{"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":"blaue-hortensie","title":{"source":"Blaue Hortensie","translated":"Blue Hydrangea"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/blaue-hortensie","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/todeserfahrung","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/vor-dem-sommerregen","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":"blaue-hortensie-s1-l1","source":"So wie das letzte Grün in Farbentiegeln","translation":"Like the last green left in the paint-pots,","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Farbentiegeln","title":"Dative plural after in","body":"Farbentiegeln is the dative plural of Farbentiegel, a compound of Farbe, 'paint', and Tiegel, 'small pot or crucible'. It names the shallow pans a painter mixes color in. The dative form follows the preposition in."}],"words":[{"surface":"So","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"Just"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Grün","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Grün","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"letzte","lemma":"letzter","morphology":"adjective, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Grün","gloss":"last"},{"surface":"Grün","lemma":"Grün","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"green"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Grün","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"Farbentiegeln","lemma":"Farbentiegel","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"paint-pots"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"blaue-hortensie-s1-l2","source":"sind diese Blätter, trocken, stumpf und rauh,","translation":"are these leaves, dry, dull and rough,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"So wie … sind diese Blätter","title":"Verb second after fronted clause","body":"The clause opens with the comparison So wie das letzte Grün, which fills the first position in the sentence. German keeps the finite verb in second position, so sind comes before its subject diese Blätter. Read across the line break, 'are these leaves'."}],"words":[{"surface":"sind","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"are"},{"surface":"diese","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Blätter","gloss":"these"},{"surface":"Blätter","lemma":"Blatt","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"leaves"},{"surface":"trocken","lemma":"trocken","morphology":"adjective, predicate","role":"depends on Blätter","gloss":"dry"},{"surface":"stumpf","lemma":"stumpf","morphology":"adjective, predicate","role":"depends on Blätter","gloss":"dull"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on stumpf","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"rauh","lemma":"rauh","morphology":"adjective, predicate","role":"depends on und","gloss":"rough"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"blaue-hortensie-s1-l3","source":"hinter den Blütendolden, die ein Blau","translation":"behind the flower-clusters, which a blue","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Blütendolden","title":"Compound noun for flower clusters","body":"Blütendolden combines Blüte, 'blossom', and Dolde, 'umbel', the rounded flower head where many small florets grow from one point. It is dative plural after hinter. The relative pronoun die at the end of the line refers back to it."}],"words":[{"surface":"hinter","lemma":"hinter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"behind"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Blütendolden","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Blütendolden","lemma":"Blütendolde","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on hinter","gloss":"flower-clusters"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, plural, relative","role":"subject of tragen","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Blau","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Blau","lemma":"Blau","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"object of tragen","gloss":"blue"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"blaue-hortensie-s1-l4","source":"nicht auf sich tragen, nur von ferne spiegeln.","translation":"do not wear upon themselves, but only mirror from afar.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ein Blau … nicht auf sich tragen","title":"Object fronted, verbs held back","body":"ein Blau, 'a blue', is the accusative object of the relative clause, pulled to the front. Its verbs tragen and spiegeln stand at the end, as German relative clauses require. auf sich tragen means 'to carry or wear on oneself'."}],"words":[{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on tragen","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on tragen","gloss":"upon"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural, reflexive","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"themselves"},{"surface":"tragen","lemma":"tragen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"wear"},{"surface":"nur","lemma":"nur","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on spiegeln","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on spiegeln","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"ferne","lemma":"ferne","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"afar"},{"surface":"spiegeln","lemma":"spiegeln","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on tragen","gloss":"mirror"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"blaue-hortensie-s2-l1","source":"Sie spiegeln es verweint und ungenau,","translation":"They mirror it tear-stained and imprecise,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"verweint","title":"Participle meaning tear stained","body":"verweint is the past participle of verweinen, built on weinen, 'to weep', with the prefix ver- marking a worn result. It means 'red and swollen from crying, tear-stained'. Here it describes the reflected blue, agreeing with es, the object of spiegeln."