{"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-engel","title":{"source":"Der Engel","translated":"The Angel"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-engel","lines":12},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-stifter","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/roemische-sarkophage","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-engel-s1-l1","source":"Mit einem Neigen seiner Stirne weist","translation":"With a single bowing of his brow he waves","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"weist","title":"weisen can mean to send away","body":"weisen usually means 'to point, direct, show', but in von sich weisen it means 'to refuse, to send away from oneself'. The object of weist, was einschränkt und verpflichtet, arrives at the end of the next line, split by the line break."}],"words":[{"surface":"Mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on weist","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"einem","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Neigen","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Neigen","lemma":"neigen","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Mit","gloss":"bowing"},{"surface":"seiner","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stirne","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Stirne","lemma":"Stirne","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Neigen","gloss":"brow"},{"surface":"weist","lemma":"weisen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"waves"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"der-engel-s1-l2","source":"er weit von sich, was einschränkt und verpflichtet;","translation":"far from himself whatever confines and binds;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"von sich weist","title":"A clause completed across two lines","body":"The clause begun in the line before finishes here: er weist weit von sich … was einschränkt und verpflichtet, 'he points far away from himself whatever confines and obliges'. was introduces a free relative clause, the object of weist."}],"words":[{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of weist (previous line)","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"weit","lemma":"weit","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on von","gloss":"far"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on weist (previous line)","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, dative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on von","gloss":"himself"},{"surface":"was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of einschränkt","gloss":"whatever"},{"surface":"einschränkt","lemma":"einschränken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on was","gloss":"confines"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on einschränkt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"verpflichtet","lemma":"verpflichten","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"coordinated with einschränkt","gloss":"binds"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"der-engel-s1-l3","source":"denn durch sein Herz geht riesig aufgerichtet","translation":"for through his heart there moves, immense, erect,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"riesig aufgerichtet","title":"A participle used adverbially","body":"aufgerichtet is the past participle of aufrichten, 'to raise, set upright', used here adverbially: 'raised up, towering, erect'. riesig, 'gigantic', modifies it. The fronted denn durch sein Herz geht pushes the subject to the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"denn","lemma":"denn","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Herz","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Herz","lemma":"Herz","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on durch","gloss":"heart"},{"surface":"geht","lemma":"gehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"moves"},{"surface":"riesig","lemma":"riesig","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on aufgerichtet","gloss":"immense"},{"surface":"aufgerichtet","lemma":"aufrichten","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"erect"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"der-engel-s1-l4","source":"das ewig Kommende, das kreist.","translation":"the eternally coming, which circles.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"das ewig Kommende","title":"A present participle used as a noun","body":"das Kommende is a neuter substantivized present participle, 'that which is coming'. German freely turns adjectives and participles into nouns this way, capitalized with das. ewig, 'eternally', qualifies it; das kreist means 'which circles'."}],"words":[{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Kommende","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"ewig","lemma":"ewig","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Kommende","gloss":"eternally"},{"surface":"Kommende","lemma":"Kommende","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of geht (previous line)","gloss":"coming"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of kreist","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"kreist","lemma":"kreisen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on Kommende","gloss":"circles"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"der-engel-s2-l1","source":"Die tiefen Himmel stehn ihm voll Gestalten,","translation":"The deep heavens stand for him full of figures,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"voll Gestalten","title":"voll governing a bare noun","body":"voll, 'full of', can govern a noun directly without von and without an article: voll Gestalten means 'full of figures'. ihm is a dative of interest, 'for him'. Gestalt is a form, shape, or figure."}],"words":[{"surface":"Die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Himmel","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"tiefen","lemma":"tief","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Himmel","gloss":"deep"},{"surface":"Himmel","lemma":"Himmel","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"subject of stehn","gloss":"heavens"},{"surface":"stehn","lemma":"stehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"stand"},{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"ihm","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on stehn","gloss":"for him"},{"surface":"voll","lemma":"voll","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on stehn","gloss":"full"},{"surface":"Gestalten","lemma":"Gestalt","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on voll","gloss":"figures"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"der-engel-s2-l2","source":"und jede kann ihm rufen: komm, erkenn–.","translation":"and each can call to him: come, know me–.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"komm, erkenn","title":"Imperatives with the final -e dropped","body":"komm and erkenn are both du-imperatives with the final -e dropped, as is normal in speech and verse: komm(e) from kommen, erkenn(e) from erkennen, 'to recognize, know'. The dash after erkenn leaves the command unfinished."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on kann","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"jede","lemma":"jeder","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of kann","gloss":"each one"},{"surface":"kann","lemma":"können","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"can"},{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"ihm","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on rufen","gloss":"to him"},{"surface":"rufen","lemma":"rufen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on kann","gloss":"call"},{"surface":"komm","lemma":"kommen","morphology":"verb, imperative, second-person, singular","role":"quoted speech, depends on rufen","gloss":"come"},{"surface":"erkenn–.","lemma":"erkennen","morphology":"verb, imperative, second-person, singular","role":"quoted speech, parallel to komm","gloss":"know me","note":"Poetic apocope of 'erkenne' (dropped final -e); the object 'mich' is implied."