Die Sonette an Orpheus: 21
Frühling ist wiedergekommen. Die Erde
ist wie ein Kind, das Gedichte weiß;
viele, o viele… Für die Beschwerde
langen Lernens bekommt sie den Preis.
Streng war ihr Lehrer. Wir mochten das Weiße
an dem Barte des alten Manns.
Nun, wie das Grüne, das Blaue heiße,
dürfen wir fragen: sie kanns, sie kanns!
Erde, die frei hat, du glückliche, spiele
nun mit den Kindern. Wir wollen dich fangen,
fröhliche Erde. Dem Frohsten gelingts.
O, was der Lehrer sie lehrte, das Viele,
und was gedruckt steht in Wurzeln und langen
schwierigen Stämmen: sie singts, sie singts!
Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| alten (adj.) | having lived for a long time | old, ancient, aged, elderly |
| an (prep.) | indicates location within or upon something else | in, to, among, upon |
| Barte (n.) | a growth of hair on the chin | beard, whiskers, stubble |
| bekommt (v.) | from the verb bekommen—to be given something | gets, obtains, receives, wins, earns, is given |
| Beschwerde (n.) | situation requiring a great effort | difficulty, grievance, trouble, hardship, struggle |
| Blaue (n.) | the color of the sky or sea | blue |
| das (pron.) | indicates a person or thing previously mentioned | that, those, who |
| dem (art.) den (art.) der (art.) | denoting one or more people or things already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge | the |
| des (prep. + art.) | indicating an association between two entities | of the |
| dich (pron.) | used to refer to the person that the speaker is addressing | you, yourself, thee, thyself |
| die (art.) | indicates a person or thing previously mentioned | the, which, who, that |
| du (pron.) | used to refer to the person that the speaker is addressing | you, thou |
| dürfen (v.) | given permission to do something | may, are allowed, are permitted |
| ein (art.) | one singular | one, a, an |
| Erde (n.) | the planet on which we live; the substance of the land | earth, world, ground, soil |
| fangen (v.) | to capture; to touch someone being chased in the game of tag | to catch, to tag, to trap, to capture |
| fragen (v.) | to say something in order to obtain an answer or information; to request someone to do or give something | to ask, to query, to request, to inquire |
| frei (adv.) | without limitations or restriction | freely, without restraint, at will, boundlessly |
| fröhliche (adj.) | feeling or showing pleasure or contentment | happy, joyous, festive, jaunty, lighthearted, gleeful, jovial, carefree |
| Frohsten (n.) | the person or people who show the most pleasure or contentment | happiest, liveliest, merriest, most cheerful, most joyous |
| Frühling (n.) | the season after winter and before summer when many plants grow | spring, springtime |
| für (prep.) | due to | for, due to, because of |
| Gedichte (n.) | pieces of writing written in verse | poems, odes, poetry, lyrics |
| gedruckt (adj.) | marked, carved, or indented on the surface | printed, pressed, recorded, imprinted, engraved, etched |
| gelingts (v.) | from the verb gelingen—to have success | succeed, will succeed, Godspeed |
| glückliche (adj.) | favored by or involving luck or fortune | fortunate, lucky, successful, favorable, charmed, blessed |
| Grüne (n.) | the color of most trees and grass | green, verdure |
| hat (v.) | from the verb haben—to have or contain | has, possesses, owns, contains |
| heiße (adj.) | very hot or bright | hot, burning, heated, fiery, flaming, scorching, searing |
| ihr (adj.) | belonging to or associated with a female person previously mentioned | her |
| in (prep.) | indicates location or position within something | in, within, inside |
| ist (v.) | from the verb sein—to be | is, has |
| kanns (v.) | from the verb können—to be capable to or know how to do something | can, is able, knows |
| Kind (n.) | a young human being | child, kid, infant, youngster |
| Kindern (n.) | young human beings | children, kids, youngsters |
| langen (adj.) | lasting or taking a great amount of time | long, prolonged, lengthy, extensive, long-lasting |
| Lehrer (n.) | a person who teaches | teacher, instructor, tutor, schoolmaster, educator |
| lehrte (v.) | from the verb lehren—to teach | taught, instructed |
| Lernens (n.) | the devotion of time and attention to acquiring knowledge | studies, learning, education, schooling, scholarship |
| Manns (n.) | adult human males | men, gentlemen, folks |
| mit (prep.) | accompanied by a person or thing | with, alongside, together with |
| mochten (v.) | from the verb mögen—to like | liked, enjoyed, fancied |
| nun (adv.) | in that case | now, well, then |
| o (exclamation) | an exclamation expressing a strong emotion | oh, alas, no |
