{"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":"dame-auf-einem-balkon","title":{"source":"Dame auf einem Balkon","translated":"Lady on a Balcony"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon","lines":12},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/sankt-georg","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/begegnung-in-der-kastanien-allee","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":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s1-l1","source":"Plötzlich tritt sie, in den Wind gehüllt,","translation":"Suddenly she steps out, wrapped in the wind,","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"in den Wind gehüllt","title":"hüllen in plus accusative","body":"hüllen means 'to wrap, to swathe'; the past participle gehüllt describes her passively, 'wrapped, enveloped'. The verb takes in plus the accusative, den Wind, the case of motion into something, so in den Wind gehüllt means 'wrapped in the wind'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Plötzlich","lemma":"plötzlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on tritt","gloss":"Suddenly"},{"surface":"tritt","lemma":"treten","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"steps out"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on tritt","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on gehüllt","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Wind","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Wind","lemma":"Wind","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"wind"},{"surface":"gehüllt","lemma":"hüllen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on tritt","gloss":"wrapped"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s1-l2","source":"licht in Lichtes, wie herausgegriffen,","translation":"bright into brightness, as if singled out,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"herausgegriffen","title":"A separable verb for singling out","body":"herausgreifen means 'to pick, single out from among others'; it is separable, heraus plus greifen, 'to reach out and seize'. The past participle herausgegriffen wedges the prefix before the stem, describing her as picked out of the light."}],"words":[{"surface":"licht","lemma":"licht","morphology":"adjective","role":"depends on tritt","gloss":"bright"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on licht","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"Lichtes","lemma":"Licht","morphology":"noun, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"brightness","note":"Genitive of 'Licht' used without an article after 'in' — an unusual poetic construction; sense: 'into brightness.'"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on herausgegriffen","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"herausgegriffen","lemma":"herausgreifen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on licht","gloss":"singled out"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s1-l3","source":"während jetzt die Stube wie geschliffen","translation":"while now the room, as if cut and polished,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"geschliffen","title":"die Stube and a jeweler's verb","body":"die Stube is an old, homely word for a 'parlour, living room'. schleifen means 'to grind, cut, polish', as a gem is cut; geschliffen is its past participle, giving the dim room behind her a worked, faceted look."},{"kind":"grammar","term":"während","title":"A conjunction holding its verb","body":"während means 'while, as' and sends its verb to the end of the clause. The finite verb füllt does not arrive until the next line, so the clause während jetzt die Stube ... die Türe füllt is held open across the stanza break."}],"words":[{"surface":"während","lemma":"während","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on füllt","gloss":"while"},{"surface":"jetzt","lemma":"jetzt","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on füllt","gloss":"now"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stube","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Stube","lemma":"Stube","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of füllt","gloss":"room"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on geschliffen","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"geschliffen","lemma":"schleifen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on Stube","gloss":"cut and polished"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s1-l4","source":"hinter ihr die Türe füllt","translation":"fills the doorway behind her","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"hinter","lemma":"hinter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on füllt","gloss":"behind"},{"surface":"ihr","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"pronoun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on hinter","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Türe","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Türe","lemma":"Türe","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on füllt","gloss":"doorway"},{"surface":"füllt","lemma":"füllen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"fills"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s2-l1","source":"dunkel wie der Grund einer Kamee,","translation":"dark as the ground of a cameo","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Kamee","title":"A cameo's dark ground","body":"eine Kamee is a 'cameo', a gem or shell carved in relief, its pale figure standing against a darker layer. der Grund here means the 'ground, background'. The comparison recasts the scene as carved jewellery, with her as the raised figure."}],"words":[{"surface":"dunkel","lemma":"dunkel","morphology":"adjective","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"dark"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Grund","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Grund","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Grund","lemma":"Grund","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"ground"},{"surface":"einer","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Kamee","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Kamee","lemma":"Kamee","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Grund","gloss":"cameo"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s2-l2","source":"die ein Schimmern durchläßt durch die Ränder;","translation":"that lets a shimmer pass through at its edges;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"durchläßt","title":"A separable verb inside a relative clause","body":"durchlassen means 'to let through, to let pass'; it is separable, durch plus lassen. Here the prefix stays attached because the verb sits inside a relative clause introduced by die, which pushes the verb to the end: die ... durchläßt means 'which lets through'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Ränder","title":"Rand and its plural","body":"der Rand means 'edge, rim, margin'; its plural takes an umlaut, die Ränder. durch die Ränder means 'through the edges', the accusative plural object of durch."