{"work":{"slug":"rilke","title":{"source":"Neue Gedichte","translated":"New Poems"},"author":"Rainer Maria Rilke","language":"German","languageCode":"de","url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke"},"unit":{"kind":"poem","number":null,"id":"adam","title":{"source":"Adam","translated":"Adam"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/adam","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/magnifikat","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/eva","license":"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.","audioBase":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/","lines":[{"number":1,"label":"1","id":"adam-s1-l1","source":"Staunend steht er an der Kathedrale","translation":"Astonished he stands at the cathedral's","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"staunend","title":"Present participle used as adverb","body":"staunend is the present participle of staunen, 'to marvel, to be amazed', used here as an adverb meaning 'marvelling, in amazement'. It describes how er steht, 'he stands', modifying the verb rather than a noun."}],"words":[{"surface":"Staunend","lemma":"staunen","morphology":"verb, present participle","role":"depends on steht","gloss":"Astonished"},{"surface":"steht","lemma":"stehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"stands"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on steht","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on steht","gloss":"at"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Kathedrale","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Kathedrale","lemma":"Kathedrale","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"cathedral"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"adam-s1-l2","source":"steilem Aufstieg, nah der Fensterrose,","translation":"steep ascent, close by the rose window,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"an der Kathedrale steilem Aufstieg","title":"Genitive noun placed before its head","body":"an der Kathedrale steilem Aufstieg means 'at the cathedral's steep ascent'. der Kathedrale is a genitive placed before its noun Aufstieg instead of after it; plain order would be am steilen Aufstieg der Kathedrale. steilem takes the dative ending -em after an."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Fensterrose","title":"Compound noun for the rose window","body":"die Fensterrose, literally 'window rose', names the large round stained-glass window on a cathedral's front, also called die Rosette. It is a compound of das Fenster, 'window', and die Rose, 'rose'."}],"words":[{"surface":"steilem","lemma":"steil","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Aufstieg","gloss":"steep"},{"surface":"Aufstieg","lemma":"Aufstieg","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"ascent"},{"surface":"nah","lemma":"nah","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on steht","gloss":"close"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Fensterrose","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Fensterrose","lemma":"Fensterrose","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on nah","gloss":"rose window"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"adam-s1-l3","source":"wie erschreckt von der Apotheose,","translation":"as if startled by the apotheosis,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wie erschreckt","title":"wie plus participle for 'as though'","body":"wie erschreckt means 'as though startled'. wie introduces a shortened comparison standing for wie einer, der erschreckt ist, 'like one who is startled'. erschreckt is the past participle of erschrecken, 'to startle'."}],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on erschreckt","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"erschreckt","lemma":"erschrecken","morphology":"verb, past participle","role":"depends on steht","gloss":"startled"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on erschreckt","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Apotheose","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Apotheose","lemma":"Apotheose","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"apotheosis"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"adam-s1-l4","source":"welche wuchs und ihn mit einem Male","translation":"which grew, and all at once","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"mit einem Male","title":"Fixed phrase for suddenness","body":"mit einem Male is a set adverbial phrase meaning 'all at once, suddenly'. Male here is a dative form of das Mal, 'time, instance'. The phrase modifies niederstellte, the verb that follows in the next stanza."}],"words":[{"surface":"welche","lemma":"welcher","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on wuchs","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"wuchs","lemma":"wachsen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"grew"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on wuchs","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"ihn","lemma":"ihn","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on niederstellte","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on niederstellte","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"einem","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Male","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"Male","lemma":"Mal","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"stroke","note":"'mit einem Male' is an idiom meaning 'all at once'."}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"adam-s2-l1","source":"niederstellte über die und die.","translation":"set him down above this one and that.","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"niederstellte","title":"Separable verb niederstellen","body":"niederstellte is the simple past of the separable verb niederstellen, 'to set down', built from stellen, 'to place', and the prefix nieder-, 'down'. Its subject is die Apotheose two lines back: it stellte ihn nieder, 'set him down', über die und die, 'above this one and that one'."}],"words":[{"surface":"niederstellte","lemma":"niederstellen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"set down"},{"surface":"über","lemma":"über","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on niederstellte","gloss":"above"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on über","gloss":"this one"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on die","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"that one"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"adam-s2-l2","source":"Und er ragt und freut sich seiner Dauer","translation":"And he looms and rejoices in his endurance","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"freut sich seiner Dauer","title":"sich freuen with a genitive object","body":"sich freuen, 'to rejoice', can take a genitive object in older literary German: freut sich seiner Dauer means 'rejoices in his endurance'. Modern German instead says freut sich über seine Dauer. seiner Dauer is the genitive of seine Dauer, 'his endurance'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on ragt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on ragt","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"ragt","lemma":"ragen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"looms"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on ragt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"freut","lemma":"freuen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"rejoices"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on freut","gloss":"himself"},{"surface":"seiner","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Dauer","gloss":"his","note":"sich freuen + genitive is an older literary construction meaning 'to rejoice in something.'"},{"surface":"Dauer","lemma":"Dauer","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on freut","gloss":"endurance"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"adam-s2-l3","source":"schlicht entschlossen; als der Ackerbauer,","translation":"plainly resolved; like the tiller of the soil","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als der Ackerbauer","title":"als meaning 'like' in a comparison","body":"Here als means 'as, like', introducing a comparison rather than marking time or an unequal comparison. als der Ackerbauer means 'like the tiller of the soil', setting up the simile that runs through the rest of the poem."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"der Ackerbauer","title":"Compound noun for farmer","body":"der Ackerbauer means 'farmer, husbandman', built from der Acker, 'field, ploughland', and der Bauer, 'peasant, farmer'. It names the man who works the soil, the figure Adam is compared to."