# Die Erblindende · The Woman Going Blind

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-erblindende. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-erblindende.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/<line id>.m4a.

**1** Sie saß so wie die anderen beim Tee.  
She sat just as the others did at tea.
> A noun coined from going blind: Erblindende is the present participle of erblinden, 'to go blind', turned into a feminine noun with a capital letter: 'the woman going blind'. It names the poem's subject before she is otherwise introduced, in the line that follows.

**2** Mir war zuerst, als ob sie ihre Tasse  
At first it seemed to me as if she held
> An impersonal way of seeming: mir war, literally 'it was to me', is an impersonal construction meaning 'it seemed to me'. mir is dative, the one to whom something seems true. als ob introduces the impression itself, though its verb does not arrive until the next line.

**3** ein wenig anders als die andern fasse.  
her cup a little differently than the rest.
> Completing an als ob clause: fasse is the Subjunctive I form of fassen, 'to hold, grasp', completing the als ob clause begun in the line above: als ob sie... fasse means 'as though she held'. Subjunctive I is common in reported or imagined perception like this.

**4** Sie lächelte einmal. Es tat fast weh.  
She smiled just once. It almost gave one pain.
> tat weh, hurting: weh tun means 'to hurt, cause pain'; tat is the past tense of tun, 'to do', here forming the idiom with weh. es tat fast weh means 'it hurt, nearly', with es as an impersonal subject.


**5** Und als man schließlich sich erhob und sprach  
And when at last the company rose and talked
> An impersonal one or they: man is an impersonal pronoun meaning 'one, people, they' in a general sense, always taking a third-person singular verb. Here it stands for the whole company at tea: als man... sich erhob means 'when the company rose'.

**6** und langsam und wie es der Zufall brachte  
and slowly, and as chance happened to bring it,
> However chance happened to bring it: der Zufall means 'chance, coincidence'. wie es der Zufall brachte is an idiom meaning 'as chance happened to bring it, however things fell out', describing how people drifted together without plan.

**7** durch viele Zimmer ging (man sprach und lachte),  
went on through many rooms (they talked and laughed),

**8** da sah ich sie. Sie ging den andern nach,  
then I saw her. She followed after the rest,
> jemandem nachgehen: jemandem nachgehen means 'to follow after someone, go after someone'. nach is the separable prefix, placed at the end of the clause; den andern, 'the others', is dative, the person being followed.


**9** verhalten, so wie eine, welche gleich  
held back, like one who in a moment now
> Held in check, restrained: verhalten is the past participle of sich verhalten used adjectivally, meaning 'restrained, held back, reserved'. It describes how she moved, still and controlled, like someone about to have to perform.

**10** wird singen müssen und vor vielen Leuten;  
will have to sing, and that before a crowd;
> wird... müssen, a double modal future: wird... müssen combines werden, forming the future tense, with müssen, 'must, have to': wird singen müssen means 'will have to sing'. The two infinitives, müssen and singen, stack at the end of the clause.

**11** auf ihren hellen Augen, die sich freuten,  
upon her bright eyes, which were filled with joy,
> sich freuen, a reflexive verb: sich freuen means 'to be glad, rejoice, take pleasure'; it always takes the reflexive pronoun sich as part of its basic meaning. die sich freuten, 'which rejoiced', is a relative clause describing ihren hellen Augen, 'her bright eyes'.

**12** war Licht von außen wie auf einem Teich.  
there lay a light from outside, as on a pond.
> Light coming from outside: von außen means 'from outside'. Licht von außen means 'light from outside', describing a light that falls on the eyes rather than one that shines from within them, as the comparison to a pond, wie auf einem Teich, makes clear.


**13** Sie folgte langsam, und sie brauchte lang,  
She followed slowly, and she needed long,
> Taking a long time: brauchen here means 'to need, take (time)'; lang used adverbially means 'a long time'. sie brauchte lang means 'she took a long time', describing how slowly she moved rather than what she needed.

**14** als wäre etwas noch nicht überstiegen;  
as though some thing were not yet climbed across;
> als wäre... überstiegen: überstiegen is the past participle of übersteigen, 'to climb over, surmount'. als wäre etwas... überstiegen means 'as though something had not yet been surmounted', using Subjunctive II for an unreal state, with noch nicht, 'not yet', negating it.

**15** und doch: als ob, nach einem Übergang,  
and yet: as if, once some crossing were made,
> A noun for crossing over: der Übergang means 'crossing, transition, passage'. nach einem Übergang means 'after a crossing', with nach taking the dative. The clause it belongs to, als ob, does not reach its verb, würde, until two lines later.

**16** sie nicht mehr gehen würde, sondern fliegen.  
she would no longer walk, but fly.
> nicht mehr..., sondern, correcting a claim: sondern means 'but rather, but instead', used only after a negation to correct what was just denied. nicht mehr gehen... sondern fliegen means 'no longer walk... but instead fly', replacing one verb with another.

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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.