}],"words":[{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on durchläßt","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Schimmern","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Schimmern","lemma":"Schimmern","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on durchläßt","gloss":"shimmer"},{"surface":"durchläßt","lemma":"durchlassen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"lets through"},{"surface":"durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on durchläßt","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Ränder","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Ränder","lemma":"Rand","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on durch","gloss":"edges"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s2-l3","source":"und du meinst, der Abend war nicht, ehe","translation":"and you feel the evening did not exist before","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ehe","title":"A literary word for before","body":"ehe is a literary conjunction meaning 'before'; everyday German prefers bevor. It opens a subordinate clause whose verb, sie heraustrat, is held back to the next stanza: 'the evening did not exist before she stepped out'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on meinst","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on meinst","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"meinst","lemma":"meinen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"feel"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Abend","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Abend","lemma":"Abend","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on war","gloss":"evening"},{"surface":"war","lemma":"sein","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on meinst","gloss":"existed"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on war","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"ehe","lemma":"ehe","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on heraustrat","gloss":"before"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s2-l4","source":"sie heraustrat, um auf das Geländer","translation":"she stepped out, in order, on the railing,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"heraustrat","title":"A separable verb held to the end","body":"heraustreten means 'to step out, to emerge'; it is separable, heraus plus treten. In this subordinate clause after ehe the prefix stays joined and the whole verb falls to the end. The line also opens an um ... zu purpose clause completed two lines later."}],"words":[{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on heraustrat","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"heraustrat","lemma":"heraustreten","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"stepped out"},{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on fortzulegen","gloss":"in order to"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on fortzulegen","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Geländer","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Geländer","lemma":"Geländer","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"railing"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s3-l1","source":"noch ein wenig von sich fortzulegen,","translation":"to lay a little more of herself aside,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"fortzulegen","title":"A purpose clause finishing here","body":"This completes the um ... zu purpose construction begun in the previous stanza: 'in order to lay aside'. fortlegen, 'to lay away, set aside', is separable, and in the zu-infinitive the zu slips between prefix and stem, fort-zu-legen."}],"words":[{"surface":"noch","lemma":"noch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wenig","gloss":"more"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner","role":"depends on wenig","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"wenig","lemma":"wenig","morphology":"pronoun","role":"depends on fortzulegen","gloss":"little"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wenig","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, dative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on von","gloss":"herself"},{"surface":"fortzulegen","lemma":"fortlegen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"to lay aside"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s3-l2","source":"noch die Hände,–um ganz leicht zu sein:","translation":"her hands as well,—to be entirely light:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"um ganz leicht zu sein","title":"A second purpose clause","body":"A fresh um ... zu clause states the aim of the gesture: um ganz leicht zu sein means 'in order to be entirely light'. ganz is an adverb modifying the adjective leicht, 'light'."}],"words":[{"surface":"noch","lemma":"noch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on sein","gloss":"also"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, plural","role":"depends on Hände,–um","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Hände,–um","lemma":"Hand","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, plural (fused with a conjunction)","role":"Hände is a second object of fortzulegen, parallel to 'ein wenig'; um introduces the zu sein clause","gloss":"hands — in order to","note":"This token fuses two words with no space in the source text: 'Hände,' (hands, object of 'fortzulegen') and '–um' (introducing the 'zu sein' purpose clause); surface preserved exactly as given."},{"surface":"ganz","lemma":"ganz","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on leicht","gloss":"entirely"},{"surface":"leicht","lemma":"leicht","morphology":"adjective","role":"depends on sein","gloss":"light"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on sein","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"be"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s3-l3","source":"wie dem Himmel von den Häuserreihn","translation":"as if held out to the sky by the rows of houses,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Häuserreihn","title":"Rows of houses, clipped for meter","body":"die Häuserreihen, here shortened to Häuserreihn for the meter, means 'the rows of houses', from Haus plus Reihe, 'row'. dem Himmel is dative, 'to the sky', the object of hingereicht in the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hingereicht","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Himmel","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Himmel","lemma":"Himmel","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on hingereicht","gloss":"sky"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hingereicht","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, plural","role":"depends on Häuserreihn","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Häuserreihn","lemma":"Häuserreihe","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on von","gloss":"rows of houses","note":"Poetic elision of 'Häuserreihen' to 'Häuserreihn' for the meter."}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"dame-auf-einem-balkon-s3-l4","source":"hingereicht, von allem zu bewegen.","translation":"passed up, to be stirred by anything at all.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-auf-einem-balkon-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"hingereicht","title":"hinreichen, to hand over","body":"hinreichen means 'to hand, pass something over to'; hingereicht is its past participle, 'handed over, held out'. von allem zu bewegen, 'to be moved by anything at all', leaves her so weightless the faintest stir of air could sway her."}],"words":[{"surface":"hingereicht","lemma":"hinreichen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"passed up"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on bewegen","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"allem","lemma":"alle","morphology":"pronoun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"anything"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on bewegen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"bewegen","lemma":"bewegen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on hingereicht","gloss":"be stirred"}]}]}