{"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-leser","title":{"source":"Der Leser","translated":"The Reader"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-leser","lines":16},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-einsame","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-apfelgarten","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-leser-s1-l1","source":"Wer kennt ihn, diesen, welcher sein Gesicht","translation":"Who knows him, this one, who has let his face","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"welcher","title":"A formal relative pronoun","body":"welcher, 'who', is a relative pronoun, nominative masculine singular, referring back to diesen, 'this one'. It is more formal than der or die used as a relative pronoun."}],"words":[{"surface":"Wer","lemma":"wer","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on kennt","gloss":"Who"},{"surface":"kennt","lemma":"kennen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"knows"},{"surface":"ihn","lemma":"ihn","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on kennt","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"diesen","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on kennt","gloss":"this one"},{"surface":"welcher","lemma":"welcher","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on wegsenkte","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gesicht","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Gesicht","lemma":"Gesicht","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on wegsenkte","gloss":"face"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"der-leser-s1-l2","source":"wegsenkte aus dem Sein zu einem zweiten,","translation":"sink away from being toward a second,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"wegsenkte","title":"Simple past, sank away","body":"wegsenkte is the simple past of wegsenken, 'to sink away, to lower away', combining weg-, 'away', with senken, 'to lower, to sink'. aus dem Sein zu einem zweiten means 'from being toward a second [being]'."}],"words":[{"surface":"wegsenkte","lemma":"wegsenken","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"sank away"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wegsenkte","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Sein","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"being"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wegsenkte","gloss":"toward"},{"surface":"einem","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on zweiten","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"zweiten","lemma":"zweiter","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on zu","gloss":"second"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"der-leser-s1-l3","source":"das nur das schnelle Wenden voller Seiten","translation":"which only the swift turning of full pages","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das Wenden","title":"Infinitive used as a noun","body":"Wenden is the infinitive of wenden, 'to turn', used as a neuter noun, 'the turning'. das schnelle Wenden voller Seiten means 'the swift turning of full pages'; voller plus genitive means 'full of'."}],"words":[{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on unterbricht","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"nur","lemma":"nur","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on unterbricht","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Wenden","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"schnelle","lemma":"schnell","morphology":"adjective, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Wenden","gloss":"swift"},{"surface":"Wenden","lemma":"Wenden","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"turning"},{"surface":"voller","lemma":"voll","morphology":"adjective","role":"depends on Wenden","gloss":"full of","note":"voll + genitive = 'full of' (voller Seiten = 'full of pages')."},{"surface":"Seiten","lemma":"Seite","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, plural","role":"depends on voller","gloss":"pages"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"der-leser-s1-l4","source":"manchmal gewaltsam unterbricht?","translation":"sometimes violently interrupts?","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"unterbricht","title":"Present tense, interrupts","body":"unterbricht is the present tense, third-person singular, of unterbrechen, 'to interrupt'. manchmal gewaltsam unterbricht means 'sometimes violently interrupts'."}],"words":[{"surface":"manchmal","lemma":"manchmal","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on unterbricht","gloss":"sometimes"},{"surface":"gewaltsam","lemma":"gewaltsam","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on unterbricht","gloss":"violently"},{"surface":"unterbricht","lemma":"unterbrechen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"interrupts"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"der-leser-s2-l1","source":"Selbst seine Mutter wäre nicht gewiß,","translation":"Even his own mother would not be certain","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wäre","title":"Subjunctive for uncertainty","body":"wäre is the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) of sein, 'to be'. It marks a hypothetical: Selbst seine Mutter wäre nicht gewiß means 'even his own mother would not be certain', not a statement of fact."}],"words":[{"surface":"Selbst","lemma":"selbst","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Mutter","gloss":"Even"},{"surface":"seine","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Mutter","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Mutter","lemma":"Mutter","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on wäre","gloss":"mother"},{"surface":"wäre","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"would be"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on wäre","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"gewiß","lemma":"gewiß","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wäre","gloss":"certain"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"der-leser-s2-l2","source":"ob er es ist, der da mit seinem Schatten","translation":"whether it is he who there, with his own shadow,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ob","title":"Conjunction for an indirect question","body":"ob, 'whether', is a subordinating conjunction introducing an indirect question, so it sends the verb ist to the end of its clause: ob er es ist, 'whether it is he'."