German · New Poems: The Other Part

Rosa Hortensie

Pink Hydrangea

12 lines · 12 notes

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1
Who took on the pink? And who could even know
WerWhower · pronoun, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on nahm
nahmtookannehmen · verb, past, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentence
dastheder · determiner, accusative, neuter, singulardepends on Rosa
RosapinkRosa · noun, accusative, neuter, singulardepends on nahm
'Rosa' is used here as a neuter noun, 'the pink' (the color itself), not as a name.
anonannehmen · separable verb particledepends on nahm
Werwhower · pronoun, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on wußte
wußtecould knowwissen · verb, past, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentence
auchevenauch · adverbdepends on wußte
GrammarSeparable verb splits apart annehmen means 'to take on, to accept'. As a separable verb, its prefix an splits off in a main clause and moves to the end, so nahm ... an frames the whole question: nahm das Rosa an, 'took on the pink'.
WordA softening question particle auch here does not mean 'also'. As a particle with wer it softens the question into something closer to 'who could indeed have known', adding a note of genuine wonder rather than a demand for information.
2
that it was gathering itself into these umbels?
WordNaming the flower cluster Dolde means 'umbel', the flat or rounded cluster in which many small flowers branch from one point, the shape of a hydrangea head. The line uses the dative plural Dolden after in diesen, 'into these umbels'.
3
Like things beneath gilt that ungild themselves,
WordA Rilke coinage entgolden is not a standard German word. Rilke built it from the prefix ent-, which removes or reverses, and Gold, 'gold', giving 'to lose one's gold'. It is present tense, third-person plural, agreeing with Dinge.
4
they gently shed their red, as if from use.
GrammarAnother coined reflexive verb entröten is built the same way as entgolden: ent- plus rot, 'red', giving 'to lose one's red'. sie ... sich makes it reflexive, third-person plural: 'they shed their red from themselves'.
5
That for such pink they ask for nothing back —
GrammarSubordinator sends verb last Daß, 'that', is a subordinating conjunction, so it sends the main verb verlangen to the end of its clause: sie für solches Rosa nichts verlangen, 'that they ask nothing for such pink'. The old spelling daß is now written dass.
6
does it stay theirs, and smile out of the air?
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Are there angels there to receive it tenderly,
WordAn infinitive meaning to receive empfangen means 'to receive, to welcome'. Here it is an infinitive after zu in the phrase es zärtlich zu empfangen, 'to receive it tenderly', completing the question opened by Sind Engel da.
8
when it passes, magnanimous as a scent?
WordPresent tense, to pass away vergehen means 'to pass away, to fade, to perish'. Here it is present tense, third-person singular, agreeing with es: es vergeht, 'it passes', in the clause wenn es vergeht, 'when it passes'.
9
Or perhaps they simply give it up,
GrammarPrefix stranded at the end preisgeben means 'to give up, to surrender'. As a separable verb it splits in a main clause: geben sie es preis puts preis at the end, 'they give it up'.
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so that it might never learn of withering.
GrammarSubjunctive after damit damit, 'so that', introduces a purpose clause, which takes erführe, the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) of erfahren, 'to learn of'. It marks a hoped-for outcome: 'so that it might never learn of withering'.
11
Yet under this pink a green has been
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listening, that now withers and knows it all.
GrammarPerfect tense split by line break hat, at the end of the previous line, and gehorcht here together form the present perfect hat ... gehorcht, 'has listened', from gehorchen, 'to obey, to listen'. The auxiliary and participle are separated by the line break.
WordKnows, not white weiß here is the verb 'knows', from wissen, not the adjective 'white'. das jetzt verwelkt und alles weiß means 'which now withers and knows everything'.

The particulars

The text: Neue Gedichte, Rainer Maria Rilke. New Poems: The Other Part.
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