# Saul unter den Propheten · Saul among the Prophets

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

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/saul-unter-den-propheten. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/saul-unter-den-propheten.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/<line id>.m4a.

**1** Meinst du denn, daß man sich sinken sieht?  
Do you really think one sees oneself sinking?
> A flavoring particle in questions: In a question, denn is a flavoring particle, not the conjunction 'because'. Meinst du denn means 'do you really think', giving the question a probing tone. It has no separate English word and is usually rendered through emphasis.
> Seeing with a bare infinitive: Sehen plus a bare infinitive expresses perceiving an action: man sieht sich sinken means 'one sees oneself sink'. The reflexive sich is the object of sieht, and sinken, 'to sink', is the perceived act. Daß, the older spelling of dass, sends sieht to the end of its clause.

**2** Nein, der König schien sich noch erhaben,  
No, the king still seemed to himself exalted,
> Scheinen with a dative reflexive: Scheinen means 'to seem, to appear'; schien is its past tense. The dative reflexive sich marks to whom something seemed: der König schien sich erhaben means 'the king seemed to himself exalted'. Erhaben, 'lofty, exalted', is the predicate adjective.

**3** da er seinen starken Harfenknaben  
when he wanted to kill his strong harp-boy
> Da meaning when, not there: Here da is a subordinating conjunction meaning 'when, as, since', so the finite verb wollte is pushed to the end of the clause, in the next line: da er töten wollte means 'when he wanted to kill'. This da is not the adverb da, 'there'.

**4** töten wollte bis ins zehnte Glied.  
down to the tenth generation.
> An idiom for a whole lineage: Das Glied means 'limb, link, member', and here 'generation' within a line of descent. Bis ins zehnte Glied, 'down to the tenth generation', is an idiom for wiping out an entire lineage. Bis in takes the accusative, with ins standing for in das.


**5** Erst da ihn der Geist auf solchen Wegen  
Only when the spirit, on such paths,
> Only when delays the verb: Erst here means 'only, not until'; combined with da, 'when', it opens a clause that delays the main event: erst da sah er sich, 'only when did he see himself'. The accusative ihn is the object of überfiel two lines on.

**6** überfiel und auseinanderriß,  
fell upon him and tore him apart,
> One inseparable verb, one separable: Überfallen, 'to assault, to fall upon suddenly', has an inseparable, unstressed über-, so it stays whole: der Geist überfiel ihn means 'the spirit assaulted him'. Auseinanderreißen, 'to tear apart', is separable, and its past tense riß auseinander is printed here as auseinanderriß.

**7** sah er sich im Innern ohne Segen,  
did he see himself within, without blessing,
> An adjective used for the inside: Das Innere is the adjective inner used as a noun, meaning 'the inside, the inner self'; im Innern, from in dem Innern, means 'within, inwardly'. Ohne Segen means 'without blessing'. The phrase describes what the king sees in himself.

**8** und sein Blut ging in der Finsternis  
and his blood went, in the darkness,

**9** abergläubig dem Gericht entgegen.  
superstitiously to meet the judgment.
> A preposition that follows its noun: Entgegen, 'toward, to meet', governs the dative and follows its object rather than leading it: dem Gericht entgegen means 'toward the judgment'. With ging it forms ging dem Gericht entgegen, 'went to meet the judgment'. Abergläubig means 'superstitiously'.


**10** Wenn sein Mund jetzt troff und prophezeite,  
If his mouth now dripped and prophesied,
> An old strong past tense: Troff is the strong past tense of triefen, 'to drip, to run with', an older form beside the regular triefte. Sein Mund troff means 'his mouth dripped, ran over'. Prophezeite, 'prophesied', is the second verb of the line.

**11** war es nur, damit der Flüchtling weit  
it was only so that the fugitive could flee
> A purpose clause with the subjunctive: Damit, 'so that, in order that', introduces a purpose clause and sends its verb to the end: damit der Flüchtling flüchten könne means 'so that the fugitive might flee'. Könne is Konjunktiv I of können, used to report a purpose. Der Flüchtling means 'the fugitive'.