}],"words":[{"surface":"ob","lemma":"ob","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"whether"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"ist","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on liest","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"da","lemma":"da","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on liest","gloss":"there"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on liest","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"seinem","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Schatten","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Schatten","lemma":"Schatten","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"shadow"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"der-leser-s2-l3","source":"Getränktes liest. Und wir, die Stunden hatten,","translation":"reads what is soaked through. And we, who had the hours,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Getränktes","title":"Participle turned into a noun","body":"Getränktes is the past participle of tränken, 'to soak, to steep', turned into a neuter noun meaning 'what is soaked through'. It is the object of liest, 'reads'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Getränktes","lemma":"getränkt","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on liest","gloss":"soaked-through"},{"surface":"liest","lemma":"lesen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"reads"},{"surface":"Und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on hatten","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"wir","lemma":"wir","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on hatten","gloss":"we"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on hatten","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"Stunden","lemma":"Stunde","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on hatten","gloss":"hours"},{"surface":"hatten","lemma":"haben","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"had"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"der-leser-s2-l4","source":"was wissen wir, wieviel ihm hinschwand, bis","translation":"what do we know of how much slipped from him, until","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"hinschwand","title":"Simple past, slipped away","body":"hinschwand is the simple past, third-person singular, of hinschwinden, 'to slip away, to fade away', combining hin-, 'away', with schwinden, 'to dwindle, to vanish'."}],"words":[{"surface":"was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on wissen","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"wissen","lemma":"wissen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, first-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"know"},{"surface":"wir","lemma":"wir","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on wissen","gloss":"we"},{"surface":"wieviel","lemma":"wieviel","morphology":"pronoun, interrogative","role":"depends on hinschwand","gloss":"how much"},{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"ihm","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on hinschwand","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"hinschwand","lemma":"hinschwinden","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on wissen","gloss":"slipped away"},{"surface":"bis","lemma":"bis","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on hinschwand","gloss":"until"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"der-leser-s3-l1","source":"er mühsam aufsah: alles auf sich hebend,","translation":"he looked up with effort: lifting everything onto himself,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"aufsah","title":"Prefix stays attached here","body":"aufsah is the simple past of aufsehen, 'to look up', a separable verb whose prefix auf stays attached because the verb is not in a main clause here. alles auf sich hebend means 'lifting everything onto himself'."}],"words":[{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on aufsah","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"mühsam","lemma":"mühsam","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on aufsah","gloss":"with effort"},{"surface":"aufsah","lemma":"aufsehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"looked up"},{"surface":"alles","lemma":"alle","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on hebend","gloss":"everything"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hebend","gloss":"onto"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"himself"},{"surface":"hebend","lemma":"heben","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on aufsah","gloss":"lifting"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"der-leser-s3-l2","source":"was unten in dem Buche sich verhielt,","translation":"all that lay quiet down within the book,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"sich verhielt","title":"To lie still, not behave","body":"sich verhielt is the simple past of sich verhalten, which can mean 'to behave' but here means 'to lie, to rest, to hold itself'. was unten in dem Buche sich verhielt means 'that lay down within the book'."}],"words":[{"surface":"was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on verhielt","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"unten","lemma":"unten","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on in","gloss":"down"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verhielt","gloss":"within"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Buche","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Buche","lemma":"Buch","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"book"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on verhielt","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"verhielt","lemma":"verhalten","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"lay"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"der-leser-s3-l3","source":"mit Augen, welche, statt zu nehmen, gebend","translation":"with eyes that, instead of taking, giving,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"statt zu nehmen","title":"Instead of, plus infinitive","body":"statt zu nehmen means 'instead of taking'. statt, 'instead of', takes an infinitive with zu to name the action not performed, contrasted here with gebend, 'giving', that follows."