Rhyme scheme is ABAB CDDC EFE GFG and the meter is primarily dactylic with verses of lengths varying between 11 to 14 syllables. This is the third of the three last similar in form sonnets in Part 1. This sonnet, mirroring the first sonnet in the series, is dedicated to Orpheus and describes his downfall at the hands of the Maenads.
Du aber, Göttlicher, du[1], bis zuletzt noch Ertöner,[2]
You, however, you, until the end still remaining the resonator,
da ihn der Schwarm der verschmähten Mänaden befiel,[3]
even since the swarm of the disdained Maenads overran him,
hast ihr Geschrei übertönt mit Ordnung,[4]du Schöner,[5]
you drowned out their screams with order,
aus den Zerstörenden stieg dein erbauendes[6] Spiel.
out of those destroying arose your edifying performance.
Keine war da, daß sie Haupt dir und Leier zerstör',
No one was present, who could destroy your head and your lyre,
wie sie auch rangen und rasten;[7] und alle die scharfen
however much they wrestled and raced; and all the sharp
Steine,[8] die sie nach deinem Herzen warfen,[9]
stones which they cast toward your heart,
wurden zu Sanftem[10] an dir und begabt mit Gehör.[11]
became something soft from you and gifted with hearing.
Schließlich zerschlugen sie dich, von der Rache gehetzt,[12]
Finally they tore you to pieces, by revenge spurred onward,
während dein Klang noch in Löwen und Felsen verweilte
while your sound lingered in lions and boulders
und in den Bäumen und Vögeln. Dort singst du noch jetzt.
and in the trees and birds. There you are still singing.
O du verlorener Gott! Du unendliche Spur!![13]
O you lost forlorn god! You unending vestige!
Nur weil dich reißend[14] zuletzt die Feindschaft verteilte,[15]
Only because finally the enmity rippenly apportioned your being,
sind wir die Hörenden[16] jetzt und ein Mund der Natur.
are we now the hearing ones and a mouth (articulator) of nature.
Du aber, Göttlicher, du, bis zuletzt noch Ertöner,
You then, oh you godlike one, you resonator to the last,
da ihn der Schwarm der verschmähten Mänaden befiel,
ever since being overrun by the maenads disdained,
hast ihr Geschrei übertönt mit Ordnung, du Schöner,
you outroared their cries with order, you unsurpast,
aus den Zerstörenden stieg dein erbauendes Spiel.
out of destructors climbed your elevating act sustained.
Keine war da, daß sie Haupt dir und Leier zerstör',
No one was there, who could destroy your head and your lyre,
wie sie auch rangen und rasten; und alle die scharfen
however they raged and wrestled; and all the sharpened
Steine, die sie nach deinem Herzen warfen,
stones that from them toward your heart descended,
wurden zu Sanftem an dir und begabt mit Gehör.
transformed to softness on you and did hearing acquire.
Schließlich zerschlugen sie dich, von der Rache gehetzt,
Finally they rent you asunder by revenge consumed,
während dein Klang noch in Löwen und Felsen verweilte
while your sound still resounds in lions and boulders
und in den Bäumen und Vögeln. Dort singst du noch jetzt.
and in the trees and songbirds. There is your song subsumed.
O du verlorener Gott! Du unendliche Spur!
Oh you abandoned god! As a vestige you endure!
Nur weil dich reißend zuletzt die Feindschaft verteilte,
Only because the enmity at the end your being dismembers,
sind wir die Hörenden jetzt und ein Mund der Natur.
are we now the apt listeners and of nature a voice pure.
[1] Du aber, Göttlicher, du: Almost the exace same apostrophe form as in the preceding sonnet which reads "Dich aber will ich nun, dich," the difference being the nominative instead of the accusative case and being addressed to the god Orpheus and not to the dancer. Note that in the preceding sonnet, the "dich" was capitalized in Über die Sonette an Orpheus but in this sonnet with an analogous grammatical structure, the "du" is left uncapitalized in their supposedly authorative edition.
[2] bis zuletzt noch Ertöner: Continuing the apostrophe with "Ertöner" and transitioning to the past wherein the god being addressed was killed by the maenads. The word "Ertöner is created from the verb "ertönen" and is a neologism created by Rilke. Not the fourfold repetition of the "ö" sound, twice in reference to Orpheus with "Ertöner" and "Schöner" in verse 2, with the verb "übertönt" referring to Orpheus' action also in verse 2 and in "Zerstörenden" indexing the "Mänanden" in verse 4.
