Rhyme scheme is ABBA CDDC EFE FGG. Meter is primarily trochaic. The second and most serious poem concerning fruits.
Wir gehen um[1] mit Blume, Weinblatt, Frucht.
We associate with flowers, vine leaves, fruit.
Sie sprechen nicht die Sprache nur des Jahres.[2]
They do not speak the language only of the years.
Aus Dunkel steigt ein buntes Offenbares[3]
Out of the dark rises a colorful revelation
und hat vielleicht den Glanz der Eifersucht
and has perhaps the gleam of jealousy
der Toten an sich,[4] die die Erde stärken.
within itself from the dead, who strengthen the earth.
Was wissen wir[5] von ihrem Teil an dem?
What do we know from their part on that?
Er ist seit lange ihre Art, den Lehm
It has long been their manner, to imprint
mit ihrem freien Marke zu durchmärken.[6]
the loam with their bone marrow.
Nun fragt sich nur: tun sie es gern? . . .[7]
Now the question arises: do they go it gladly? . . .
Drängt diese Frucht, ein Werk von schweren Sklaven,[8]
Does this fruit, the work of heavy slaves,
geballt zu uns empor, zu ihren Herrn?[9]
in a concentrated form, thrust itself up to us, to its masters?
Sind s i e [10] die Herrn,[11] die bei den Wurzeln schlafen,
Are t h e y the masters, who sleep besides the roots,
und gönnen uns aus ihren Uberflüssen[12]
and grant us from their surpluses
dies Zwischending aus stummer Kraft und Küssen?[13]
this hybrid thing of power and kisses.
Wir gehen um mit Blume, Weinblatt, Frucht.
We go around with flowers, grape leaves, fruit.
Sie sprechen nicht die Sprache nur des Jahres.
They speak not just the yearly exhortation.
Aus Dunkel steigt ein buntes Offenbares
From darkness rises vivid revelation,
und hat vielleicht den Glanz der Eifersucht
perhaps a jealous gleam its attribute
der Toten an sich, die die Erde stärken.
from those the dead who fructify the earth.
Was wissen wir von ihrem Teil an dem?
What part they do play is us unknown?
Er ist seit lange ihre Art, den Lehm
It is their wont, for ages loam they own
mit ihrem freien Marke zu durchmärken.
to mark with freed marrow their rebirth.
Nun fragt sich nur: tun sie es gern? . . .
It is unclear: do they like what they do?. . .
Drängt diese Frucht, ein Werk von schweren Sklaven,
This fruit, a work of subdued slaves, then shoots
geballt zu uns empor, zu ihren Herrn?
upwards condensed toward us, their masters true?
Sind s i e die Herrn, die bei den Wurzeln schlafen,
Are t h e y the masters then, who sleep near roots,
und gönnen uns aus ihren Uberflüssen
and thereby granting us from their excesses
dies Zwischending aus stummer Kraft und Küssen?
this hybrid born from silenced strength and kisses?
[1] Wir gehen um: The verb with separable prefix "umgehen" has multiple meaning in the "Umgangssprache," the main meaning being to "deal with" or "circulate with," while the other is "to evade" or "go around something or someone." In this instance it means "to have something to do with."
[2] nicht die Sprache nur des Jahres: A somewhat unusual usage of "nicht nur" which in this instance is separated to convey a different meaning than "not only the language of the seasons" but rather "not the language only of the seasons." Although the fruits mentioned are seasonal, they convey more than what is normal for their season. According to Silke Novak in Über "die Sonette an Orpheus" von Rilke they speak the language of poetry.
[3] ein buntes Offenbares: In German this is called a "Substantivierung des Adjetives." The adjective "offenbar" means "manifest, open, evident, plain, obvious, etc." In religion "Offenbarung" means "revelation." In regard to the meter which is iambic pentameter "eine bunte Offenbarung" would have had too many syllables and poetically would not have rhymed with "Jahres."
