{"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-vor-dem-spiegel","title":{"source":"Dame vor dem Spiegel","translated":"Lady Before the Mirror"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/damen-bildnis-aus-den-achtziger-jahren","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-greisin","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-vor-dem-spiegel-s1-l1","source":"Wie in einem Schlaftrunk Spezerein,","translation":"As in a sleeping-draught spices,","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"der Schlaftrunk","title":"Compound noun for a nightcap","body":"der Schlaftrunk is a 'sleeping draught, nightcap', from Schlaf, 'sleep', and Trunk, 'draught, drink'. Spezerein is an old poetic plural of die Spezerei, 'spices, aromatics'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on löst","gloss":"As"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on löst","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"einem","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Schlaftrunk","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Schlaftrunk","lemma":"Schlaftrunk","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"sleeping-draught"},{"surface":"Spezerein","lemma":"Spezerei","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"subject of the comparison, parallel to sie/löst","gloss":"spices","note":"archaic poetic plural of Spezerei (spice, aromatic substance)."}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s1-l2","source":"löst sie leise in dem flüssigklaren","translation":"she gently dissolves, in the fluid-clear","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"löst sie","title":"Reflexive sense of a verb","body":"lösen means 'to loosen, release', and reflexively or with an object, 'to dissolve'. The clause is inverted so löst, picking up the Wie-simile of the line before, stands first: 'she dissolves'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"flüssigklar","title":"Coined compound adjective","body":"flüssigklar is a coined compound of flüssig, 'fluid, liquid', and klar, 'clear': 'fluid-clear, liquidly transparent'. It modifies Spiegel, 'mirror', in the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"löst","lemma":"lösen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"dissolves"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on löst","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"leise","lemma":"leise","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on löst","gloss":"gently"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on löst","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on flüssigklaren","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"flüssigklaren","lemma":"flüssigklar","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Spiegel","gloss":"fluid-clear"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s1-l3","source":"Spiegel ihr ermüdetes Gebaren;","translation":"mirror, her wearied bearing;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das Gebaren","title":"Noun for a manner of conduct","body":"das Gebaren is 'conduct, demeanour, bearing', the manner one carries oneself, related to sich gebärden, 'to behave'. ermüdet is the past participle of ermüden, 'to tire', used adjectivally: 'wearied'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Spiegel","lemma":"Spiegel","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"object of in (cross-segment)","gloss":"mirror"},{"surface":"ihr","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gebaren","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"ermüdetes","lemma":"ermüdet","morphology":"adjective, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gebaren","gloss":"wearied"},{"surface":"Gebaren","lemma":"Gebaren","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"object of löst","gloss":"bearing"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s1-l4","source":"und sie tut ihr Lächeln ganz hinein.","translation":"and she puts her smile right into it.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"tut … hinein","title":"Separable verb ends the clause","body":"hineintun means 'to put into'; it is separable, hinein plus tun. In this main clause the stem tut stands second while the prefix hinein drops to the end: sie tut ihr Lächeln ganz hinein."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on tut","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on tut","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"tut","lemma":"tun","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"puts"},{"surface":"ihr","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Lächeln","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"Lächeln","lemma":"Lächeln","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on tut","gloss":"smile"},{"surface":"ganz","lemma":"ganz","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on tut","gloss":"right"},{"surface":"hinein","lemma":"hinein","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on tut","gloss":"into it"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s2-l1","source":"Und sie wartet, daß die Flüssigkeit","translation":"And she waits for the liquid","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"daß","title":"Older spelling of daß","body":"daß here is the older spelling of modern dass, 'that', kept as Rilke printed it before the 1996 spelling reform changed ß to ss after a short vowel. As a subordinating conjunction it sends its verb to the clause's end."