{"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":"die-berufung","title":{"source":"Die Berufung","translated":"The Calling"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-berufung","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-apfelgarten","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-berg","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":"die-berufung-s1-l1","source":"Da aber als in sein Versteck der Hohe,","translation":"But then, as into his hiding place the Exalted One,","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Da aber als","title":"A temporal clause introduced by als","body":"als, 'as, when', introduces a subordinate clause describing an action happening at the same time as the main clause. Da aber als in sein Versteck der Hohe ... trat means 'but then, as into his hiding place the Exalted One ... stepped'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"der Hohe","title":"Naming the angel before Engel","body":"Hohe is the adjective hoch, 'high, exalted', used as a noun with the article der, 'the exalted one'. It names the angel before Engel is given explicitly two lines later."}],"words":[{"surface":"Da","lemma":"da","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on trat (die-berufung-s1-l2-w5)","gloss":"then"},{"surface":"aber","lemma":"aber","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Da","gloss":"but"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on trat (die-berufung-s1-l2-w5)","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on trat (die-berufung-s1-l2-w5)","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Versteck","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Versteck","lemma":"Versteck","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"hiding place"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Hohe","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Hohe","lemma":"hoch","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of trat (die-berufung-s1-l2-w5)","gloss":"Exalted One"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"die-berufung-s1-l2","source":"sofort Erkennbare: der Engel, trat","translation":"at once recognizable: the angel, stepped","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Erkennbare","title":"Adjective turned into a noun","body":"Erkennbare is the adjective erkennbar, 'recognizable', used as a noun, 'the recognizable one'. sofort Erkennbare means 'at once recognizable', naming the angel just before der Engel identifies him directly."}],"words":[{"surface":"sofort","lemma":"sofort","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Erkennbare","gloss":"at once"},{"surface":"Erkennbare","lemma":"erkennbar","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"in apposition to der Hohe, subject of trat","gloss":"recognizable one"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Engel","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Engel","lemma":"Engel","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"in apposition to der Hohe, subject of trat","gloss":"angel"},{"surface":"trat","lemma":"treten","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"stepped"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"die-berufung-s1-l3","source":"aufrecht, der lautere und lichterlohe,","translation":"upright, the pure one and the blazing one,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"lichterlohe","title":"The blazing one, as noun","body":"lichterlohe is the adjective lichterloh, 'ablaze, all aflame', used as a noun paired with der lautere, 'the pure one'. Both nouns describe the angel: 'the pure one and the blazing one'."}],"words":[{"surface":"aufrecht","lemma":"aufrecht","morphology":"adjective","role":"depends on trat","gloss":"upright"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on lautere","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"lautere","lemma":"lauter","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"in apposition to Engel","gloss":"pure one"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on lautere","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"lichterlohe","lemma":"lichterloh","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"coordinated with lautere, depends on und","gloss":"blazing one"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"die-berufung-s1-l4","source":"da tat er allen Anspruch ab und bat,","translation":"then he laid aside all claim and begged,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"tat … ab","title":"Separable verb, tat ... ab","body":"abtun means 'to lay aside, to dismiss'. As a separable verb it splits in the main clause: tat er allen Anspruch ab puts ab at the end, 'he laid aside all claim'."}],"words":[{"surface":"da","lemma":"da","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on tat","gloss":"then"},{"surface":"tat","lemma":"tun","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"laid"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of tat","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"allen","lemma":"aller","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Anspruch","gloss":"all"},{"surface":"Anspruch","lemma":"Anspruch","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on tat","gloss":"claim"},{"surface":"ab","lemma":"ab","morphology":"particle","role":"separable prefix of tat (abtun, to lay aside)","gloss":"aside"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on tat","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"bat","lemma":"bitten","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"begged"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"die-berufung-s2-l1","source":"bleiben zu dürfen, der von seinen Reisen","translation":"to be allowed to stay, he who from his travels","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"bleiben zu dürfen","title":"Modal verb, being allowed to","body":"bleiben zu dürfen combines the infinitive bleiben, 'to stay', with dürfen, 'to be allowed to'. It follows bat, 'begged', naming what the merchant asked permission for."