}],"words":[{"surface":"schlicht","lemma":"schlicht","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on entschlossen","gloss":"plainly"},{"surface":"entschlossen","lemma":"entschließen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on er","gloss":"resolved"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on entschlossen","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Ackerbauer","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Ackerbauer","lemma":"Ackerbauer","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on als","gloss":"tiller of the soil"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"adam-s2-l4","source":"der begann und der nicht wußte, wie","translation":"who began and who did not know how","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wußte","title":"Pre-1996 spelling with ß","body":"wußte is the simple past of wissen, 'to know a fact', meaning 'knew'. The spelling with ß is the pre-1996 orthography Rilke used; today it is written wusste, because the u before it is short."}],"words":[{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on begann","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"begann","lemma":"beginnen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"began"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on begann","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on wußte","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on wußte","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"wußte","lemma":"wissen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"knew"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on wußte","gloss":"how","note":"This indirect question ('how ... to find') continues across the next three lines, completed by finden."}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"adam-s3-l1","source":"aus dem fertig-vollen Garten Eden","translation":"out of the finished, brimming Garden of Eden","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"fertig-voll","title":"Hyphenated compound adjective","body":"fertig-voll is Rilke's own hyphenated coinage, joining fertig, 'finished, complete', and voll, 'full'. It describes the Garden of Eden as already made complete and filled to capacity."}],"words":[{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Garten","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"fertig-vollen","lemma":"fertig-voll","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Garten","gloss":"finished, brimming"},{"surface":"Garten","lemma":"Garten","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"Garden"},{"surface":"Eden","lemma":"Eden","morphology":"proper noun, singular","role":"depends on Garten","gloss":"Eden"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"adam-s3-l2","source":"einen Ausweg in die neue Erde","translation":"to find a way out into the new earth","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"der Ausweg","title":"Compound noun for way out","body":"der Ausweg means 'a way out, an exit', from aus, 'out', and der Weg, 'the way'. It is the object of finden, 'to find', in the next line: einen Ausweg finden, 'to find a way out'."}],"words":[{"surface":"einen","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Ausweg","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Ausweg","lemma":"Ausweg","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"way out"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Ausweg","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Erde","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"neue","lemma":"neu","morphology":"adjective, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Erde","gloss":"new"},{"surface":"Erde","lemma":"Erde","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"earth"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"adam-s3-l3","source":"finden. Gott war schwer zu überreden;","translation":"into the new earth. God was hard to persuade;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"war schwer zu überreden","title":"sein plus schwer zu plus infinitive","body":"schwer zu überreden means 'hard to persuade'. The pattern sein plus schwer or leicht zu plus infinitive gives a passive sense with an active-looking infinitive: Gott war schwer zu überreden means 'God was hard to persuade'. überreden, 'to persuade', is inseparable, so über- never splits off."}],"words":[{"surface":"finden","lemma":"finden","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on wußte","gloss":"to find"},{"surface":"Gott","lemma":"Gott","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on war","gloss":"God"},{"surface":"war","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was"},{"surface":"schwer","lemma":"schwer","morphology":"predicate adjective","role":"depends on überreden","gloss":"hard"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on überreden","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"überreden","lemma":"überreden","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on war","gloss":"persuade"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"adam-s4-l1","source":"und er drohte ihm, statt zu gewähren,","translation":"and he threatened him, instead of granting,","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"drohte ihm","title":"drohen takes the dative","body":"drohen, 'to threaten', governs the dative case: er drohte ihm means 'he threatened him', with ihm the dative of er. statt zu gewähren, 'instead of granting', uses statt plus zu plus infinitive; gewähren means 'to grant, to allow'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on drohte","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on drohte","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"drohte","lemma":"drohen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"threatened"},{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"ihm","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on drohte","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"statt","lemma":"statt","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on gewähren","gloss":"instead of"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on gewähren","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"gewähren","lemma":"gewähren","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on drohte","gloss":"granting"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"adam-s4-l2","source":"immer wieder, daß er sterben werde.","translation":"again and again, that he would die.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"daß er sterben werde","title":"Konjunktiv I in reported speech","body":"daß er sterben werde means 'that he would die'. werde is Konjunktiv I, the subjunctive used for reported speech, marking the threat as something said rather than a fact stated by the poem. daß is the old spelling of dass, and it sends the verb werde to the end of the clause."}],"words":[{"surface":"immer","lemma":"immer","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wieder","gloss":"always","note":"Idiom: immer wieder = 'again and again' (repeatedly)."},{"surface":"wieder","lemma":"wieder","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on drohte","gloss":"again"},{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on werde","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on werde","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"sterben","lemma":"sterben","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on werde","gloss":"die"},{"surface":"werde","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"depends on drohte","gloss":"would"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"adam-s4-l3","source":"Doch der Mensch bestand: sie wird gebären.","translation":"Yet the man held firm: she will give birth.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/adam-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"bestand","title":"Verb meaning to hold firm","body":"bestand is the simple past of bestehen, 'to endure, to insist'. Used without an object, as here, it means 'held firm, stood his ground'. der Mensch bestand means 'the man held firm', his answer to God's threat."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"gebären","title":"Future tense with werden","body":"gebären means 'to give birth, to bear a child'. sie wird gebären means 'she will give birth', built from wird, the present tense of werden, plus the infinitive gebären. This is the poem's only future-tense verb."}],"words":[{"surface":"Doch","lemma":"doch","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on bestand","gloss":"Yet"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Mensch","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Mensch","lemma":"Mensch","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on bestand","gloss":"man"},{"surface":"bestand","lemma":"bestehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"held firm"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on wird","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"wird","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"will"},{"surface":"gebären","lemma":"gebären","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on wird","gloss":"give birth"}]}]}