German · New Poems
Der Panther
The Panther
12 lines · 3 notes
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- 1
His gaze, from the passing of the bars,
SeinHissein · determiner, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on BlickBlickgazeBlick · noun, nominative, masculine, singularsubject of ististhassein · auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singularauxiliary of geworden (next line), forms the perfect tensevomfromvon · prepositiondepends on istVorübergehnpassingVorübergehen · noun, dative, neuter, singulardepends on vomdertheder · determiner, genitive, masculine, pluraldepends on StäbeStäbebarsStab · noun, genitive, masculine, pluraldepends on Vorübergehn - 2
has grown so weary that it holds nothing more.
sososo · adverbdepends on müdmüdwearymüde · adjective, predicatedepends on gewordengewordengrownwerden · auxiliary verb, participledepends on ist (previous line), forms the perfect tensedaßthatdaß · subordinating conjunctiondepends on hälteriter · pronoun, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on hältnichtsnothingnichts · pronoun, neuterdepends on hältmehrmoremehr · adverbdepends on nichtshältholdshalten · verb, present, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the daß-clause - 3
To him it is as if there were a thousand bars
IhmTo himihm · pronoun, dative, masculine, singulardepends on ististissein · verb, present, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentencealsasals · subordinating conjunctiondepends on gäbeobifob · subordinating conjunctiondepends on gäbeestherees · pronoun, nominative, neuter, singulardepends on gäbetausenda thousandtausend · numeraldepends on StäbeStäbebarsStab · noun, accusative, masculine, pluraldepends on gäbegäbeweregeben · verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singularmain verb of the als-ob clause - 4
and behind a thousand bars no world.
undandund · conjunctioncoordinates with gäbe (previous line)hinterbehindhinter · prepositiondepends on Welttausenda thousandtausend · numeraldepends on StäbenStäbenbarsStab · noun, dative, masculine, pluraldepends on hinterkeinenokein · determiner, accusative, feminine, singulardepends on WeltWeltworldWelt · noun, accusative, feminine, singularobject of elided gäbe, parallel to Stäbe - 5
The soft pace of supple, powerful strides,
DerTheder · determiner, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on Gangweichesoftweich · adjective, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on GangGangpaceGang · noun, nominative, masculine, singularsubject of ist (der-panther-s2-l3)geschmeidigsupplegeschmeidig · adverbdepends on starkerstarkerpowerfulstark · adjective, genitive, masculine, pluraldepends on SchritteSchrittestridesSchritt · noun, genitive, masculine, pluraldepends on Gang - 6
that turns in the very smallest of circles,
derthatder · pronoun, relative, nominative, masculine, singularsubject of drehtsichitselfsich · pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexivedepends on drehtiminin · prepositiondepends on drehtallerkleinstenvery smallestallerkleinster · adjective, dative, masculine, singulardepends on KreiseKreisecircleKreis · noun, dative, masculine, singulardepends on imdrehtturnsdrehen · verb, present, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the relative clause - 7
is like a dance of force around a center
istissein · verb, present, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentence (subject: Gang, der-panther-s2-l1)wielikewie · conjunctiondepends on Tanzeinaein · determiner, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on TanzTanzdanceTanz · noun, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on istvonofvon · prepositiondepends on TanzKraftforceKraft · noun, dative, feminine, singulardepends on vonumaroundum · prepositiondepends on Tanzeineaein · determiner, accusative, feminine, singulardepends on MitteMittecenterMitte · noun, accusative, feminine, singulardepends on um - 8
in which a great will stands numbed.
ininin · prepositiondepends on stehtderwhichder · pronoun, relative, dative, feminine, singulardepends on in, refers to Mittebetäubtnumbedbetäuben · participle, pastdepends on stehteinaein · determiner, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on Willegroßergreatgroß · adjective, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on WilleWillewillWille · noun, nominative, masculine, singularsubject of stehtstehtstandsstehen · verb, present, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentence - 9
Only sometimes the curtain of the pupil
NurOnlynur · adverbdepends on manchmalmanchmalsometimesmanchmal · adverbdepends on schiebtschiebtslidesaufschieben · verb, present, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentence, separable prefix auf in the next lineSeparable verb aufschieben ('to slide open'); its prefix auf appears at the start of the next line.
dertheder · determiner, nominative, masculine, singulardepends on VorhangVorhangcurtainVorhang · noun, nominative, masculine, singularsubject of schiebtdertheder · determiner, genitive, feminine, singulardepends on PupillePupillepupilPupille · noun, genitive, feminine, singulardepends on Vorhang - 10
lifts soundlessly –. Then an image enters,
sichitselfsich · pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexivedepends on schiebt (previous line)lautlossoundlesslylautlos · adverbdepends on schiebtaufopenauf · particle, separable verb prefixseparable prefix of schiebt (previous line)DannThendann · adverbdepends on gehtgehtentershineingehen · verb, present, indicative, third-person, singularmain verb of the sentenceeinanein · determiner, nominative, neuter, singulardepends on BildBildimageBild · noun, nominative, neuter, singularsubject of gehthineininhinein · adverbseparable prefix of geht - 11
passes through the taut stillness of the limbs –
gehtpassesgehen · verb, present, indicative, third-person, singularcoordinated main verb with geht (previous line); subject: Bilddurchthroughdurch · prepositiondepends on gehtdertheder · determiner, genitive, neuter, pluraldepends on GliederGliederlimbsGlied · noun, genitive, neuter, pluraldepends on Stilleangespanntetautangespannt · adjective, accusative, feminine, singulardepends on StilleStillestillnessStille · noun, accusative, feminine, singulardepends on durch - 12
and ceases, in the heart, to be.
undandund · conjunctiondepends on hörthörtceasesaufhören · verb, present, indicative, third-person, singularcoordinated main verb with geht (der-panther-s3-l3)Separable verb aufhören ('to cease'); its prefix auf follows two words later.
iminin · prepositiondepends on hörtHerzenheartHerz · noun, dative, neuter, singulardepends on imaufstopauf · particle, separable verb prefixseparable prefix of hörtzutozu · particledepends on seinseinbesein · verb, infinitivedepends on hört
The particulars
- The text
- Neue Gedichte, Rainer Maria Rilke. New Poems.
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- Public-domain German (Rilke, d. 1926). English translation © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.
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