}],"words":[{"surface":"Und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on wartet","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on wartet","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"wartet","lemma":"warten","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"waits"},{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on steigt","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Flüssigkeit","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Flüssigkeit","lemma":"Flüssigkeit","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of steigt","gloss":"liquid"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s2-l2","source":"davon steigt; dann gießt sie ihre Haare","translation":"to rise off it; then she pours her hair","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"davon steigt","title":"Pronominal adverb for from it","body":"steigen means 'to rise, climb'. davon is a pronominal adverb, 'from it, off that', referring back to the smile and bearing dissolved before. davon steigt means 'rises off it'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"gießt","title":"Verb for pouring liquid","body":"giessen means 'to pour', said of a liquid; giesst is its third-person singular form. She does not let her hair fall but giesst ... ihre Haare, 'pours her hair'."}],"words":[{"surface":"davon","lemma":"davon","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on steigt","gloss":"off it"},{"surface":"steigt","lemma":"steigen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"rise"},{"surface":"dann","lemma":"dann","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on gießt","gloss":"then"},{"surface":"gießt","lemma":"gießen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"pours"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on gießt","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"ihre","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Haare","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"Haare","lemma":"Haar","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on gießt","gloss":"hair"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s2-l3","source":"in den Spiegel und, die wunderbare","translation":"into the mirror and, raising the wondrous","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"in den Spiegel","title":"Accusative marks motion into","body":"in den Spiegel is accusative, den being the masculine accusative of der Spiegel, the case German uses with in for motion into something, 'into the mirror'. This differs from the dative in dem Spiegel, 'in the mirror', used earlier."}],"words":[{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on gießt","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Spiegel","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Spiegel","lemma":"Spiegel","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"mirror"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on hebend","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Schulter","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"wunderbare","lemma":"wunderbar","morphology":"adjective, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Schulter","gloss":"wondrous"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s2-l4","source":"Schulter hebend aus dem Abendkleid,","translation":"shoulder up out of the evening gown,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"hebend","title":"Present participle used adverbially","body":"hebend is the present participle of heben, 'to lift, raise'. German forms it with -end, like English -ing, and uses it adverbially: die wunderbare Schulter hebend aus dem Abendkleid, 'raising the shoulder out of the evening gown'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Schulter","lemma":"Schulter","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"object of hebend","gloss":"shoulder"},{"surface":"hebend","lemma":"heben","morphology":"verb, present participle","role":"participial phrase, depends on gießt","gloss":"raising"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hebend","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Abendkleid","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Abendkleid","lemma":"Abendkleid","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"evening gown"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s3-l1","source":"trinkt sie still aus ihrem Bild. Sie trinkt,","translation":"she drinks, quietly, from her image. She drinks","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"trinkt … aus ihrem Bild","title":"Verb governs aus plus dative","body":"trinken aus means 'to drink from, out of'; aus governs the dative, ihrem Bild, dative of das Bild, 'image, reflection'. The long sentence begun earlier finally lands its finite verb here: trinkt sie still aus ihrem Bild."}],"words":[{"surface":"trinkt","lemma":"trinken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"drinks"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on trinkt","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"still","lemma":"still","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on trinkt","gloss":"quietly"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on trinkt","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"ihrem","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Bild","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"Bild","lemma":"Bild","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"image"},{"surface":"Sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of trinkt (new sentence)","gloss":"She"},{"surface":"trinkt","lemma":"trinken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"drinks"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s3-l2","source":"was ein Liebender im Taumel tränke,","translation":"what a lover, in his rapture, would drink,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"tränke","title":"Subjunctive marks a hypothetical","body":"tränke is the Konjunktiv II, past subjunctive, of trinken, 'to drink': 'would drink'. It marks the clause was ein Liebender im Taumel tränke, 'what a lover, in his rapture, would drink', as hypothetical, not fact."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"der Taumel","title":"Noun for dizzy self-loss","body":"der Taumel is 'reeling, giddiness, intoxicated frenzy', from taumeln, 'to stagger, reel'. im Taumel means 'in a rapture, in a swoon'."