}],"words":[{"surface":"Sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on spiegeln","gloss":"They"},{"surface":"spiegeln","lemma":"spiegeln","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"mirror"},{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on spiegeln","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"verweint","lemma":"verweinen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on es","gloss":"tear-stained"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on verweint","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"ungenau","lemma":"ungenau","morphology":"adjective, predicate","role":"depends on und","gloss":"imprecise"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"blaue-hortensie-s2-l2","source":"als wollten sie es wiederum verlieren,","translation":"as though they meant to lose it once again,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als wollten sie","title":"Subjunctive after als","body":"als, 'as though', directly followed by the verb, introduces an unreal comparison and takes the subjunctive. wollten is the past subjunctive of wollen, 'to want or intend'. wiederum means 'once more, again'."}],"words":[{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on wollten","gloss":"as though"},{"surface":"wollten","lemma":"wollen","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"meant"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on wollten","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on verlieren","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"wiederum","lemma":"wiederum","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verlieren","gloss":"once again"},{"surface":"verlieren","lemma":"verlieren","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on wollten","gloss":"lose"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"blaue-hortensie-s2-l3","source":"und wie in alten blauen Briefpapieren","translation":"and as in old blue letter-paper","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Briefpapieren","title":"Compound noun for writing paper","body":"Briefpapieren combines Brief, 'letter', and Papier, 'paper', meaning stationery or notepaper. It is dative plural, following the preposition in. The comparison to old blue writing paper continues into the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on in","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"alten","lemma":"alt","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Briefpapieren","gloss":"old"},{"surface":"blauen","lemma":"blau","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Briefpapieren","gloss":"blue"},{"surface":"Briefpapieren","lemma":"Briefpapier","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"letter-paper"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"blaue-hortensie-s2-l4","source":"ist Gelb in ihnen, Violett und Grau;","translation":"there is yellow in them, violet and grey;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ist Gelb in ihnen","title":"Predicate fronted before ist","body":"The predicate Gelb, 'yellow', stands before ist and its phrase in ihnen, 'in them', where ihnen is the dative plural pronoun for Briefpapieren in the line above. English needs 'there is': there is yellow in them. Color names are capitalized as nouns here."}],"words":[{"surface":"ist","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"Gelb","lemma":"Gelb","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"yellow"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"ihnen","lemma":"ihnen","morphology":"pronoun, dative, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"them"},{"surface":"Violett","lemma":"Violett","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gelb","gloss":"violet"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Violett","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"Grau","lemma":"Grau","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"grey"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"blaue-hortensie-s3-l1","source":"Verwaschnes wie an einer Kinderschürze,","translation":"Washed-out things, as on a child's pinafore,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Verwaschnes","title":"Adjective turned into noun","body":"verwaschen, 'washed out, faded by washing', becomes a neuter noun by capitalizing it and adding -es: Verwaschnes, 'that which is washed out'. German freely turns adjectives into nouns this way. The full ending -enes is shortened to -nes for the meter."}],"words":[{"surface":"Verwaschnes","lemma":"verwaschen","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"washed-out things","note":"A substantivized adjective (neuter singular, literally \"a washed-out thing\") with poetic elision: verwaschenes becomes Verwaschnes."},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Verwaschnes","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"einer","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Kinderschürze","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Kinderschürze","lemma":"Kinderschürze","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"child's pinafore"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"blaue-hortensie-s3-l2","source":"Nichtmehrgetragnes, dem nichts mehr geschieht:","translation":"no-longer-worn things, to which nothing more happens:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Nichtmehrgetragnes","title":"A phrase made into one word","body":"nicht mehr getragen, 'no longer worn', is fused into one nominalized adjective, Nichtmehrgetragnes, 'that which is no longer worn'. tragen here means 'to wear clothes'. The dative relative dem nichts mehr geschieht means 'to which nothing more happens'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Nichtmehrgetragnes","lemma":"nichtmehrgetragen","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"no-longer-worn things"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, dative, neuter, singular, relative","role":"depends on geschieht","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"nichts","lemma":"nichts","morphology":"pronoun, neuter","role":"depends on geschieht","gloss":"nothing"},{"surface":"mehr","lemma":"mehr","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nichts","gloss":"more"},{"surface":"geschieht","lemma":"geschehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the relative clause","gloss":"happens"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"blaue-hortensie-s3-l3","source":"wie fühlt man eines kleinen Lebens Kürze.","translation":"how one feels the brevity of a small life.