{"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-kurtisane","title":{"source":"Die Kurtisane","translated":"The Courtesan"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-kurtisane","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-letzte-graf-von-brederode-entzieht-sich-tuerkisc","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-treppe-der-orangerie","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-kurtisane-s1-l1","source":"Venedigs Sonne wird in meinem Haar","translation":"Venice's sun will work within my hair","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Venedigs Sonne","title":"Genitive of a place name","body":"Venedigs is the genitive of Venedig, 'Venice', formed with a plain -s and no apostrophe, the same pattern as Berlins or Roms. Venedigs Sonne means 'Venice's sun', the subject of the sentence."}],"words":[{"surface":"Venedigs","lemma":"Venedig","morphology":"proper noun, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Sonne","gloss":"Venice's"},{"surface":"Sonne","lemma":"Sonne","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on wird","gloss":"sun"},{"surface":"wird","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"will"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wird","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"meinem","lemma":"mein","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Haar","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"Haar","lemma":"Haar","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"hair"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"die-kurtisane-s1-l2","source":"ein Gold bereiten: aller Alchemie","translation":"a gold prepare: of all of alchemy","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wird … bereiten","title":"Future with werden","body":"wird … bereiten is the future tense: werden as auxiliary plus the infinitive bereiten, 'to prepare'. The infinitive is pushed to the end of its clause, landing on line 2, one line after wird."}],"words":[{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gold","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Gold","lemma":"Gold","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on bereiten","gloss":"gold"},{"surface":"bereiten","lemma":"bereiten","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on wird","gloss":"prepare"},{"surface":"aller","lemma":"aller","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Alchemie","gloss":"of all"},{"surface":"Alchemie","lemma":"Alchemie","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Ausgang","gloss":"alchemy"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"die-kurtisane-s1-l3","source":"erlauchten Ausgang. Meine Brauen, die","translation":"its noblest outcome. And my brows, which","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"erlauchten Ausgang","title":"erlaucht, illustrious","body":"erlaucht means 'illustrious, noble, exalted', an old aristocratic adjective once used for princes. der Ausgang means 'outcome' or 'end result'. erlauchten Ausgang, with the accusative ending after aller Alchemie, means 'the illustrious outcome'."}],"words":[{"surface":"erlauchten","lemma":"erlaucht","morphology":"adjective, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Ausgang","gloss":"noblest"},{"surface":"Ausgang","lemma":"Ausgang","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gold","gloss":"outcome"},{"surface":"Meine","lemma":"mein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Brauen","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"Brauen","lemma":"Braue","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on siehst","gloss":"brows"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on gleichen","gloss":"which"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"die-kurtisane-s1-l4","source":"den Brücken gleichen, siehst du sie","translation":"resemble bridges — do you see them","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"den Brücken gleichen","title":"gleichen takes the dative","body":"gleichen, 'to resemble', governs the dative, so its object den Brücken carries the dative plural ending -n. die is the relative pronoun 'which', and it sends the verb gleichen to the end of its clause."}],"words":[{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Brücken","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Brücken","lemma":"Brücke","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on gleichen","gloss":"bridges"},{"surface":"gleichen","lemma":"gleichen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"depends on Brauen","gloss":"resemble"},{"surface":"siehst","lemma":"sehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"see"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on siehst","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on siehst","gloss":"them"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"die-kurtisane-s2-l1","source":"hinführen ob der lautlosen Gefahr","translation":"lead onward over the soundless peril","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"hinführen","title":"To lead toward","body":"hinführen is the separable verb hin·führen, 'to lead' or 'conduct toward' a point away from the speaker. Here it is the verb of the relative clause begun the line before, with die as its subject."},{"kind":"grammar","term":"ob der … Gefahr","title":"ob meaning over","body":"Here ob is not the conjunction 'whether' but an older preposition meaning 'over, above', taking the genitive. der lautlosen Gefahr is genitive after it, so the phrase means 'over the soundless peril'."}],"words":[{"surface":"hinführen","lemma":"hinführen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on siehst","gloss":"lead onward"},{"surface":"ob","lemma":"ob","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hinführen","gloss":"over"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Gefahr","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"lautlosen","lemma":"lautlos","morphology":"adjective, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Gefahr","gloss":"soundless"},{"surface":"Gefahr","lemma":"Gefahr","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on ob","gloss":"peril"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"die-kurtisane-s2-l2","source":"der Augen, die ein heimlicher Verkehr","translation":"of the eyes, which a clandestine traffic","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Verkehr","title":"der Verkehr, traffic","body":"der Verkehr means 'traffic, circulation', or 'dealings', the coming and going of people or vessels. ein heimlicher Verkehr, 'a clandestine traffic', is nominative here and is the subject of schließt in the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Augen","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"Augen","lemma":"Auge","morphology":"noun, genitive, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Gefahr","gloss":"eyes"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on schließt","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Verkehr","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"heimlicher","lemma":"heimlich","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Verkehr","gloss":"clandestine"},{"surface":"Verkehr","lemma":"Verkehr","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on schließt","gloss":"traffic"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"die-kurtisane-s2-l3","source":"an die Kanäle schließt, so daß das Meer","translation":"binds to the canals, so that the sea","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"schließt … an","title":"Separable verb anschließen","body":"anschließen, 'to connect' or 'link', is separable. Its prefix an stands at the head of the clause while the conjugated stem schließt sits at the end, so schließt … an is one verb split across the line."