{"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-gazelle","title":{"source":"Die Gazelle","translated":"The Gazelle"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-gazelle","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-panther","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/das-einhorn","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-gazelle-s1-l1","source":"Verzauberte: wie kann der Einklang zweier","translation":"Enchanted one: how can the harmony of two","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Verzauberte","title":"A participle used as address","body":"Verzauberte is the past participle of verzaubern, 'to enchant, to cast a spell on', used here as a noun in direct address. Its -e ending marks a feminine singular addressee, matching die Gazelle. As a vocative, it stands outside the grammar of the sentence that follows."}],"words":[{"surface":"Verzauberte","lemma":"verzaubert","morphology":"noun (substantivized adjective), nominative, feminine, singular","role":"vocative, direct address","gloss":"Enchanted one","note":"Vocative address to the gazelle, not syntactically part of the sentence that follows."},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"adverb, interrogative","role":"depends on kann","gloss":"how"},{"surface":"kann","lemma":"können","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"can"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Einklang","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Einklang","lemma":"Einklang","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of kann","gloss":"harmony"},{"surface":"zweier","lemma":"zwei","morphology":"numeral, genitive, plural","role":"depends on Worte (next line)","gloss":"two"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"die-gazelle-s1-l2","source":"erwählter Worte je den Reim erreichen,","translation":"chosen words ever attain the rhyme","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"erwählter Worte","title":"Genitive phrase split across lines","body":"erwählter Worte is genitive plural, 'of chosen words', with erwählter the participle of erwählen, 'to select, choose out', agreeing with Worte, 'words'. The genitive begun with zweier on the line above completes here. The whole phrase serves as the subject of erreichen, 'attain'."}],"words":[{"surface":"erwählter","lemma":"erwählt","morphology":"adjective, genitive, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Worte","gloss":"chosen"},{"surface":"Worte","lemma":"Wort","morphology":"noun, genitive, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Einklang (previous line)","gloss":"words"},{"surface":"je","lemma":"je","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on erreichen","gloss":"ever"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Reim","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Reim","lemma":"Reim","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on erreichen","gloss":"rhyme"},{"surface":"erreichen","lemma":"erreichen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"infinitive complement of kann (previous line)","gloss":"attain"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"die-gazelle-s1-l3","source":"der in dir kommt und geht, wie auf ein Zeichen.","translation":"that comes and goes in you, as at a signal.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"auf ein Zeichen","title":"auf plus accusative for a cue","body":"auf ein Zeichen takes the accusative ein because it describes a response to a signal rather than a fixed place, giving 'at a sign, on cue'. The relative pronoun der reaches back to a noun named in the line before this one. kommt und geht describes something that arrives and leaves on that cue."}],"words":[{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, relative, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of kommt","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on kommt","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"dir","lemma":"dir","morphology":"pronoun, dative, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"kommt","lemma":"kommen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the relative clause","gloss":"comes"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on kommt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"geht","lemma":"gehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"coordinated with kommt","gloss":"goes"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"at"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Zeichen","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Zeichen","lemma":"Zeichen","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"signal"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"die-gazelle-s1-l4","source":"Aus deiner Stirne steigen Laub und Leier,","translation":"From your brow rise foliage and lyre,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Aus deiner Stirne","title":"Preposition aus takes dative","body":"aus means 'out of, from' and always governs the dative case, which gives deiner Stirne its ending, 'from your brow'. Laub means 'foliage, leaves' and die Leier means 'the lyre'. Both nouns are nominative because they are the subject of steigen, 'to rise'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on steigen","gloss":"From"},{"surface":"deiner","lemma":"dein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stirne","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"Stirne","lemma":"Stirne","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Aus","gloss":"brow"},{"surface":"steigen","lemma":"steigen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"rise"},{"surface":"Laub","lemma":"Laub","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of steigen","gloss":"foliage"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Laub","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"Leier","lemma":"Leier","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"lyre"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"die-gazelle-s2-l1","source":"und alles Deine geht schon im Vergleich","translation":"and all that is yours moves already in likeness","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"alles Deine","title":"A possessive turned into a noun","body":"alles Deine means 'everything that is yours, all of you'; the possessive dein is capitalized and inflected like a neuter noun after alles. geht is the main verb, with alles Deine as its subject. im Vergleich, 'in likeness', is dative after the preposition in."