{"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-gruppe","title":{"source":"Die Gruppe","translated":"The Group"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-gruppe","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-brandstaette","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/schlangenbeschwoerung","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-gruppe-s1-l1","source":"Als pflückte einer rasch zu einem Strauß:","translation":"As if someone were quickly gathering a bouquet:","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Als pflückte einer","title":"als with subjunctive, no ob","body":"als here means 'as though', and with the verb moved to the front it drops the ob of als ob. pflückte is subjunctive II of pflücken, 'to pick, to pluck', marking the comparison as imagined. einer is the indefinite pronoun 'someone, one'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on ordnet","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"pflückte","lemma":"pflücken","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"depends on Als","gloss":"gathering"},{"surface":"einer","lemma":"einer","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on pflückte","gloss":"someone"},{"surface":"rasch","lemma":"rasch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on pflückte","gloss":"quickly"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on pflückte","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"einem","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Strauß","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Strauß","lemma":"Strauß","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on zu","gloss":"bouquet"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"die-gruppe-s1-l2","source":"ordnet der Zufall hastig die Gesichter,","translation":"chance hastily orders the faces,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"der Zufall","title":"Chance, personified","body":"der Zufall means 'chance, accident, coincidence', literally 'that which falls to one'. It is the grammatical subject of the sentence that follows across the stanza: Chance arranges the faces. ordnen means 'to arrange, to put in order'."}],"words":[{"surface":"ordnet","lemma":"ordnen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"orders"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Zufall","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Zufall","lemma":"Zufall","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on ordnet","gloss":"chance"},{"surface":"hastig","lemma":"hastig","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on ordnet","gloss":"hastily"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Gesichter","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Gesichter","lemma":"Gesicht","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on ordnet","gloss":"faces"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"die-gruppe-s1-l3","source":"lockert sie auf und drückt sie wieder dichter,","translation":"loosens them apart and presses them tighter again,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"lockert … auf","title":"Separable verb auflockern","body":"auflockern, 'to loosen up, make less dense', is separable: the stem lockert takes its place in the clause while the prefix auf is placed after the object sie. dichter is the comparative of dicht, 'dense, packed close'."}],"words":[{"surface":"lockert","lemma":"auflockern","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"loosens"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural","role":"depends on lockert","gloss":"them"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on lockert","gloss":"apart"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on lockert","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"drückt","lemma":"drücken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"presses"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural","role":"depends on drückt","gloss":"them"},{"surface":"wieder","lemma":"wieder","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on drückt","gloss":"again"},{"surface":"dichter","lemma":"dicht","morphology":"adverb, comparative","role":"depends on drückt","gloss":"tighter"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"die-gruppe-s1-l4","source":"ergreift zwei ferne, läßt ein nahes aus,","translation":"seizes two far ones, leaves out a near one,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"läßt … aus","title":"Separable verb auslassen","body":"auslassen means 'to leave out, to omit'; being separable, läßt stands here and aus falls to the end of the clause. läßt is the pre-1996 spelling of lässt. zwei ferne and ein nahes are nominalized adjectives, 'two distant ones', 'a near one'."}],"words":[{"surface":"ergreift","lemma":"ergreifen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"seizes"},{"surface":"zwei","lemma":"zwei","morphology":"numeral","role":"depends on ferne","gloss":"two"},{"surface":"ferne","lemma":"fern","morphology":"noun, accusative, plural","role":"depends on ergreift","gloss":"far ones"},{"surface":"läßt","lemma":"auslassen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on ergreift","gloss":"leaves out"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on nahes","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"nahes","lemma":"nah","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on läßt","gloss":"near one"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on läßt","gloss":"out"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"die-gruppe-s2-l1","source":"tauscht das mit dem, bläst irgendeines frisch,","translation":"swaps this one with that, blows one of them fresh,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"irgendeines","title":"Some one or other","body":"irgendein- means 'some ... or other, any random one'. The -es ending is neuter, agreeing with the understood Gesicht, 'face'. bläst ... frisch, from blasen, 'to blow', means it 'blows fresh' on that face."}],"words":[{"surface":"tauscht","lemma":"tauschen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"swaps"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on tauscht","gloss":"this one"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on tauscht","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"that one"},{"surface":"bläst","lemma":"blasen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on tauscht","gloss":"blows"},{"surface":"irgendeines","lemma":"irgendeiner","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on bläst","gloss":"one of them"},{"surface":"frisch","lemma":"frisch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on bläst","gloss":"fresh"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"die-gruppe-s2-l2","source":"wirft einen Hund, wie Kraut, aus dem Gemisch","translation":"throws out a dog, like a weed, from the mixture","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"wie Kraut","title":"Greenery, weeds","body":"das Kraut means 'herb, leafy plant, greenery', and in a bunch of flowers the unwanted filler-green. wie Kraut compares the discarded dog to a weed tossed from das Gemisch, 'the mixture, jumble'. aus ... werfen means 'to throw out of'."}],"words":[{"surface":"wirft","lemma":"werfen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"throws out"},{"surface":"einen","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Hund","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Hund","lemma":"Hund","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on wirft","gloss":"dog"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Hund","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"Kraut","lemma":"Kraut","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"weed"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wirft","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gemisch","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Gemisch","lemma":"Gemisch","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"mixture"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"die-gruppe-s2-l3","source":"und zieht, was niedrig schaut, wie durch verworrne","translation":"and draws what looks up from below, as through tangled","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"was niedrig schaut","title":"Free relative was","body":"was here is a free relative pronoun, 'that which, whatever': was niedrig schaut means 'whatever is looking up from down low'. niedrig, 'low', is adverbial. verworrne is the clipped poetic form of verworrene, 'tangled'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on wirft","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"zieht","lemma":"ziehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"draws"},{"surface":"was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on schaut","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"niedrig","lemma":"niedrig","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on