}],"words":[{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on schließt","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Kanäle","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Kanäle","lemma":"Kanal","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on an","gloss":"canals"},{"surface":"schließt","lemma":"schließen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"binds"},{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on daß","gloss":"so"},{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on steigt","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Meer","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Meer","lemma":"Meer","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on steigt","gloss":"sea"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"die-kurtisane-s2-l4","source":"in ihnen steigt und fällt und wechselt. Wer","translation":"rises and falls and shifts in them. Whoever","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on steigt","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"ihnen","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, dative, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"them"},{"surface":"steigt","lemma":"steigen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"rises"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on steigt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"fällt","lemma":"fallen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"falls"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on fällt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"wechselt","lemma":"wechseln","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"shifts"},{"surface":"Wer","lemma":"wer","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on sah","gloss":"whoever"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"die-kurtisane-s3-l1","source":"mich einmal sah, beneidet meinen Hund,","translation":"once has seen me envies my own dog,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Wer mich einmal sah","title":"wer as whoever","body":"wer used without an antecedent opens a free relative clause meaning 'whoever' or 'anyone who'. Wer mich einmal sah is itself the subject of the main verb beneidet, 'envies'. sah is the simple past of sehen, 'to see'."}],"words":[{"surface":"mich","lemma":"ich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular","role":"depends on sah","gloss":"me"},{"surface":"einmal","lemma":"einmal","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on sah","gloss":"once"},{"surface":"sah","lemma":"sehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on Wer","gloss":"has seen"},{"surface":"beneidet","lemma":"beneiden","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"envies"},{"surface":"meinen","lemma":"mein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Hund","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"Hund","lemma":"Hund","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on beneidet","gloss":"dog"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"die-kurtisane-s3-l2","source":"weil sich auf ihm oft in zerstreuter Pause","translation":"because upon him, in some idle pause,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"weil … erholt","title":"weil sends the verb to the end","body":"weil, 'because', is a subordinating conjunction, so the finite verb is held to the end of its clause. Here that verb is erholt, from sich erholen, 'to rest', which does not appear until later in the sentence."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"zerstreuter Pause","title":"zerstreut, absent-minded","body":"zerstreut literally means 'scattered', and figuratively 'absent-minded' or 'distracted'. in zerstreuter Pause, with the dative feminine ending after in, means 'in an absent-minded pause'."}],"words":[{"surface":"weil","lemma":"weil","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on erholt","gloss":"because"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on erholt","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on erholt","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"oft","lemma":"oft","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on erholt","gloss":"often"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on erholt","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"zerstreuter","lemma":"zerstreut","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Pause","gloss":"idle"},{"surface":"Pause","lemma":"Pause","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"pause"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"die-kurtisane-s3-l3","source":"die Hand, die nie an keiner Glut verkohlt,","translation":"the hand, which no ember has ever charred,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"nie an keiner Glut","title":"Two negatives for emphasis","body":"nie, 'never', and keiner, 'no' or 'not any', stack two negatives here for emphasis rather than cancelling each other, an older usage meaning 'never charred by any ember at all'. die Glut means 'ember', and verkohlen means 'to char'."}],"words":[{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Hand","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Hand","lemma":"Hand","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on erholt","gloss":"hand"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on verkohlt","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"nie","lemma":"nie","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verkohlt","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verkohlt","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"keiner","lemma":"kein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Glut","gloss":"no"},{"surface":"Glut","lemma":"Glut","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"ember"},{"surface":"verkohlt","lemma":"verkohlen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on Hand","gloss":"chars"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"die-kurtisane-s4-l1","source":"die unverwundbare, geschmückt, erholt–.","translation":"the invulnerable, adorned one, rests—.","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"unverwundbar","title":"un- plus verwundbar","body":"unverwundbar means 'invulnerable', built from the negating prefix un- and verwundbar, 'woundable', itself from verwunden, 'to wound'. die unverwundbare, feminine nominative, resumes die Hand as the subject of erholt."}],"words":[{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on unverwundbare","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"unverwundbare","lemma":"unverwundbar","morphology":"adjective, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Hand","gloss":"invulnerable one"},{"surface":"geschmückt","lemma":"schmücken","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on unverwundbare","gloss":"adorned"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"die-kurtisane-s4-l2","source":"Und Knaben, Hoffnungen aus altem Hause,","translation":"And boys, the hopes of some old noble house,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Knaben","title":"der Knabe, boy","body":"der Knabe, plural die Knaben, means 'boy' or 'youth', an elevated and now old-fashioned word. Hoffnungen aus altem Hause, 'hopes of an old house', stands in apposition to Knaben, naming what the boys are."}],"words":[{"surface":"Und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Knaben","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"Knaben","lemma":"Knabe","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on gehn","gloss":"boys"},{"surface":"Hoffnungen","lemma":"Hoffnung","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Knaben","gloss":"hopes"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Hoffnungen","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"altem","lemma":"alt","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Hause","gloss":"old"},{"surface":"Hause","lemma":"Haus","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"house"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"die-kurtisane-s4-l3","source":"gehn wie an Gift an meinem Mund zugrund.","translation":"go, as on poison, to their ruin on my mouth.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-kurtisane-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"gehn … zugrund","title":"zugrunde gehen, to perish","body":"zugrunde gehen is a fixed expression meaning 'to perish' or 'be ruined', clipped here to gehn … zugrund to fit the meter. gehn is the poetic short form of gehen, 'to go', and zugrund is its separated adverb at the clause's end."}],"words":[{"surface":"gehn","lemma":"gehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"go","note":"spaCy mis-tagged this elided form (gehn = gehen) as an adverb."},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on an","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on gehn","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"Gift","lemma":"Gift","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"poison"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on gehn","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"meinem","lemma":"mein","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Mund","gloss":"my"},{"surface":"Mund","lemma":"Mund","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"mouth"},{"surface":"zugrund","lemma":"zugrund","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on gehn","gloss":"to ruin","note":"zugrund gehen is an idiom meaning \"to perish, go to ruin.\""}]}]}