| Orpheus (n.) | a musician and poet from ancient Greek mythology who was able to charm all living things with his music | Orpheus |
| Preis (n.) | a thing given as a reward in recognition of an outstanding achievement | prize, award, reward, honor, trophy |
| schwierigen (adj.) | requiring a lot of effort or skill to accomplish or withstand | difficult, trying, severe, tough, demanding, burdensome, strenuous |
| sie (pron.) | used to refer to a female | she; her |
| singts (v.) | from the verb singen—to make musical sounds with the voice | sings, croons, trills, chants |
| Sonette (n.) | a poem of fourteen lines (two quatrains and two tercets) using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes | sonnet |
| spiele (v.) | command form of the verb spielen— to play | go play, play tag, go chase |
| Stämmen (n.) | the main body or stalk of a plant | stems, trunks, stalks, shoots |
| steht (v.) | from the verb stehen—to be, appear, or stand upright | is, stands |
| streng (adj.) | demanding that rules are obeyed | strict, stern, severe, harsh, rigid, austere |
| und (conj.) | in addition to | and |
| viele (adv.) | a large number of | many, a lot, tons, countless, hordes |
| Viele (n.) | a large number of something | many, plenitude, great number, large amount |
| war (v.) | from the verb sein—to be | was |
| was (pron.) | referring to any thing or amount | what, whatever, that which |
| weiß (v.) | from the verb wissen—to know or be familiar with | learns, knows, knows of, remembers, is familiar with |
| Weiße (n.) | white color or pigment; the opposite of black | whiteness, white |
| wie (prep.) | having the same characteristics or qualities as | like, similar to, as |
| wir (pron.) | used by a speaker to refer to him or herself and one or more other people | we |
| wiedergekommen (v.) | back again after a period of absence | come back, returned, here again, reappeared |
| wollen (v.) | to have a desire to possess or do something | want, desire, long |
| Wurzeln (n.) | the part of a plant that attaches it to the ground or to a support | roots |
Artistic Elements
I. About Sonnets
• From the Italian sonetto, which means “a little sound or song,” the sonnet is a popular classical
form that has compelled poets for centuries. Traditionally, the sonnet is a fourteen-line poem
written in iambic pentameter, which employ one of several rhyme schemes and adhere to a tightly
structured thematic organization. Two sonnet forms provide the models from which all other
sonnets are formed: the Petrarchan and the Shakespearean.
• The first and most common sonnet is the Petrarchan, or Italian. Named after one of its greatest
practitioners, the Italian poet Petrarch, the Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two stanzas, the
octave (the first eight lines) followed by the answering sestet (the final six lines). The tightly woven
rhyme scheme, abba, abba, cdecde or cdcdcd, is suited for the rhyme-rich Italian language, though
there are many fine examples in English. Since the Petrarchan presents an argument, observation,
question, or some other answerable charge in the octave, a turn, or volta, occurs between the
eighth and ninth lines. This turn marks a shift in the direction of the foregoing argument or
narrative, turning the sestet into the vehicle for the counterargument, clarification, or whatever
answer the octave demands.
• The second major type of sonnet, the Shakespearean, or English sonnet, follows a different set of
rules. Here, three quatrains and a couplet follow this rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The
couplet plays a pivotal role, usually arriving in the form of a conclusion, amplification, or even
refutation of the previous three stanzas, often creating an epiphanic quality to the end.
Bio
Rainer Maria Rilke is credited with revolutionizing German poetry. He was born in Prague, which was at that time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. When he was old enough, he left his childhood home and traveled to many places, including Munich, Paris, and a castle in Italy, where he began writing poetry and completed his only novel. After that initial burst of creativity, he suffered a lack of inspiration and stopped writing. World War I unexpectedly broke out while the poet was visiting Munich, and he found himself unable to return home to Paris. After the war, during which he served briefly in the Austro-Hungarian army, he moved to Switzerland. There, following nearly a decade of silence, he felt inspired to write again. It took him only three weeks to compose the fifty-five sonnets that make up Die Sonette an Orpheus.