{"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":"buddha-2","title":{"source":"Buddha","translated":"Buddha"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/buddha-2","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-marmorkarren","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/roemische-fontaene","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":"buddha-2-s1-l1","source":"Schon von ferne fühlt der fremde scheue","translation":"Already from afar the strange, shy","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"von ferne","title":"From afar","body":"von ferne is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'from a distance'. der fremde scheue Pilger, 'the strange, shy pilgrim', strings two adjectives before the noun, each taking the weak ending -e after the definite article der."}],"words":[{"surface":"Schon","lemma":"schon","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on fühlt","gloss":"already"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on fühlt","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"ferne","lemma":"ferne","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"afar"},{"surface":"fühlt","lemma":"fühlen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"feels"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Pilger","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"fremde","lemma":"fremd","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Pilger","gloss":"strange"},{"surface":"scheue","lemma":"scheu","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Pilger","gloss":"shy"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"buddha-2-s1-l2","source":"Pilger, wie es golden von ihm träuft;","translation":"pilgrim feels how it drips golden from him;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"träuft","title":"träufen, to trickle","body":"träuft is the third-person present of träufen, 'to drip' or 'trickle slowly', an older poetic verb. wie es golden von ihm träuft is a clause governed by fühlt in the line above; the impersonal es leaves the source unnamed."}],"words":[{"surface":"Pilger","lemma":"Pilger","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of fühlt","gloss":"pilgrim"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on träuft","gloss":"how"},{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of träuft","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"golden","lemma":"golden","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on träuft","gloss":"golden"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on träuft","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"ihm","morphology":"pronoun, dative, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"träuft","lemma":"träufen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the wie-clause","gloss":"drips"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"buddha-2-s1-l3","source":"so als hätten Reiche voller Reue","translation":"as if kingdoms full of remorse had","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"so als hätten","title":"als with the verb fronted","body":"so als means 'just as though'. When als introduces an unreal comparison without ob, the verb moves to the front of its clause: als hätten Reiche, 'as though kingdoms had'. hätten is the subjunctive of haben, forming the perfect with the participle aufgehäuft."}],"words":[{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on als","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on hätten","gloss":"if"},{"surface":"hätten","lemma":"haben","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"had"},{"surface":"Reiche","lemma":"Reich","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"subject of hätten","gloss":"kingdoms"},{"surface":"voller","lemma":"voll","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Reiche","gloss":"full of"},{"surface":"Reue","lemma":"Reue","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on voller","gloss":"remorse"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"buddha-2-s1-l4","source":"ihre Heimlichkeiten aufgehäuft.","translation":"heaped up their hidden secrets.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Heimlichkeiten","title":"Secret, hidden things","body":"die Heimlichkeit means 'secrecy'; its plural Heimlichkeiten means 'secret' or 'hidden things'. The word shares a root with heim, 'home', and heimlich, 'secret'. aufgehäuft, 'heaped up', is the participle completing hätten from the previous line."}],"words":[{"surface":"ihre","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Heimlichkeiten","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"Heimlichkeiten","lemma":"Heimlichkeit","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on aufgehäuft","gloss":"hidden secrets"},{"surface":"aufgehäuft","lemma":"aufhäufen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on hätten","gloss":"heaped up"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"buddha-2-s2-l1","source":"Aber näher kommend wird er irre","translation":"But coming nearer he grows bewildered","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"wird er irre","title":"irre werden, to grow confused","body":"irre werden means 'to become confused' or 'lose one's bearings'. näher kommend, 'coming nearer', is a present participle used adverbially. wird … irre, 'grows bewildered', takes vor plus the dative for the cause."}],"words":[{"surface":"Aber","lemma":"aber","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on wird","gloss":"but"},{"surface":"näher","lemma":"nah","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on kommend","gloss":"nearer"},{"surface":"kommend","lemma":"kommend","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wird","gloss":"coming"},{"surface":"wird","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"grows"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of wird","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"irre","lemma":"irre","morphology":"adjective","role":"depends on wird","gloss":"bewildered"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"buddha-2-s2-l2","source":"vor der Hoheit dieser Augenbraun:","translation":"before the majesty of these eyebrows:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Augenbraun","title":"A shortened genitive plural","body":"die Augenbraue means 'eyebrow'; dieser Augenbraun is its genitive plural, 'of these eyebrows', after die Hoheit, 'majesty'. The regular plural ending -brauen is shortened here to -braun to rhyme with Fraun later in the poem."}],"words":[{"surface":"vor","lemma":"vor","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on irre","gloss":"before"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Hoheit","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Hoheit","lemma":"Hoheit","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on vor","gloss":"majesty"},{"surface":"dieser","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Augenbraun","gloss":"these"},{"surface":"Augenbraun","lemma":"Augenbraue","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Hoheit","gloss":"eyebrows"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"buddha-2-s2-l3","source":"denn das sind nicht ihre Trinkgeschirre","translation":"for these are not the drinking-vessels","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Trinkgeschirre","title":"Trinkgeschirr, a drinking vessel","body":"das Trinkgeschirr means 'a drinking vessel' or 'cup'; -geschirr names tableware or gear collectively, as in Geschirr, 'crockery'. das sind nicht keeps das singular and neuter even though the predicate Trinkgeschirre is plural, a normal pattern for 'these are not'."