[4] den Glanz der Eifersucht/der Toten an sich: A somewhat unusual enjambment connecting connecting the two quartets. Previously only Sonett V has had a continuation without punctuation ["Wir sollen uns nicht mühn/um andre Namen"] and Sonnet XIII with ["Lest es einem Kind vom Angesicht,/wenn es sie erschmeckt"] which has a comma to make the transition less abrupt. None of the rest of the sonnets in Part I have enjambment between the quartets.
[5] Was wissen wir: A mild version of alliteration, perhaps unintended. Alliteration: The repetition of the sound of an initial consonant or consonant cluster in stressed syllables close enough to each other for the ear to be affected.
[6] den Lehm/mit ihrem freien Marke zu durchmärken.: The neuter form of the German word "Mark" in this case means "marrow" as in "bone marrow." Its third definition in The American Heritage Dictionary is "Strength or vigor; vitality." In Sprach Brockhaus it is defined as "Sinnbild der Kraft." The "e" ending of "Marke" is pleonistic to continue the iambic meter. The word "durchmärken" does not exist in the dictionary, but seems to be used to indicate "territorial marking" or "scent marking," in this case the dead using their bone marrow and not urine as the marking agent. The normal German word for "marking" is "markieren" and the noun is "Markierung." The words "Marke" and "durchmärken" are also a rare example of paronomasia whereby two words with similar sounds, but different meanings are used to create an effect. The most common being puns. In this case there is an umlaut as a differentation, but the similarity is easily perceived. Besides having different meanings, the two words are used grammatically different which is a polyptoton. Pleonistic: A superfluous word, phrase or letter. Paronomasia: Two words with similar sounds but different meanings used to create an effect, normally a "pun." Polyptoton: The repetition of the same word or root in different grammatical functions or forms.
[7] Nun fragt sich nur: tun sie es gern! . . .: The ellipsis serves double duty here: first to emphasize the force of the question asked and secondly to fill in by silence the missing fifth accented syllable. Ellipsis: 2. A mark or series of marks: ( . . . ) for example, used in writing or printing to indicate an omission, especially of letters or words.
[8] ein Werk von schweren Sklaven: Along with the alliteration of "schweren Sklaven," this infinitive phrase is an explanation of the preceding words "diese Frucht" and thus is an example of epanorthosis In Über "die Sonette an Orpheus" von Rilke which is attempting to become the critical edition of the work they insist on spelling this work "Sclaven," since Rilke spelled it this way in his previous manuscripts, but not in the printed version. Alliteration: The repetition of the sound of an initial consonant or consonant cluster in stressed syllables close enough to each other for the ear to be affected. Epanorthosis : The rephrasing of an immediately preceding word or statement for the purpose of intensification, emphasis or justification.
[9] geballt zu uns empor, zu ihren Herrn: Another example of an epanorthosis since the word "uns" is further defined as being "zu ihren Herrn." The word "Herrn" is an example of a syncope, since the "e" has been removed to allow it to rhyme with "gern." Epanorthosis: The rephrasing of an immediately preceding word or statement for the purpose of intensification, emphasis or justification. Syncope The loss of one or more sounds from the interior of a word, especially the loss of an unstressed vowel.
[10] s i e: Another usage of Sperrdruck on a normally accented word, but which would have reeceived a secondary accent because of the following words: "die Herrn." The Sperrdruck evens the accentuation.
[11] die Herrn: Another syncope of "Herrn," this time to fit the trochaic meter.
[12] Uberflüssen: As you can see from the above first-edition scan that this is a rare example of a typesetting mistake and should, of course, be "Überflüssen." Also the second Sonnet to end with a Shakespearean couplet up to now. Couplet: Two contiguous lines of verse which function as a metrical unit and are so marked (usually) either by rhyme or by syntax or both.
[13] Kraft und Küssen: A concluding alliteration to further strengthen the two-syllable rhyme of "Überflüssen" and "Küssen."