}],"words":[{"surface":"bleiben","lemma":"bleiben","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on dürfen","gloss":"to stay"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on dürfen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"dürfen","lemma":"dürfen","morphology":"auxiliary verb, infinitive","role":"object infinitive of bat (die-berufung-s1-l4-w8)","gloss":"be allowed"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Kaufmann (die-berufung-s2-l2-w3)","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verwirrte (die-berufung-s2-l2-w2)","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"seinen","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Reisen","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Reisen","lemma":"Reise","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on von","gloss":"travels"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"die-berufung-s2-l2","source":"innen verwirrte Kaufmann, der er war;","translation":"was inwardly bewildered, the merchant that he was;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"innen verwirrte Kaufmann","title":"An adjective before its noun","body":"innen verwirrte Kaufmann means 'the merchant, inwardly bewildered'. verwirrte, 'bewildered', modifies Kaufmann directly, and der er war, 'that he was', restates what he in fact was, a merchant."}],"words":[{"surface":"innen","lemma":"innen","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verwirrte","gloss":"inwardly"},{"surface":"verwirrte","lemma":"verwirrt","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Kaufmann","gloss":"bewildered"},{"surface":"Kaufmann","lemma":"Kaufmann","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"merchant"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"predicate complement of war, referring to Kaufmann","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of war","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"war","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the relative clause 'der er war'","gloss":"was"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"die-berufung-s2-l3","source":"er hatte nie gelesen und nun gar","translation":"he had never read, and now of all things","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"und nun gar","title":"An intensifying particle","body":"gar here intensifies nun, 'now', adding emphasis close to 'of all things' or 'now especially'. und nun gar means 'and now, of all things', stressing how unlikely the situation is."}],"words":[{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on hatte","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"hatte","lemma":"haben","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"had"},{"surface":"nie","lemma":"nie","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on gelesen","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"gelesen","lemma":"lesen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on hatte","gloss":"read"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on gelesen","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"nun","lemma":"nun","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on gelesen","gloss":"now"},{"surface":"gar","lemma":"gar","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on gelesen","gloss":"of all things"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"die-berufung-s2-l4","source":"ein solches Wort, zu viel für einen Weisen.","translation":"such a word — too much even for a wise man.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"für einen Weisen","title":"Preposition governing the accusative","body":"für, 'for', always takes the accusative case. einen Weisen, 'a wise man', is accusative singular after für: zu viel für einen Weisen means 'too much even for a wise man'."}],"words":[{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Wort","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"solches","lemma":"solcher","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Wort","gloss":"such"},{"surface":"Wort","lemma":"Wort","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"object of gelesen (die-berufung-s2-l3-w4)","gloss":"word"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on viel","gloss":"too"},{"surface":"viel","lemma":"viel","morphology":"pronoun","role":"in apposition to Wort","gloss":"much"},{"surface":"für","lemma":"für","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on viel","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"einen","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Weisen","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Weisen","lemma":"weise","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on für","gloss":"wise man"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"die-berufung-s3-l1","source":"Der Engel aber, herrisch, wies und wies","translation":"The angel, though, imperious, pointed and pointed","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"wies und wies","title":"Repeated verb for emphasis","body":"wies is the simple past, third-person singular, of weisen, 'to point, to indicate'. Repeating it, wies und wies, shows the action continuing insistently: 'pointed and pointed'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Engel","gloss":"The"},{"surface":"Engel","lemma":"Engel","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of wies","gloss":"angel"},{"surface":"aber","lemma":"aber","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Engel","gloss":"though"},{"surface":"herrisch","lemma":"herrisch","morphology":"adjective","role":"depends on Engel","gloss":"imperious"},{"surface":"wies","lemma":"weisen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"pointed"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on wies","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"wies","lemma":"weisen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"pointed"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"die-berufung-s3-l2","source":"ihm, was geschrieben stand auf seinem Blatte,","translation":"to him at what stood written on his page,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"was geschrieben stand","title":"An idiom, stood written","body":"geschrieben stand combines the past participle geschrieben, 'written', with stand, the simple past of stehen, 'to stand'. Together the idiom means 'stood written, was written', naming what was on the page."