**12** flüchten könne. So war dieses zweite  
far away. Such was this second
> Noun and verb from one root: Flüchten means 'to flee'; der Flüchtling, 'the fugitive', is the one who flees. The line places noun and verb side by side, der Flüchtling flüchten könne, 'the fugitive might flee'. Könne is the subjunctive of können.

**13** Mal. Doch einst: er hatte prophezeit  
time. But once: he had prophesied
> A noun split across lines: Das Mal means 'time, occasion'; dieses zweite Mal, 'this second time', is split across the stanza break, with Mal landing at the start of this line. Doch einst means 'but once', looking back to an earlier time. Hatte prophezeit is the pluperfect, 'had prophesied'.


**14** fast als Kind, als ob ihm jede Ader  
almost as a child, as if every vein in him
> Unreal comparison with the subjunctive: Als ob, 'as though', introduces an unreal comparison and takes the subjunctive with its verb at the end: als ob ihm jede Ader mündete means 'as though every vein in him emptied'. Mündete is the Konjunktiv II of münden, 'to flow into'. Jede Ader is 'every vein'.

**15** mündete in einen Mund aus Erz;  
emptied into a mouth of bronze;
> Ore or cast bronze: Erz is 'ore' and, by extension, the cast metal bronze or brass, so ein Mund aus Erz means 'a mouth of bronze'. Münden in, 'to flow into', takes the accusative of direction, in einen Mund.

**16** alle schritten, doch er schritt gerader;  
all of them strode, but he strode straighter;
> A solemn verb for walking: Schreiten, 'to stride, to pace solemnly', is a loftier verb than gehen, 'to walk'; schritt and schritten are its strong past forms. Gerader is the comparative of gerade, 'straight, upright', so er schritt gerader means 'he strode straighter' than those around him.

**17** alle schrieen, doch ihm schrie das Herz.  
all of them cried out, but in him the heart cried.
> Dative marks the heart's owner: German often marks the owner of a body part with the dative rather than a possessive: ihm schrie das Herz literally means 'to him cried the heart', that is, 'his heart cried'. Das Herz is the grammatical subject; the fronted dative ihm stands against alle schrieen, 'all cried out'.


**18** Und nun war er nichts als dieser Haufen  
And now he was nothing but this heap
> An idiom for nothing but: Nichts als means 'nothing but, only': er war nichts als dieser Haufen means 'he was nothing but this heap'. Here als means 'than, but', not 'when'. Der Haufen means 'heap, pile'.

**19** umgestürzter Würden, Last auf Last;  
of toppled dignities, weight upon weight;
> A genitive plural without an article: Ein Haufen umgestürzter Würden means 'a heap of toppled dignities'. Würden is the genitive plural of die Würde, 'dignity, rank'; umgestürzter, the participle of umstürzen, 'to overturn, to topple', carries the genitive plural ending with no article present.

**20** und sein Mund war wie der Mund der Traufen,  
and his mouth was like the mouth of the eaves,
> The eaves of a roof: Die Traufe names the eaves of a roof, the edge from which rainwater runs off; der Mund der Traufen means 'the mouth of the eaves', with Traufen a genitive plural. The line compares the king's mouth to this spout.

**21** der die Güsse, die zusammenlaufen,  
which the downpours, that run together,
> A plural noun for downpours: Der Guß, modern Guss, means 'a gush, downpour, pouring', from gießen, 'to pour'; its plural is Güsse. Die Güsse, die zusammenlaufen means 'the downpours that run together'. Die Güsse is the accusative object of fallen läßt two lines further on.

**22** fallen läßt, eh er sie faßt.  
lets fall before it can grasp them.
> Lassen with an infinitive: Fallen lassen means 'to let fall, to drop': der die Güsse fallen läßt means 'which lets the downpours fall'. Eh, a clipped form of ehe, 'before', sends its verb to the end: eh er sie faßt means 'before it grasps them'.

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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.