{"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":"der-blinde","title":{"source":"Der Blinde","translated":"The Blind Man"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-blinde","lines":12},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/eine-von-den-alten","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/eine-welke","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":"der-blinde-s1-l1","source":"Sieh, er geht und unterbricht die Stadt,","translation":"Look, he walks and interrupts the city,","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Sieh","title":"Imperative addressing the reader","body":"Sieh is the singular imperative of sehen, 'to see, to look', addressing the reader directly. unterbrechen means 'to interrupt, to break into'; the blind man cuts across the city rather than moving through it."}],"words":[{"surface":"Sieh","lemma":"sehen","morphology":"verb, imperative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"Look"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"geht","lemma":"gehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the following clause","gloss":"walks"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates geht and unterbricht","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"unterbricht","lemma":"unterbrechen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"coordinated with geht","gloss":"interrupts"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stadt","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Stadt","lemma":"Stadt","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on unterbricht","gloss":"city"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"der-blinde-s1-l2","source":"die nicht ist auf seiner dunkeln Stelle,","translation":"which is not there upon his darkened place,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"auf seiner dunkeln Stelle","title":"Archaic dative ending on dunkel","body":"dunkeln is the dative singular feminine form of dunkel, 'dark', agreeing with Stelle, 'place', after auf, which here governs the dative as a fixed location. It is an older, poetically retained ending rather than a modern contraction."}],"words":[{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on ist (relative pronoun for Stadt)","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"ist","lemma":"sein","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the relative clause","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"upon"},{"surface":"seiner","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stelle","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"dunkeln","lemma":"dunkel","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stelle","gloss":"darkened"},{"surface":"Stelle","lemma":"Stelle","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"place"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"der-blinde-s1-l3","source":"wie ein dunkler Sprung durch eine helle","translation":"as a dark crack runs through a pale","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Sprung","title":"Noun meaning crack, not leap","body":"der Sprung means both 'a leap' and 'a crack, a fissure' in something brittle like glass or china. Here it means the crack: the blind man is a dark crack running through the bright city as through a cup."}],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on geht (cross-segment, introduces the comparison)","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Sprung","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"dunkler","lemma":"dunkel","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Sprung","gloss":"dark"},{"surface":"Sprung","lemma":"Sprung","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of geht (cross-segment)","gloss":"crack"},{"surface":"durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Sprung","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"eine","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Tasse (cross-segment)","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"helle","lemma":"hell","morphology":"adjective, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Tasse (cross-segment)","gloss":"pale"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"der-blinde-s1-l4","source":"Tasse geht. Und wie auf einem Blatt","translation":"cup. And as upon a sheet of paper","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Tasse geht","title":"Noun split from its verb by a line break","body":"Tasse, 'cup', completes the simile begun in the line before, durch eine helle Tasse geht, 'runs through a pale cup', splitting the noun and its verb across the line break. das Blatt means both 'leaf' and 'sheet of paper'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Tasse","lemma":"Tasse","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on durch (cross-segment)","gloss":"cup"},{"surface":"geht","lemma":"gehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the comparison clause (verb for Sprung)","gloss":"runs"},{"surface":"Und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on ist (cross-segment, introduces the comparison)","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ist (cross-segment)","gloss":"upon"},{"surface":"einem","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Blatt","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Blatt","lemma":"Blatt","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"sheet"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"der-blinde-s2-l1","source":"ist auf ihm der Widerschein der Dinge","translation":"the reflection of things lies painted on him,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Widerschein","title":"Compound noun for reflected light","body":"der Widerschein means 'reflection, reflected glow', literally a shining-back, from wider-, 'back, against', and Schein, 'shine'. der Dinge is genitive plural of das Ding, 'thing': 'the reflection of things'."}],"words":[{"surface":"ist","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence, forms passive with aufgemalt","gloss":"is","note":"Forms a stative passive with 'aufgemalt' in the next line: 'ist ... aufgemalt' = 'is painted.'"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Widerschein","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Widerschein","lemma":"Widerschein","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"reflection"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Dinge","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Dinge","lemma":"Ding","morphology":"noun, genitive, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Widerschein","gloss":"things"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"der-blinde-s2-l2","source":"aufgemalt; er nimmt ihn nicht hinein.","translation":"painted on; he does not take it in.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"nimmt … hinein","title":"Separable verb for taking in","body":"hineinnehmen means 'to take in, to draw inside', separable, with the prefix hinein splitting to the end of the clause: nimmt ... hinein. ihn refers back to der Widerschein, 'the reflection'."