}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"der-engel-s2-l3","source":"Gib seinen leichten Händen nichts zu halten","translation":"Give his light hands nothing to hold","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Gib seinen leichten Händen nichts","title":"geben with a dative and accusative object","body":"Gib is the imperative of geben. It takes a dative recipient, seinen leichten Händen, 'to his light hands', and an accusative object, nichts, 'nothing'. zu halten is an infinitive of purpose: 'nothing to hold'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Gib","lemma":"geben","morphology":"verb, imperative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"give"},{"surface":"seinen","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Händen","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"leichten","lemma":"leicht","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Händen","gloss":"light"},{"surface":"Händen","lemma":"Hand","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"indirect object of Gib","gloss":"hands"},{"surface":"nichts","lemma":"nichts","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter","role":"direct object of Gib","gloss":"nothing"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on halten","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"halten","lemma":"halten","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on Gib","gloss":"hold"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"der-engel-s2-l4","source":"aus deinem Lastenden. Sie kämen denn","translation":"out of what weighs on you. Or else they would come","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"deinem Lastenden","title":"A participle naming what weighs on you","body":"das Lastende is a substantivized participle from lasten, 'to weigh, press heavily upon': 'that which burdens'. In the dative after aus, aus deinem Lastenden means 'out of what weighs on you'."},{"kind":"grammar","term":"Sie kämen denn","title":"kämen plus denn for an old warning","body":"kämen is Konjunktiv II of kommen, 'they would come'. With denn at the end, sie kämen denn is an old conditional turn meaning 'for otherwise they would come, unless…', the warning the rest of the stanza spells out."}],"words":[{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on halten","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"deinem","lemma":"dein","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Lastenden","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"Lastenden","lemma":"Lastende","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"what weighs on you"},{"surface":"Sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on kämen","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"kämen","lemma":"kommen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"would come"},{"surface":"denn","lemma":"denn","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on kämen","gloss":"or else"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"der-engel-s3-l1","source":"bei Nacht zu dir, dich ringender zu prüfen,","translation":"by night to you, to test you more wrestlingly,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"ringender","title":"A coined comparative adverb","body":"ringender is coined from ringen, 'to wrestle, struggle', as a comparative adverb: 'more wrestlingly, with more of a struggle'. dich … zu prüfen means 'to test you'; the angels would come at night to try you harder."}],"words":[{"surface":"bei","lemma":"bei","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on kämen","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"Nacht","lemma":"Nacht","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on bei","gloss":"night"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on kämen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"dir","lemma":"dir","morphology":"pronoun, dative, singular","role":"depends on zu","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"dich","lemma":"dich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, second-person, singular","role":"depends on prüfen","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"ringender","lemma":"ringend","morphology":"adverb, comparative","role":"depends on prüfen","gloss":"more wrestlingly"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on prüfen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"prüfen","lemma":"prüfen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on kämen","gloss":"test"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"der-engel-s3-l2","source":"und gingen wie Erzürnte durch das Haus","translation":"and would go like enraged men through the house","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Erzürnte","title":"A participle naming angry people","body":"Erzürnte is a substantivized participle of erzürnen, 'to anger, enrage': 'angered, wrathful ones'. wie Erzürnte means 'like people in a fury'. gingen continues the subjunctive chain from kämen; the angels would do all this."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on gingen","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"gingen","lemma":"gehen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"would go"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on gingen","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"Erzürnte","lemma":"Erzürnte","morphology":"noun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"enraged ones"},{"surface":"durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on gingen","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Haus","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Haus","lemma":"Haus","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on durch","gloss":"house"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"der-engel-s3-l3","source":"und griffen dich, als ob sie dich erschüfen,","translation":"and would seize you, as though they created you,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als ob sie dich erschüfen","title":"als ob plus the unreal mood","body":"als ob, 'as though', triggers the subjunctive. erschüfen is Konjunktiv II of erschaffen, 'to create', with the umlaut typical of a strong verb's subjunctive: 'as though they were creating you'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on griffen","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"griffen","lemma":"greifen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"would seize"},{"surface":"dich","lemma":"dich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, second-person, singular","role":"depends on griffen","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on erschüfen","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"ob","lemma":"ob","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on erschüfen","gloss":"though"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on erschüfen","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"dich","lemma":"dich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, second-person, singular","role":"depends on erschüfen","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"erschüfen","lemma":"erschaffen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"depends on griffen","gloss":"created"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"der-engel-s3-l4","source":"und brächen dich aus deiner Form heraus.","translation":"and would break you out of your own shape.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-engel-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"brächen … heraus","title":"A separable verb split by the line","body":"herausbrechen, 'to break out', is separable: its prefix heraus lands at the very end of the line, brächen … heraus. brächen is Konjunktiv II of brechen, 'to break'. aus deiner Form means 'out of your form, shape'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on brächen","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"brächen","lemma":"brechen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"would break"},{"surface":"dich","lemma":"dich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, second-person, singular","role":"depends on brächen","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on brächen","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"deiner","lemma":"dein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Form","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"Form","lemma":"Form","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"shape"},{"surface":"heraus","lemma":"heraus","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on brächen","gloss":"out"}]}]}