schaut","gloss":"low"},{"surface":"schaut","lemma":"schauen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on zieht","gloss":"looks"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on zieht","gloss":"as though"},{"surface":"durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"verworrne","lemma":"verworren","morphology":"adjective, accusative, plural","role":"depends on durch","gloss":"tangled"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"die-gruppe-s2-l4","source":"Stiele und Blätter, an dem Kopf nach vorne","translation":"stalks and leaves, forward by the head","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Stiele und Blätter","title":"Stems and leaves","body":"der Stiel, plural Stiele, means 'stalk, stem'; das Blatt, plural Blätter, means 'leaf'. Stiele und Blätter, both accusative plural, are the object of zieht, 'draws', from the previous line. nach vorne means 'to the front, forward'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Stiele","lemma":"Stiel","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on durch","gloss":"stalks"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Stiele","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"Blätter","lemma":"Blatt","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on und","gloss":"leaves"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on zieht","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Kopf","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Kopf","lemma":"Kopf","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"head"},{"surface":"nach","lemma":"nach","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on zieht","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"vorne","lemma":"vorne","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nach","gloss":"the front"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"die-gruppe-s3-l1","source":"und bindet es ganz klein am Rande ein;","translation":"and binds it in quite small at the edge;","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"bindet … ein","title":"Separable verb einbinden","body":"einbinden means 'to bind in, to tie into place'; being separable, bindet stands in the clause and ein closes it. es refers back to the figure drawn forward in the previous lines. am Rande, dative of der Rand, means 'at the edge'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"bindet","lemma":"einbinden","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"binds"},{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on bindet","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"ganz","lemma":"ganz","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on klein","gloss":"quite"},{"surface":"klein","lemma":"klein","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on bindet","gloss":"small"},{"surface":"am","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on bindet","gloss":"at"},{"surface":"Rande","lemma":"Rand","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on am","gloss":"edge"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on bindet","gloss":"in"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"die-gruppe-s3-l2","source":"und streckt sich wieder, ändert und verstellt","translation":"and stretches up again, alters and shifts about,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"streckt sich","title":"Reflexive sich strecken","body":"sich strecken means 'to stretch oneself, to draw oneself up'. The reflexive sich turns the action back on the subject, der Zufall, 'chance'. verstellen means 'to shift, displace, rearrange' (also 'to disguise')."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"streckt","lemma":"strecken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"stretches"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on streckt","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"wieder","lemma":"wieder","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on streckt","gloss":"again"},{"surface":"ändert","lemma":"ändern","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on streckt","gloss":"alters"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on ändert","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"verstellt","lemma":"verstellen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"shifts about"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"die-gruppe-s3-l3","source":"und hat nur eben Zeit, zum Augenschein","translation":"and has only just time, for the show,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"zum Augenschein","title":"der Augenschein","body":"der Augenschein, literally 'eye-appearance', means 'visible appearance, the look of a thing'. zum Augenschein means 'for the show, for the visible moment'. nur eben means 'only just, barely'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on hat","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"hat","lemma":"haben","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"has"},{"surface":"nur","lemma":"nur","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Zeit","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"eben","lemma":"eben","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nur","gloss":"just"},{"surface":"Zeit","lemma":"Zeit","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on hat","gloss":"time"},{"surface":"zum","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Zeit","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"Augenschein","lemma":"Augenschein","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on zum","gloss":"show"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"die-gruppe-s4-l1","source":"zurückzuspringen mitten auf die Matte,","translation":"to spring back into the middle of the mat,","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"zurückzuspringen","title":"zu inside a separable verb","body":"The verb is the separable zurückspringen, 'to jump back'. In a zu-infinitive, zu is inserted between prefix and stem and the whole is written as one word: zurückzuspringen. It completes hat ... Zeit, ... zurückzuspringen, 'has time to spring back'."}],"words":[{"surface":"zurückzuspringen","lemma":"zurückspringen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on hat","gloss":"to spring back"},{"surface":"mitten","lemma":"mitten","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"in the middle"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on zurückzuspringen","gloss":"onto"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Matte","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Matte","lemma":"Matte","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"mat"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"die-gruppe-s4-l2","source":"auf der im nächsten Augenblick der glatte","translation":"on which in the next moment the smooth","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"auf der","title":"Relative pronoun with delayed verb","body":"auf der means 'on which', a relative pronoun in the dative feminine, agreeing with die Matte, 'the mat'. German word order holds the finite verb until the end of the clause, so the subject and its verb arrive only two lines later."}],"words":[{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on schwellt","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on schwellt","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"nächsten","lemma":"nächster","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Augenblick","gloss":"next"},{"surface":"Augenblick","lemma":"Augenblick","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"moment"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on glatte","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"glatte","lemma":"glatt","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gewichteschwinger","gloss":"smooth"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"die-gruppe-s4-l3","source":"Gewichteschwinger seine Schwere schwellt.","translation":"weight-swinger swells out his heaviness.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-gruppe-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Gewichteschwinger","title":"A compound for the strongman","body":"Gewichteschwinger joins Gewichte, 'weights', with Schwinger, one who schwingt, 'swings, heaves'. schwellt, from schwellen, 'to swell, bulge', takes seine Schwere, 'his heaviness', as its object."}],"words":[{"surface":"Gewichteschwinger","lemma":"Gewichteschwinger","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on schwellt","gloss":"weight-swinger"},{"surface":"seine","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Schwere","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Schwere","lemma":"schwer","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on schwellt","gloss":"heaviness"},{"surface":"schwellt","lemma":"schwellen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"swells"}]}]}