}],"words":[{"surface":"denn","lemma":"denn","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of sind","gloss":"these"},{"surface":"sind","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"are"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"ihre","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Trinkgeschirre","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"Trinkgeschirre","lemma":"Trinkgeschirr","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"drinking-vessels"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"buddha-2-s2-l4","source":"und die Ohrgehänge ihrer Fraun.","translation":"and the ear-pendants of their women.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ihrer Fraun","title":"A contracted genitive plural","body":"ihrer Fraun is genitive plural, 'of their women', depending on die Ohrgehänge, 'the ear-pendants'. Fraun is a poetic contraction of Frauen, shortened to rhyme with Augenbraun."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Ohrgehänge","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Ohrgehänge","lemma":"Ohrgehänge","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"ear-pendants"},{"surface":"ihrer","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Fraun","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"Fraun","lemma":"Frau","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Ohrgehänge","gloss":"women"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"buddha-2-s3-l1","source":"Wüßte einer denn zu sagen, welche","translation":"Could anyone really say which","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Wüßte einer … zu sagen","title":"wissen zu plus infinitive","body":"wissen zu plus an infinitive means 'to know how to' or 'to be able to'. Wüßte einer zu sagen uses the subjunctive wüßte of wissen fronted to open a question. Rilke spells wüßte with ß, the pre-1996 spelling."}],"words":[{"surface":"Wüßte","lemma":"wissen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"could"},{"surface":"einer","lemma":"ein","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Wüßte","gloss":"anyone"},{"surface":"denn","lemma":"denn","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Wüßte","gloss":"really"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on sagen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"sagen","lemma":"sagen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on Wüßte","gloss":"say"},{"surface":"welche","lemma":"welcher","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Dinge","gloss":"which"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"buddha-2-s3-l2","source":"Dinge eingeschmolzen wurden, um","translation":"things were melted down, in order","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"eingeschmolzen wurden","title":"Passive with werden","body":"einschmelzen means 'to melt down'. Dinge … wurden eingeschmolzen is a passive construction: wurden plus the participle eingeschmolzen, 'were melted down'. um begins the purpose clause completed in the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"Dinge","lemma":"Ding","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"subject of wurden","gloss":"things"},{"surface":"eingeschmolzen","lemma":"einschmelzen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on wurden","gloss":"melted down"},{"surface":"wurden","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"were"},{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on wurden","gloss":"in order"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"buddha-2-s3-l3","source":"dieses Bild auf diesem Blumenkelche","translation":"to raise this image upon this flower-calyx,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Blumenkelche","title":"Blumenkelch, a flower's calyx","body":"der Blumenkelch is 'the calyx', the cup-shaped base of a flower. auf diesem Blumenkelche is dative after auf, marking position, with the older dative ending -e on Kelche."}],"words":[{"surface":"dieses","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Bild","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"Bild","lemma":"Bild","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aufzurichten","gloss":"image"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on aufzurichten","gloss":"upon"},{"surface":"diesem","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Blumenkelche","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"Blumenkelche","lemma":"Blumenkelch","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"flower-calyx"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"buddha-2-s4-l1","source":"aufzurichten: stummer, ruhiggelber","translation":"to raise it: more silent, more calmly golden","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"aufzurichten","title":"zu inside a separable verb","body":"um … zu plus an infinitive means 'in order to'. With the separable verb aufrichten, 'to set upright', the zu is inserted between prefix and stem, giving aufzurichten, 'in order to raise up'."}],"words":[{"surface":"aufzurichten","lemma":"aufrichten","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on um","gloss":"to raise"},{"surface":"stummer","lemma":"stumm","morphology":"adjective, comparative","role":"depends on Bild","gloss":"more silent"},{"surface":"ruhiggelber","lemma":"ruhiggelb","morphology":"adjective, comparative","role":"depends on stummer","gloss":"more calmly golden"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"buddha-2-s4-l2","source":"als ein goldenes und rundherum","translation":"than something golden, and all around","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als ein goldenes","title":"als after a comparative","body":"After the comparatives stummer and ruhiggelber, 'more silent' and 'more calmly golden', als means 'than'. ein goldenes is a neuter adjective used as a noun, 'a golden thing'."}],"words":[{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on ruhiggelber","gloss":"than"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on goldenes","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"goldenes","lemma":"golden","morphology":"adjective, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"golden"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"rundherum","lemma":"rundherum","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on berührend","gloss":"all around"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"buddha-2-s4-l3","source":"auch den Raum berührend wie sich selber.","translation":"touching space too as it touches itself.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/buddha-2-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"den Raum berührend wie sich selber","title":"Participle with a reflexive object","body":"berührend is the present participle of berühren, 'to touch', used adverbially. den Raum is its accusative object, 'space', and wie sich selber means 'as itself', with sich selber the reflexive pronoun plus intensifier."}],"words":[{"surface":"auch","lemma":"auch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on berührend","gloss":"too"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Raum","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Raum","lemma":"Raum","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on berührend","gloss":"space"},{"surface":"berührend","lemma":"berühren","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"main verb of the clause","gloss":"touching"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on berührend","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"selber","lemma":"selber","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on sich","gloss":"itself"}]}]}