}],"words":[{"surface":"aufgemalt","lemma":"aufmalen","morphology":"verb, past participle","role":"predicate complement of ist (cross-segment, forms passive)","gloss":"painted on"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on nimmt","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"nimmt","lemma":"nehmen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"takes"},{"surface":"ihn","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on nimmt","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on nimmt","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"hinein","lemma":"hinein","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nimmt","gloss":"in"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"der-blinde-s2-l3","source":"Nur sein Fühlen rührt sich, so als finge","translation":"Only his feeling stirs, as though it caught","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sein Fühlen","title":"Infinitive turned into a noun","body":"Fühlen is the infinitive fühlen, 'to feel', used as a neuter noun, das Fühlen, 'feeling'. German freely turns verbs into nouns this way. sich rühren means 'to stir, to move'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Nur","lemma":"nur","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Fühlen","gloss":"Only"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Fühlen","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Fühlen","lemma":"Fühlen","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of rührt","gloss":"feeling"},{"surface":"rührt","lemma":"rühren","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"stirs"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on rührt","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on als (part of so-als construction)","gloss":"as though"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on finge","gloss":"if"},{"surface":"finge","lemma":"fangen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the comparison clause (subject: es, cross-segment)","gloss":"caught","note":"Subjunctive II (irrealis) form of fangen; here part of the separable verb einfangen, split with 'ein' at the end of the next line."}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"der-blinde-s2-l4","source":"es die Welt in kleinen Wellen ein:","translation":"the world in little waves:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"finge … ein","title":"Konjunktiv II of a separable verb","body":"finge ... ein is the past subjunctive of the separable verb einfangen, 'to catch, to capture', required by als, 'as though', to mark the comparison as imagined. The prefix ein falls to the end of the clause, onto the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of finge (cross-segment)","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Welt","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Welt","lemma":"Welt","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"direct object of finge (cross-segment)","gloss":"world"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on finge","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"kleinen","lemma":"klein","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Wellen","gloss":"little"},{"surface":"Wellen","lemma":"Welle","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"waves"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"separable verb particle","role":"combines with finge (cross-segment) to form einfangen","gloss":"in","note":"Separable prefix: combines with 'finge' (previous line) to form 'einfangen' = to catch/capture."}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"der-blinde-s3-l1","source":"eine Stille, einen Widerstand–,","translation":"a stillness, a resistance—,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Widerstand","title":"Compound noun for resistance","body":"der Widerstand means 'resistance, opposition', what pushes back, from wider-, 'against', and stehen, 'to stand'. eine Stille and einen Widerstand are both accusative objects of finge ein from the line before."}],"words":[{"surface":"eine","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stille","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Stille","lemma":"Stille","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"in apposition to Welt, object of finge (cross-segment)","gloss":"stillness"},{"surface":"einen","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Widerstand","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Widerstand–","lemma":"Widerstand","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"in apposition to Stille, object of finge (cross-segment)","gloss":"resistance"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"der-blinde-s3-l2","source":"und dann scheint er wartend wen zu wählen:","translation":"and then he seems, waiting, to choose someone:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wartend wen zu wählen","title":"Participle plus indefinite pronoun","body":"wartend is the present participle of warten, 'to wait', used adverbially, 'waiting'. wen is the accusative of wer, 'who', here meaning 'someone'. scheinen zu wählen means 'to seem to choose', using scheinen plus zu plus infinitive."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on scheint","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"dann","lemma":"dann","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on scheint","gloss":"then"},{"surface":"scheint","lemma":"scheinen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"seems"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on scheint","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"wartend","lemma":"warten","morphology":"adverb (present participle)","role":"depends on scheint","gloss":"waiting"},{"surface":"wen","lemma":"wer","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on wählen","gloss":"someone"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on wählen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"wählen","lemma":"wählen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on scheint","gloss":"choose"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"der-blinde-s3-l3","source":"hingegeben hebt er seine Hand,","translation":"self-surrendered, he lifts his hand,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"hingegeben","title":"Participle used adverbially for surrender","body":"hingegeben is the past participle of sich hingeben, 'to give oneself over, to surrender oneself', used adverbially here to mean 'in self-surrender'. It describes how he lifts his hand."}],"words":[{"surface":"hingegeben","lemma":"hingeben","morphology":"verb, past participle","role":"depends on hebt","gloss":"self-surrendered","note":"Past participle of 'sich hingeben' (to surrender oneself), used adverbially here."},{"surface":"hebt","lemma":"heben","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"lifts"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on hebt","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"seine","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Hand","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Hand","lemma":"Hand","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on hebt","gloss":"hand"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"der-blinde-s3-l4","source":"festlich fast, wie um sich zu vermählen.","translation":"almost solemnly, as if to wed himself.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-blinde-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"sich vermählen","title":"Elevated verb for to wed","body":"sich vermählen means 'to marry, to wed', an elevated, ceremonious word. um ... zu vermählen is a purpose clause, 'in order to wed'; with wie before it, 'as though to wed himself'. festlich means 'festive, solemn'."}],"words":[{"surface":"festlich","lemma":"festlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on hebt (cross-segment)","gloss":"solemnly"},{"surface":"fast","lemma":"fast","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on festlich","gloss":"almost"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on vermählen","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on vermählen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on vermählen","gloss":"himself"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on vermählen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"vermählen","lemma":"vermählen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the um-zu clause (purpose, depends on hebt)","gloss":"wed"}]}]}