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"alles","lemma":"aller","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Deine","gloss":"all"},{"surface":"Deine","lemma":"Deine","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of geht","gloss":"yours"},{"surface":"geht","lemma":"gehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"moves"},{"surface":"schon","lemma":"schon","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"already"},{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"Vergleich","lemma":"Vergleich","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"likeness"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"die-gazelle-s2-l2","source":"durch Liebeslieder, deren Worte, weich","translation":"through love songs whose words, soft","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"deren","title":"Genitive relative pronoun meaning whose","body":"deren is the genitive plural of the relative pronoun der, meaning 'whose', agreeing with Liebeslieder, 'love songs'. Liebeslied itself is a compound of Liebe, 'love', and Lied, 'song'. The clause deren opens continues for several more lines before its verb, legen, appears."}],"words":[{"surface":"durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on geht (previous line)","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"Liebeslieder","lemma":"Liebeslied","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on durch","gloss":"love songs"},{"surface":"deren","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, relative possessive, genitive, plural","role":"depends on Worte","gloss":"whose"},{"surface":"Worte","lemma":"Wort","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"subject of legen (die-gazelle-s2-l4)","gloss":"words"},{"surface":"weich","lemma":"weich","morphology":"adjective, predicate","role":"depends on Worte","gloss":"soft"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"die-gazelle-s2-l3","source":"wie Rosenblätter, dem, der nicht mehr liest,","translation":"as rose petals, lay themselves on the eyes","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"dem, der nicht mehr liest","title":"A dative pronoun and its relative clause","body":"dem is a dative pronoun, 'to him, on him', serving as the indirect object of a verb that follows in the next line. der nicht mehr liest is a relative clause describing dem, meaning 'who no longer reads'. Rosenblätter is the plural of Rosenblatt, literally 'rose-leaf', meaning 'rose petal'."}],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Rosenblätter","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"Rosenblätter","lemma":"Rosenblatt","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on legen (die-gazelle-s2-l4), comparison","gloss":"rose petals"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on legen (die-gazelle-s2-l4)","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, relative, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of liest","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on liest","gloss":"no"},{"surface":"mehr","lemma":"mehr","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nicht","gloss":"longer"},{"surface":"liest","lemma":"lesen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of relative clause modifying dem","gloss":"reads"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"die-gazelle-s2-l4","source":"sich auf die Augen legen, die er schließt,","translation":"of the reader who reads no more, eyes he closes,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sich auf die Augen legen","title":"Reflexive verb with auf","body":"legen sich combines the verb legen, 'to lay', with the reflexive pronoun sich, so sich legen means 'to lay itself down, to settle'. auf die Augen takes the accusative because it marks motion onto a surface, the eyes. die er schließt means 'which he closes'."}],"words":[{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on legen","gloss":"themselves"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on legen","gloss":"onto"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Augen","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Augen","lemma":"Auge","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"eyes"},{"surface":"legen","lemma":"legen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence (subject: Worte, die-gazelle-s2-l2)","gloss":"lay"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, relative, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on schließt","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on schließt","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"schließt","lemma":"schließen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of relative clause modifying Augen","gloss":"closes"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"die-gazelle-s3-l1","source":"um dich zu sehen: hingetragen, als","translation":"in order to see you: borne along, as","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"um dich zu sehen","title":"um zu plus infinitive","body":"um … zu plus an infinitive expresses purpose, 'in order to'. Festhalten, 'to hold fast', is separable, so the zu of the infinitive is inserted between the prefix and the stem, giving festzuhalten. Etwas is the pronoun 'anything' that festhalten takes as its object."}],"words":[{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on sehen","gloss":"in order"},{"surface":"dich","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular","role":"depends on sehen","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on sehen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"sehen","lemma":"sehen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the um-zu clause","gloss":"see"},{"surface":"hingetragen","lemma":"hintragen","morphology":"participle, past","role":"modifies the addressee (Gazelle)","gloss":"borne along","note":"Past participle of hintragen ('to carry along'), describing the gazelle's motion — not a noun."},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on wäre (next line)","gloss":"as if"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"die-gazelle-s3-l2","source":"wäre mit Sprüngen jeder Lauf geladen","translation":"if every running were loaded with leaps","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als wäre … geladen","title":"Subjunctive marks a hypothetical comparison","body":"als followed by verb second word order signals a hypothetical comparison and calls for the subjunctive; wäre … geladen means 'were loaded'. Der Sprung, plural Sprünge, means 'leap, bound', and der Lauf means 'a run, a course of running'. Mit Sprüngen geladen means 'loaded with leaps'."