{"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-tod-des-dichters","title":{"source":"Der Tod des Dichters","translated":"The Death of the Poet"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/gesang-der-frauen-an-den-dichter","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/buddha","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-tod-des-dichters-s1-l1","source":"Er lag. Sein aufgestelltes Antlitz war","translation":"He lay. His upturned countenance was","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Antlitz","title":"An elevated word for face","body":"Das Antlitz is a high, literary word for 'face' or 'countenance', more formal than the everyday Gesicht. Aufgestellt, 'propped up, set upright', is the past participle of aufstellen used as an adjective."}],"words":[{"surface":"Er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of lag","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"lag","lemma":"liegen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"lay"},{"surface":"Sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Antlitz","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"aufgestelltes","lemma":"aufgestellt","morphology":"adjective, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Antlitz","gloss":"upturned"},{"surface":"Antlitz","lemma":"Antlitz","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of war","gloss":"countenance"},{"surface":"war","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s1-l2","source":"bleich und verweigernd in den steilen Kissen,","translation":"pale and refusing among the steep pillows,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"verweigernd","title":"Present participle as adjective","body":"Verweigernd is the present participle of verweigern, 'to refuse, deny', formed by adding -d to the infinitive and used here as an adjective, like an English -ing form. German can form such participles freely but uses them as predicate adjectives less often than English does."}],"words":[{"surface":"bleich","lemma":"bleich","morphology":"adjective, predicate, uninflected","role":"predicate complement of war (s1-l1)","gloss":"pale"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on bleich","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"verweigernd","lemma":"verweigern","morphology":"participle, present, predicate","role":"depends on und (coordinate predicate complement of war, s1-l1)","gloss":"refusing"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on lag (s1-l1)","gloss":"among"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Kissen","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"steilen","lemma":"steil","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Kissen","gloss":"steep"},{"surface":"Kissen","lemma":"Kissen","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"pillows"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s1-l3","source":"seitdem die Welt und dieses von ihr Wissen,","translation":"ever since the world and this knowing-of-it,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"seitdem","title":"A conjunction that delays the verb","body":"Seitdem, 'ever since, since then', is here a subordinating conjunction, so it sends the finite verb to the very end of its clause. That verb, zurückfiel, does not arrive until two lines later."}],"words":[{"surface":"seitdem","lemma":"seitdem","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on zurückfiel (s1-l5)","gloss":"ever since"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Welt","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Welt","lemma":"Welt","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of zurückfiel (s1-l5)","gloss":"world"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links Welt and Wissen","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"dieses","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Wissen","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Wissen","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"ihr","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"it","note":"Dative of sie, referring back to Welt ('of it,' the world)."},{"surface":"Wissen","lemma":"wissen","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"coordinate subject of zurückfiel (s1-l5), with Welt","gloss":"knowing"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s1-l4","source":"von seinen Sinnen abgerissen,","translation":"torn loose from his senses,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"abgerissen","title":"Past participle of a separable verb","body":"Abgerissen is the past participle of the separable verb abreißen, 'to tear off, tear away', built from ab- plus reißen, 'to tear'. With von seinen Sinnen, 'from his senses', it describes something being torn away from perception. The dative seinen Sinnen is governed by von."}],"words":[{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on abgerissen","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"seinen","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Sinnen","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Sinnen","lemma":"Sinn","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on von","gloss":"senses"},{"surface":"abgerissen","lemma":"abreißen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"participial modifier of zurückfiel (s1-l5)","gloss":"torn loose"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s1-l5","source":"zurückfiel an das teilnahmslose Jahr.","translation":"fell back into the indifferent year.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s1-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"teilnahmslos","title":"Without taking part","body":"Teilnahmslos means 'apathetic, indifferent, unmoved', literally 'without taking part'. It is built from Teilnahme, 'participation, also sympathy', plus the privative suffix -los, '-less'."}],"words":[{"surface":"zurückfiel","lemma":"zurückfallen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"fell back"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on zurückfiel","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Jahr","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"teilnahmslose","lemma":"teilnahmslos","morphology":"adjective, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Jahr","gloss":"indifferent"},{"surface":"Jahr","lemma":"Jahr","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"year"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s2-l1","source":"Die, so ihn leben sahen, wußten nicht,","translation":"Those who saw him living did not know","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Die, so ihn leben sahen","title":"So as an old relative pronoun","body":"Die, so ihn leben sahen means 'those who saw him live'. Here so is an older, poetic relative pronoun standing for welche or die, 'who'. Sahen, 'saw', plus the bare infinitive leben forms an accusative and infinitive construction, 'saw him live', just as in English."}],"words":[{"surface":"Die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"subject of wußten","gloss":"those"},{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on sahen","gloss":"who","note":"Archaic relative particle equivalent to 'die' ('who'), not the usual 'so.'"},{"surface":"ihn","lemma":"ihn","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on sahen","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"leben","lemma":"leben","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on sahen","gloss":"living"},{"surface":"sahen","lemma":"sehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"verb of the relative clause modifying Die","gloss":"saw"},{"surface":"wußten","lemma":"wissen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"knew"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on wußten","gloss":"not"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s2-l2","source":"wie sehr er eines war mit allem diesen,","translation":"how wholly he was one with all of this,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"eines war mit","title":"To be one with","body":"Er war eines mit allem diesen means 'he was one with all of this'. Eines is the neuter number 'one' used as a predicate, naming a single, unified state, and mit governs the dative allem diesen."