}],"words":[{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on wies (die-berufung-s3-l1-w5/w7)","gloss":"to him"},{"surface":"was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of stand","gloss":"at what"},{"surface":"geschrieben","lemma":"schreiben","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on stand","gloss":"written"},{"surface":"stand","lemma":"stehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the clause introduced by was","gloss":"stood"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on stand","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"seinem","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Blatte","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Blatte","lemma":"Blatt","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"page"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"die-berufung-s3-l3","source":"und gab nicht nach und wollte wieder: lies.","translation":"and did not relent and wanted again: read.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"gab nicht nach","title":"Separable verb, gab ... nach","body":"nachgeben means 'to give way, to relent'. As a separable verb it splits: gab ... nach, 'did not relent' when negated by nicht, with the prefix nach landing after the negation."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on gab","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"gab","lemma":"geben","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence (part of nachgeben, to relent)","gloss":"gave"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on gab","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"nach","lemma":"nach","morphology":"particle","role":"separable prefix of gab (nachgeben, to relent)","gloss":"way"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on gab","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"wollte","lemma":"wollen","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"wanted"},{"surface":"wieder","lemma":"wieder","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wollte","gloss":"again"},{"surface":"lies","lemma":"lesen","morphology":"verb, imperative, second-person, singular","role":"quoted imperative, object of wollte","gloss":"read"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"die-berufung-s4-l1","source":"Da las er: so, daß sich der Engel bog,","translation":"Then he read — so, that the angel bent down,","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"so, daß sich der Engel bog","title":"Marking a result clause","body":"so, daß introduces a result clause: 'so, that ...'. It reports the outcome of the reading before it, sich der Engel bog, 'the angel bent down', as a consequence of what he read."}],"words":[{"surface":"Da","lemma":"da","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on las","gloss":"Then"},{"surface":"las","lemma":"lesen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"read"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of las","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on las","gloss":"so"},{"surface":"daß","lemma":"dass","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on bog","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on bog","gloss":"himself"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Engel","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Engel","lemma":"Engel","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of bog","gloss":"angel"},{"surface":"bog","lemma":"biegen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the daß-clause","gloss":"bent down"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"die-berufung-s4-l2","source":"und war schon einer, der gelesen hatte","translation":"and he was already one who had read","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"einer, der gelesen hatte","title":"Relative pronoun after one","body":"einer, 'one', is followed by der, a relative pronoun agreeing with it in gender and number, introducing the clause der gelesen hatte, 'who had read'. hatte is the auxiliary of the pluperfect."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on war","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"war","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence (subject: er)","gloss":"was"},{"surface":"schon","lemma":"schon","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on war","gloss":"already"},{"surface":"einer","lemma":"einer","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"predicate complement of war","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of hatte","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"gelesen","lemma":"lesen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on hatte","gloss":"read"},{"surface":"hatte","lemma":"haben","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the relative clause (subject: der)","gloss":"had"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"die-berufung-s4-l3","source":"und konnte und gehorchte und vollzog.","translation":"and could and obeyed and carried it out.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-berufung-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"vollzog","title":"Simple past, carried out","body":"vollzog is the simple past, third-person singular, of vollziehen, 'to carry out, to perform, to execute'. und konnte und gehorchte und vollzog lists three verbs in a row: 'could', 'obeyed', 'carried it out'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on konnte","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"konnte","lemma":"können","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"coordinated with war, main verb of the sentence","gloss":"could"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on konnte","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"gehorchte","lemma":"gehorchen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"obeyed"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on gehorchte","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"vollzog","lemma":"vollziehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"carried it out"}]}]}