[3] da ihn der Schwarm der verschmähten Mänaden befiel: An abrupt transition from Orpheus being addressed in the present to a description of his demise at the hands of the maenads in the Imperfekt tense.
[4] hast ihr Geschrei übertönt mit Ordnung: Note the use of the more conversational Perfekt tense to emphasize the fact that the poet is directly addressing Orpheus. Also note the hyperbaton where the normal word order would be "hast ihr Geschrei mit Ordnung übertönt." Hyperbaton: A figure of speech using deviation from normal or logical word order to produce an effect.
[5] du Schöner: Again a structuraly identical placement of the apostrophe as in the previous sonnet; the difference being that the apostrophe "du Schöner," being the actual subject of the sentence, is positioned at the end of the sentence, creating a very effective hyperbaton which concludes the series of apostrophes. Apostrophe: The direct address of an absent or imaginary person or of a personified abstraction. Hyperbaton: A figure of speech using deviation from normal or logical word order to produce an effect.
[6] erbauendes: Instead of the normal adjective "erbaulich" meaning edifying, Rilke utilizes the present participial form by adding "d" plus the adjective ending to indicate that Orpheus' edifying and enriching legacy is ongoing.
[7] Keine war da, daß sie Haupt dir und Leier zerstör'/wie sie auch rangen und rasten: The use of "dir" to refer to Orpheus is an example of the dative of reference which in English becomes a possessive "they (the maenads) destroyed your head and lyre." What is more interesting is the use of the single grammatical apostrophe after "zerstör'." Here the subject "sie" refers to "Keine" which means "no single maened" and the verb "zerstör'" is short for the Konjunktiv I form "zerstöre." In English the translation would be "that could destroy your head and lyre." Also notice that in the following clause "wie sie noch rangen und rasten" the "sie" refers to the maenads in the plural and both verbs are now in the Imperfekt, the strong verb "ringen" with "rangen" and the weak verb "rasen" with "rasten." The only unusal element is that the Konjunktive I form "zerstör'" is being used along with verbs in the Imperfekt. The explanation is that "zerstören" being a weak verb would take the normal subjunctive form "zerstörte" which is the same as the indicative. Also note the alliteration of "ringen" and "rasten" and the assonance of the "a" sound in "rangen," "rasten," "alle" and "scharfen." 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. Assonance: Resemblance of sound, especially of the vowel sounds in words.
[8] die scharfen Steine: Another alliteration folling immediately after "rangen und rasten." 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.
[9] die sie nach deinem Herzen warfen: "Herz" has become "Herzen" because it is the only singular neuter noun that is treated as a weak noun, taking the "en" or "ens" ending except in the accusative where it remains "Herz."
[10] zu Sanftem: The adjective "sanft" is used as a noun and takes the dative ending "em" after the dative preposition "zu" which here is used according to Brockhaus with the meaning of "mit dem Zweck." One of examples given is "Alles wird zu Staub."
[11] begabt mit Gehör: Similar to the preceding sonnet there is a parallelism with "von der Rache gehetzt" in the next verse, the only difference being that the "begabt mit Gehör" places the participle first. Parallelism: The repetition of identical or similar syntactic patterns in adjacent phrases, clauses or sentences.
[12] von der Rache gehetzt: A parallelism with the preceding verse's "begabt mit Gehör" and at the exact same location as in the preceding sonnet's "schon von den Schatten bemächtigt." Parallelism: The repetition of identical or similar syntactic patterns in adjacent phrases, clauses or sentences.
[13] O du verlorener Gott! Du unendliche Spur!: Continuation of the apostrophe begun in the first verse. Note the use of exclamation points to add emphasis. In contrast to the first quatrain, these two apostrophs are presented elliptically as points of reference to the conclusion expressed in the last two verses. Apostrophe: The direct address of an absent or imaginary person or of a personified abstraction. Ellipsis, plural ellipses: 1.a. The omission of a word or phrase necessary for a complete syntactical construction, but not necessary for understanding.
[14] reißend: The use of a present participle adverbially which in German is much less common than in English.
[15] Feindschaft verteilte: An unusual example of alliteration whereby the two words begin with different consonants pronounced the same. 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.
[16] die Hörenden: A noun created from the present participle of "hören" with the weak ending "en." Note the manifold usage of the "ö" sound in this sonnet: "Göttlicher," "Ertöner," "übertönt," "Schöner" and "Zerstörenden" in the first quatrain. Then the Reimpaar "zerstör'" and "Gehör" in the second quatrain. Then in the first tercet "Löwen and "Vögeln" and, occupying one of the two appelations and definitions of Orpheus himself in the last tercet, the word "Hörenden."