}],"words":[{"surface":"was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on tränke","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Liebender","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Liebender","lemma":"Liebender","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of tränke","gloss":"lover"},{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on tränke","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"Taumel","lemma":"Taumel","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"rapture"},{"surface":"tränke","lemma":"trinken","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"would drink"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s3-l3","source":"prüfend, voller Mißtraun; und sie winkt","translation":"testing, full of mistrust; and she beckons","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"prüfend","title":"Present participle used adverbially","body":"prüfend is the present participle of prüfen, 'to test, examine, scrutinize', used adverbially, 'testingly'. das Mißtrauen, spelled Mißtraun here and shortened for the meter, means 'mistrust, distrust'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"winkt","title":"Verb for a summoning gesture","body":"winken means 'to wave, beckon, signal'; winkt is its third-person singular form. Here it is the gesture by which she summons her maid, sie winkt erst der Zofe, 'she beckons the maid only'."}],"words":[{"surface":"prüfend","lemma":"prüfen","morphology":"verb, present participle","role":"depends on trinkt","gloss":"testing"},{"surface":"voller","lemma":"voller","morphology":"preposition","role":"coordinates with prüfend, depends on trinkt","gloss":"full of","note":"'voller' + genitive/dative = 'full of'; functions like a preposition."},{"surface":"Mißtraun","lemma":"Mißtrauen","morphology":"noun, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on voller","gloss":"mistrust","note":"poetic apocope of Mißtrauen, dropping the final -en for the meter."},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on winkt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on winkt","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"winkt","lemma":"winken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"beckons"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s4-l1","source":"erst der Zofe, wenn sie auf dem Grunde","translation":"the maid only when, on the bottom","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"erst … wenn","title":"erst plus wenn means not until","body":"erst with a time clause means 'not until, only when'. sie winkt erst der Zofe, wenn ... is 'she beckons the maid only when ...'. der Zofe is dative, the indirect object of winken; die Zofe means 'lady's maid'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"auf dem Grunde","title":"Noun for the bottom of water","body":"der Grund means 'ground, bottom, floor', here the bottom of a body of water. auf dem Grunde is an old dative form of the modern auf dem Grund, 'on the bottom'."}],"words":[{"surface":"erst","lemma":"erst","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Zofe","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Zofe","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Zofe","lemma":"Zofe","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"object of winkt (cross-segment)","gloss":"maid"},{"surface":"wenn","lemma":"wenn","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on findet","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of findet","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on findet","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Grunde","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Grunde","lemma":"Grund","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"bottom"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s4-l2","source":"ihres Spiegels Lichter findet, Schränke","translation":"of her mirror she finds lights, cupboards,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ihres Spiegels","title":"Genitive placed before its noun","body":"ihres Spiegels is genitive, 'of her mirror', placed before its noun Grunde across the line break, an elevated, slightly archaic word order: auf dem Grunde ihres Spiegels, 'on the bottom of her mirror'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Schränke","title":"Plural noun with umlaut","body":"der Schrank is 'cupboard, wardrobe, cabinet'; its plural takes an umlaut, die Schränke. Lichter, plural of das Licht, 'light', and Schränke are ordinary furnishings surfacing in the mirror."}],"words":[{"surface":"ihres","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Spiegels","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"Spiegels","lemma":"Spiegel","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Grunde","gloss":"mirror"},{"surface":"Lichter","lemma":"Licht","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"object of findet","gloss":"lights"},{"surface":"findet","lemma":"finden","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"finds"},{"surface":"Schränke","lemma":"Schrank","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"coordinates with Lichter, object of findet","gloss":"cupboards"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s4-l3","source":"und das Trübe einer späten Stunde.","translation":"and the dimness of a late hour.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/dame-vor-dem-spiegel-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das Trübe","title":"Adjective nominalized into a noun","body":"trübe is an adjective meaning 'cloudy, dim, murky, gloomy'; capitalized and preceded by das, it becomes a noun, das Trübe, 'the dimness, the murk'. einer späten Stunde means 'of a late hour'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates with Lichter and Schränke, depends on findet","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Trübe","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Trübe","lemma":"Trübe","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on findet","gloss":"dimness"},{"surface":"einer","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stunde","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"späten","lemma":"spät","morphology":"adjective, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stunde","gloss":"late"},{"surface":"Stunde","lemma":"Stunde","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Trübe","gloss":"hour"}]}]}