and does not know her.
> Participle used as adverb: preisen means 'to praise, extol'; sie ... preist means 'praises her'. schreiend is the present participle of schreien, 'to scream, shout', used adverbially: 'praising her with shouts'. und sie nicht kennt means 'and does not know her'.

**7** Denn sieh: wie süße Worte nachts in Sätzen  
For look: as sweet words at night, in sentences,
> Wie opens a simile: denn is the coordinating 'for, because', introducing a reason; sieh is the imperative of sehen, 'look!'. wie here opens a simile, 'as, just as', answered by so at the start of the third stanza. nachts, 'at night', is an adverbial genitive.

**8** beisammenstehn ganz dicht, durch nichts getrennt,  
stand all close together, by nothing parted,
> Separable verb, standing together: beisammenstehen, 'to stand together, side by side', is separable, beisammen- plus stehen; it is contracted to beisammenstehn for the meter. durch nichts getrennt, 'separated by nothing', uses getrennt, the past participle of trennen, 'to separate'.

**9** aus der Vokale wachem Violett  
out of the vowels' wakeful violet,
> Genitive of the vowels, fronted: der Vokale is the genitive plural of der Vokal, 'vowel', set before its noun: 'the vowels' violet'. wach means 'awake, wakeful'; the dative wachem Violett follows aus, 'out of'. das Violett is the color violet.

**10** hindüftend durch das stille Himmelbett–:  
wafting their scent through the silent canopied bed—:
> A coined verb for scent: hindüftend is the present participle of a Rilkean coinage hinduften, hin-, 'away, forth', plus duften, 'to give off scent': 'wafting its fragrance forth'. das Himmelbett, literally 'heaven-bed', is a canopied bed, also punning on Himmel, 'sky'.


**11** so schließen sich vor dem gesteppten Laube  
so, before the quilted foliage, close
> So answers the earlier wie: so, 'so, thus', completes the simile begun with wie in the stanza before. sich schließen, 'to close, draw together', is reflexive; its subject, deutliche Sterne, arrives on the next line, so the verb stands before it.

**12** deutliche Sterne zu der seidnen Traube  
distinct stars into the silken cluster
> Grape-cluster, silken: sich schließen zu means 'to close up into, gather into'; die Traube is a 'grape-cluster, bunch'. zu der seidnen Traube means 'into the silken cluster', seidnen being a contracted dative of seiden, 'silken', shortened from seidenen for the verse.

**13** und mischen, daß sie fast davon verschwimmt,  
and blend, so that it almost blurs from it,
> Daß of result, to blur: mischen means 'to mix, blend'; daß here is consecutive, 'so that', giving the result: daß sie fast davon verschwimmt, 'so that it nearly blurs from it'. verschwimmen means 'to grow blurred, swim out of focus'; sie refers to die Stille, 'the silence'.

**14** die Stille mit Vanille und mit Zimt.  
the silence with vanilla and with cinnamon.
> Closing object of mischen: This line completes mischen: the stars 'blend the silence with vanilla and with cinnamon'. die Stille, 'the silence', is the object, mixed mit Vanille, 'with vanilla', und mit Zimt, 'and with cinnamon'.

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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.