}],"words":[{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"Augen","lemma":"Auge","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"eyes"},{"surface":"welche","lemma":"welcher","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on gebend","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"statt","lemma":"statt","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on nehmen","gloss":"instead of"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on nehmen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"nehmen","lemma":"nehmen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on statt","gloss":"taking"},{"surface":"gebend","lemma":"geben","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on anstießen","gloss":"giving"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"der-leser-s3-l4","source":"anstießen an die fertig-volle Welt:","translation":"knocked against the finished, full-grown world:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"anstießen","title":"Simple past, knocked against","body":"anstießen is the simple past, third-person plural, of anstoßen, 'to knock against, to bump into'. anstießen an die fertig-volle Welt means 'knocked against the finished, full-grown world'."}],"words":[{"surface":"anstießen","lemma":"anstoßen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"knocked"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on anstießen","gloss":"against"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Welt","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"fertig-volle","lemma":"fertig-voll","morphology":"adjective, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Welt","gloss":"finished, full-grown"},{"surface":"Welt","lemma":"Welt","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"world"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"der-leser-s3-l5","source":"wie stille Kinder, die allein gespielt,","translation":"like quiet children who have played alone,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s3-l5.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Kinder","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"stille","lemma":"still","morphology":"adjective, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Kinder","gloss":"quiet"},{"surface":"Kinder","lemma":"Kind","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"children"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on gespielt","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"allein","lemma":"allein","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on gespielt","gloss":"alone"},{"surface":"gespielt","lemma":"spielen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on Kinder","gloss":"played"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"der-leser-s3-l6","source":"auf einmal das Vorhandene erfahren;","translation":"and all at once encounter what is there;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s3-l6.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das Vorhandene","title":"A noun for what exists","body":"Vorhandene is the present participle of vorhanden sein, 'to exist, to be present', turned into a neuter noun meaning 'what is there, what exists'. It is the object of erfahren, 'to encounter'."}],"words":[{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on erfahren","gloss":"at"},{"surface":"einmal","lemma":"einmal","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"once"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Vorhandene","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Vorhandene","lemma":"Vorhandene","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on erfahren","gloss":"what is there"},{"surface":"erfahren","lemma":"erfahren","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"encounter"}]},{"number":15,"label":"15","id":"der-leser-s3-l7","source":"doch seine Züge, die geordnet waren,","translation":"yet his features, which had been in order,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s3-l7.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Züge","title":"The noun for facial features","body":"Züge means 'features', as of a face, from Zug, which can also mean 'pull' or 'train'. seine Züge, die geordnet waren means 'his features, which had been in order'."}],"words":[{"surface":"doch","lemma":"doch","morphology":"conjunction","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"yet"},{"surface":"seine","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Züge","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Züge","lemma":"Zug","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on doch","gloss":"features"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on waren","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"geordnet","lemma":"ordnen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on waren","gloss":"in order"},{"surface":"waren","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"depends on Züge","gloss":"had been"}]},{"number":16,"label":"16","id":"der-leser-s3-l8","source":"blieben für immer umgestellt.","translation":"stayed rearranged forever.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-leser-s3-l8.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"umgestellt","title":"Past participle, rearranged","body":"umgestellt is the past participle of umstellen, 'to rearrange, to reposition'. blieben für immer umgestellt means 'stayed rearranged forever', with blieben, 'stayed', carrying the sense of remaining in that state."}],"words":[{"surface":"blieben","lemma":"bleiben","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"stayed"},{"surface":"für","lemma":"für","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on umgestellt","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"immer","lemma":"immer","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on für","gloss":"ever"},{"surface":"umgestellt","lemma":"umstellen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on blieben","gloss":"rearranged"}]}]}