}],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on sehr","gloss":"how"},{"surface":"sehr","lemma":"sehr","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on war","gloss":"wholly"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of war","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"eines","lemma":"einer","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"predicate complement of war","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"war","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on war","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"allem","lemma":"alle","morphology":"pronoun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on diesen","gloss":"all"},{"surface":"diesen","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"pronoun, dative, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"this"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s2-l3","source":"denn dieses: diese Tiefen, diese Wiesen","translation":"for this: these depths, these meadows","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"denn","lemma":"denn","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on dieses","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"dieses","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on denn","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"diese","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Tiefen","gloss":"these"},{"surface":"Tiefen","lemma":"Tiefe","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"in apposition to dieses","gloss":"depths"},{"surface":"diese","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Wiesen","gloss":"these"},{"surface":"Wiesen","lemma":"Wiese","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"coordinate with Tiefen","gloss":"meadows"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s2-l4","source":"und diese Wasser waren sein Gesicht.","translation":"and these waters were his face.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Gesicht","title":"The plain word for face","body":"Das Gesicht is the ordinary word for 'face', plainer than the lofty Antlitz used earlier in the poem. Gesicht can also mean 'vision' in older German."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on waren","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"diese","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Wasser","gloss":"these"},{"surface":"Wasser","lemma":"Wasser","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"subject of waren","gloss":"waters"},{"surface":"waren","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"were"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gesicht","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Gesicht","lemma":"Gesicht","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"predicate complement of waren","gloss":"face"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s3-l1","source":"O sein Gesicht war diese ganze Weite,","translation":"O his face was this whole expanse,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Weite","title":"Vastness, an open expanse","body":"Die Weite is the noun formed from the adjective weit, 'wide, far': 'expanse, breadth, open distance'. Diese ganze Weite means 'this whole expanse'."}],"words":[{"surface":"O","lemma":"o","morphology":"interjection","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"o"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gesicht","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Gesicht","lemma":"Gesicht","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of war","gloss":"face"},{"surface":"war","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was"},{"surface":"diese","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Weite","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"ganze","lemma":"ganz","morphology":"adjective, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Weite","gloss":"whole"},{"surface":"Weite","lemma":"Weite","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"predicate complement of war","gloss":"expanse"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s3-l2","source":"die jetzt noch zu ihm will und um ihn wirbt;","translation":"which even now wants to reach him and woos him;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"um ihn wirbt","title":"Um jemanden werben, to court","body":"Um jemanden werben means 'to court someone, to woo, to seek to win them over'. Zu ihm will, 'wants to go to him', uses will as the full verb wollen, 'to want', not as an auxiliary, with zu ihm giving the destination."}],"words":[{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of will","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"jetzt","lemma":"jetzt","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on will","gloss":"now"},{"surface":"noch","lemma":"noch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on will","gloss":"even"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on will","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"ihm","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on zu","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"will","lemma":"wollen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"verb of the relative clause modifying Weite (s3-l1)","gloss":"wants"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on will","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wirbt","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"ihn","lemma":"ihn","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on um","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"wirbt","lemma":"werben","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und (coordinate verb with will)","gloss":"woos"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s3-l3","source":"und seine Maske, die nun bang verstirbt,","translation":"and his mask, which now fearfully dies away,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"verstirbt","title":"A formal verb for dying","body":"Versterben is a formal, elevated verb for dying, closer to 'to pass away, to expire' than the plain sterben. The prefix ver- adds a sense of fading or completing the act. Bang, 'anxious, fearful', is an adverb here, 'fearfully'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on ist (s3-l4)","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"seine","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Maske","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Maske","lemma":"Maske","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of ist (s3-l4)","gloss":"mask"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of verstirbt","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"nun","lemma":"nun","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verstirbt","gloss":"now"},{"surface":"bang","lemma":"bang","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verstirbt","gloss":"fearfully"},{"surface":"verstirbt","lemma":"versterben","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"verb of the relative clause modifying Maske","gloss":"dies away"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s3-l4","source":"ist zart und offen wie die Innenseite","translation":"is tender and open like the inner side","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"ist","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"zart","lemma":"zart","morphology":"adjective, predicate, uninflected","role":"predicate complement of ist","gloss":"tender"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on zart","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"offen","lemma":"offen","morphology":"adjective, predicate, uninflected","role":"depends on und","gloss":"open"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Innenseite","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Innenseite","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Innenseite","lemma":"Innenseite","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"inner side"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"der-tod-des-dichters-s3-l5","source":"von einer Frucht, die an der Luft verdirbt.","translation":"of a fruit that spoils in the open air.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-tod-des-dichters-s3-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"verdirbt","title":"A strong verb with vowel change","body":"Verdirbt is the third person singular of verderben, 'to spoil, go bad, perish'. It is a strong verb whose stem vowel shifts from e to i in the present singular: ich verderbe, but er verdirbt, the same pattern as geben and gibt."}],"words":[{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Innenseite (s3-l4)","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"einer","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Frucht","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Frucht","lemma":"Frucht","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"fruit"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of verdirbt","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verdirbt","gloss":"in","note":"Idiom 'an der Luft' = 'in the open air, exposed to the air.'"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Luft","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Luft","lemma":"Luft","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"air"},{"surface":"verdirbt","lemma":"verderben","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"verb of the relative clause modifying Frucht","gloss":"spoils"}]}]}