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"eines kleinen Lebens Kürze","title":"Genitive placed before its noun","body":"eines kleinen Lebens is genitive, 'of a small life', placed before its noun Kürze, 'shortness, brevity'. Prose order would be die Kürze eines kleinen Lebens. The impersonal man, 'one', is the subject of fühlt, 'feels'."}],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on fühlt","gloss":"how"},{"surface":"fühlt","lemma":"fühlen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"feels"},{"surface":"man","lemma":"man","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on fühlt","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"eines","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Lebens","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"kleinen","lemma":"klein","morphology":"adjective, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Lebens","gloss":"small"},{"surface":"Lebens","lemma":"Leben","morphology":"noun, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Kürze","gloss":"life"},{"surface":"Kürze","lemma":"Kürze","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on fühlt","gloss":"brevity"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"blaue-hortensie-s4-l1","source":"Doch plötzlich scheint das Blau sich zu verneuen","translation":"Yet suddenly the blue seems to renew itself","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"verneuen","title":"A rare reflexive verb","body":"verneuen is a rare, near archaic verb meaning 'to renew, make new again'. The reflexive sich verneuen means 'to renew itself'. Modern German would usually say sich erneuern. scheint zu verneuen uses scheinen zu plus infinitive, 'to seem to do'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Doch","lemma":"doch","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on scheint","gloss":"Yet"},{"surface":"plötzlich","lemma":"plötzlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on scheint","gloss":"suddenly"},{"surface":"scheint","lemma":"scheinen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"seems"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Blau","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Blau","lemma":"Blau","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on scheint","gloss":"blue"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on verneuen","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on verneuen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"verneuen","lemma":"verneuen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on scheint","gloss":"renew"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"blaue-hortensie-s4-l2","source":"in einer von den Dolden, und man sieht","translation":"in one of the clusters, and one sees","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"in einer von den Dolden","title":"Partitive phrase for one of","body":"einer is the feminine dative form of eine, 'one', after in: in einer means 'in one'. von den Dolden means 'of the clusters', the partitive construction 'one of'. Dolde is the umbel named earlier as Blütendolde."}],"words":[{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verneuen","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"einer","lemma":"einer","morphology":"pronoun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on einer","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Dolden","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Dolden","lemma":"Dolde","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on von","gloss":"clusters"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on sieht","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"man","lemma":"man","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on sieht","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"sieht","lemma":"sehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"sees"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"blaue-hortensie-s4-l3","source":"ein rührend Blaues sich vor Grünem freuen.","translation":"a touching blue rejoice before the green.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/blaue-hortensie-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ein rührend Blaues … sich freuen","title":"Nominalized adjective with reflexive verb","body":"Blaues is again an adjective turned noun, 'a blue thing', modified by rührend, 'moving, touching', left in its bare uninflected form. sich freuen means 'to be glad, to rejoice'. With vor plus dative, vor Grünem means 'before, against the green'."}],"words":[{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Blaues","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"rührend","lemma":"rührend","morphology":"adjective","role":"depends on Blaues","gloss":"touching","note":"Archaic/poetic: this attributive adjective drops its expected ending (rührendes) — common in older verse."},{"surface":"Blaues","lemma":"blau","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on freuen","gloss":"blue"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on freuen","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"vor","lemma":"vor","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on freuen","gloss":"before"},{"surface":"Grünem","lemma":"grün","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on vor","gloss":"the green"},{"surface":"freuen","lemma":"freuen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"rejoice"}]}]}