German · New Poems: The Other Part

Schlaflied

Lullaby

12 lines · 13 notes

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1
One day, when I lose you,
Einmalone dayeinmal · adverbdepends on verlier
wennwhenwenn · subordinating conjunctiondepends on verlier
ichIich · pronoun, nominative, singulardepends on verlier
dichyoudich · pronoun, accusative, singulardepends on verlier
verlierloseverlieren · verb, present, indicative, first-person, singularmain verb of the sentence
WordSomeday, not literally once einmal literally means 'one time', but at the head of a clause about the future it carries the sense 'someday, at some point'. The whole poem hangs on this single uncertain future day.
GrammarClipped form for the rhyme The verb is verlieren, 'to lose'; the regular first-person form is verliere. Rilke drops the final -e to verlier for the rhyme with dir and the meter, a common poetic license in German verse.
2
will you be able to sleep, without
GrammarFuture tense with a modal wirst ... schlafen können is the future: werden, here wirst, 'you will', plus two infinitives held to the end of the clause, schlafen können, 'be able to sleep'. German pushes both infinitives to the close of the clause.
3
that I, like the crown of a linden tree,
WordThe canopy of a linden Lindenkrone compounds Linde, 'lime, linden tree', and Krone, 'crown', here the leafy top of a tree. The linden is a fixture of German lyric poetry, and the speaker imagines being held over the sleeper like its murmuring crown.
4
whisper myself away above you?
WordA coined reflexive verb verflüstre comes from flüstern, 'to whisper', with the prefix ver-, suggesting a whispering-away or whispering-into-nothing, used reflexively as mich verflüstern. It is Rilke's invention: the speaker dissolves into a hush above the beloved.
GrammarDative marks position, not motion über takes the dative when it marks a static location, 'above you', and the accusative for motion toward. The dative dir here fixes the speaker overhead rather than moving.
5
Without my keeping watch here and
GrammarWithout, plus subordinate that ohne daß introduces a subordinate clause meaning 'without ... -ing', sending the finite verb, here wache, to the end of the clause. daß is the old spelling of modern dass, kept exactly as Rilke printed it.
6
lay words, almost like eyelids,
WordEyelids, a compound noun Augenlider is the plural of Augenlid, a compound of Auge, 'eye', and Lid, 'lid'. The simile compares spoken words to eyelids, something soft that closes gently over the body.
7
upon your breast, upon your limbs,
GrammarAuf plus accusative, motion onto auf takes the accusative when there is motion onto a surface, which is why deine Brüste and deine Glieder are accusative here rather than dative. The words are being laid down onto the body, completed by the verb in the next line.
8
down upon your mouth?
GrammarSeparable verb closes the clause niederlegen, 'to lay down', is a separable-prefix verb. Held back to the end of the ohne daß clause, its main verb governs everything since Worte two lines up: 'lay words ... down upon your mouth'.
9
Without my shutting you in
WordTo lock, seal up verschließen means to close off, lock, or seal. The final -e is again clipped from verschließe for the rhyme with Sternanis, turning the sleeper into something kept and enclosed, like a walled garden.
10
and leaving you alone with what is yours,
GrammarPossessive standing alone Deinem is the possessive dein, 'your', standing alone in the dative after mit, with no noun: 'with what is yours, with your own self'. The capital D, as Rilke prints it, gives the word extra weight.
11
like a garden with a profusion
12
of lemon balm and star anise?
WordTwo fragrant, calming herbs Melisse is lemon balm, Melissen its plural, and Sternanis is star anise, both fragrant, faintly calming plants. The poem ends on their scent, the beloved imagined as a closed garden heavy with these herbs.

The particulars

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