}],"words":[{"surface":"wäre","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the als-clause (previous line); auxiliary of geladen","gloss":"were"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on geladen","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"Sprüngen","lemma":"Sprung","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"leaps"},{"surface":"jeder","lemma":"jeder","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Lauf","gloss":"every"},{"surface":"Lauf","lemma":"Lauf","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of wäre","gloss":"running"},{"surface":"geladen","lemma":"laden","morphology":"verb, past participle","role":"main predicate, depends on wäre","gloss":"loaded"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"die-gazelle-s3-l3","source":"und schösse nur nicht ab, solang der Hals","translation":"and yet did not fire off, so long as the neck","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"schösse … ab","title":"A separable verb in the subjunctive","body":"abschießen, 'to fire off, discharge', is a separable verb. Its subjunctive stem schösse stays in place while the prefix ab is parked at the end of the clause, so schösse nur nicht ab means 'only did not go off'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates with wäre (previous line)","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"schösse","lemma":"abschießen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"coordinated main verb with wäre","gloss":"would fire"},{"surface":"nur","lemma":"nur","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nicht","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on schösse","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"ab","lemma":"ab","morphology":"particle, separable verb prefix","role":"separable prefix of schösse","gloss":"off"},{"surface":"solang","lemma":"solang","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on hält (die-gazelle-s4-l1)","gloss":"so long as"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Hals","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Hals","lemma":"Hals","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of hält (die-gazelle-s4-l1)","gloss":"neck"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"die-gazelle-s4-l1","source":"das Haupt ins Horchen hält: wie wenn beim Baden","translation":"holds its head into listening: as when, bathing","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"ins Horchen","title":"Infinitive turned into noun","body":"horchen means 'to listen intently, to hearken', turned here into the neuter noun das Horchen, 'the listening'. ins Horchen uses in with the accusative to mean 'into', so das Haupt hält sich ins Horchen means 'holds its head into a state of listening'. das Haupt is an elevated word for 'head', used instead of the everyday Kopf."}],"words":[{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Haupt","gloss":"its"},{"surface":"Haupt","lemma":"Haupt","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on hält","gloss":"head"},{"surface":"ins","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hält","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"Horchen","lemma":"Horchen","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on ins","gloss":"listening"},{"surface":"hält","lemma":"halten","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the solang-clause (subject: Hals, die-gazelle-s3-l3)","gloss":"holds"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on wenn","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"wenn","lemma":"wenn","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on unterbricht (next line)","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"beim","lemma":"bei","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on unterbricht (next line)","gloss":"while"},{"surface":"Baden","lemma":"Baden","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on beim","gloss":"bathing"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"die-gazelle-s4-l2","source":"im Wald die Badende sich unterbricht,","translation":"in the forest, the bathing girl breaks off,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Badende","title":"A participle turned into a noun","body":"die Badende is the present participle of baden, 'to bathe', used as a feminine noun meaning 'the bathing woman'. It is the subject of unterbricht. sich unterbrechen is a reflexive verb meaning 'to interrupt oneself, to break off'."}],"words":[{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on unterbricht","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"Wald","lemma":"Wald","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"forest"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Badende","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Badende","lemma":"badend","morphology":"noun (substantivized adjective), nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of unterbricht","gloss":"bathing girl"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on unterbricht","gloss":"herself"},{"surface":"unterbricht","lemma":"unterbrechen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"breaks off"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"die-gazelle-s4-l3","source":"den Waldsee im gewendeten Gesicht.","translation":"the forest lake in her turned face.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gazelle-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"im gewendeten Gesicht","title":"Past participle used as an adjective","body":"gewendet is the past participle of wenden, 'to turn', used here as an adjective and inflected after im, dative. Im gewendeten Gesicht means 'in the turned face'. Der Waldsee, a compound of Wald, 'forest', and See, 'lake', is the noun reflected in that face."}],"words":[{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Waldsee","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Waldsee","lemma":"Waldsee","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"object of unterbricht (previous line)","gloss":"forest lake"},{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Waldsee","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"gewendeten","lemma":"gewendet","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gesicht","gloss":"turned"},{"surface":"Gesicht","lemma":"Gesicht","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"face"}]}]}