{"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-spitze","title":{"source":"Die Spitze","translated":"The Lace"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-spitze","lines":28},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-dichter","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/ein-frauenschicksal","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-spitze-s1-l1","source":"Menschlichkeit: Namen schwankender Besitze,","translation":"Humanity: names of unsteady possessions,","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Besitze","title":"A rare plural of an uncountable noun","body":"der Besitz, 'possession, property', is normally uncountable, with no plural. Rilke coins the poetic plural Besitze to mean the several things a life claims. schwankender Besitze is genitive plural, 'of wavering possessions'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Menschlichkeit","lemma":"Menschlichkeit","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"humanity"},{"surface":"Namen","lemma":"Name","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Menschlichkeit","gloss":"names"},{"surface":"schwankender","lemma":"schwankend","morphology":"adjective, genitive, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Besitze","gloss":"unsteady"},{"surface":"Besitze","lemma":"Besitz","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Namen","gloss":"possessions"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"die-spitze-s1-l2","source":"noch unbestätigter Bestand von Glück:","translation":"an as-yet-unconfirmed holding of happiness:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Bestand","title":"A noun for stock or holding","body":"der Bestand means a 'stock, holding, inventory', what is on hand and continues to exist. Paired with unbestätigt, 'unconfirmed, not yet verified', happiness is figured as an account whose balance has never been certified."}],"words":[{"surface":"noch","lemma":"noch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on unbestätigter","gloss":"still"},{"surface":"unbestätigter","lemma":"unbestätigt","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Bestand","gloss":"unconfirmed"},{"surface":"Bestand","lemma":"Bestand","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"holding"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Bestand","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"Glück","lemma":"Glück","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"happiness"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"die-spitze-s1-l3","source":"ist das unmenschlich, daß zu dieser Spitze,","translation":"is it inhuman that into this lace,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"daß","title":"A postponed verb after daß","body":"daß, 'that', opens a subordinate clause, so its finite verb, wurden, is held back to the very end, two lines later. daß is the older spelling of modern dass, kept exactly as Rilke printed it."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Spitze","title":"A word for both point and lace","body":"die Spitze has several senses: 'point, tip, peak', and also 'lace', the openwork fabric named in the title. Here it is the literal lace, but the sense of 'point, summit' stays audible in the word."}],"words":[{"surface":"ist","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"unmenschlich","lemma":"unmenschlich","morphology":"adjective, predicate, uninflected","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"inhuman"},{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces the subordinate clause explaining das","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wurden","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"dieser","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Spitze","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"Spitze","lemma":"Spitze","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on zu","gloss":"lace"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"die-spitze-s1-l4","source":"zu diesem kleinen dichten Spitzenstück","translation":"into this small dense piece of lacework","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"dicht","title":"Dense, close-woven","body":"dicht means 'dense, close-woven, tightly packed'. Of the lace it describes how closely the threads are worked together. It also sounds close to dichten, 'to compose poetry'."}],"words":[{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wurden","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"diesem","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Spitzenstück","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"kleinen","lemma":"klein","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Spitzenstück","gloss":"small"},{"surface":"dichten","lemma":"dicht","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Spitzenstück","gloss":"dense"},{"surface":"Spitzenstück","lemma":"Spitzenstück","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on zu","gloss":"piece of lacework"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"die-spitze-s1-l5","source":"zwei Augen wurden?–Willst du sie zurück?","translation":"two eyes were turned?–Do you want them back?","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s1-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wurden","title":"werden zu means to turn into","body":"werden plus zu plus the dative means 'to turn into, become': zu dieser Spitze … wurden zwei Augen means 'two eyes turned into this lace'. wurden is the simple-past plural, closing the long daß-clause begun earlier."}],"words":[{"surface":"zwei","lemma":"zwei","morphology":"numeral","role":"depends on Augen","gloss":"two"},{"surface":"Augen","lemma":"Auge","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"subject of wurden","gloss":"eyes"},{"surface":"wurden?–Willst","lemma":"werden / wollen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural (wurden) + verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular (Willst)","role":"main verb of the first clause (wurden = became); Willst begins the following question","gloss":"were turned–do you want","note":"The source text runs 'wurden' and 'Willst' together with no space around the dash, so the tokenizer fused two separate words into one token; this entry stands for both."},{"surface":"du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on Willst","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural","role":"depends on Willst","gloss":"them"},{"surface":"zurück","lemma":"zurück","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Willst","gloss":"back"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"die-spitze-s2-l1","source":"Du Langvergangene und schließlich Blinde,","translation":"You long-departed one and at last gone blind,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Langvergangene","title":"Adjectives used as nouns of address","body":"die Langvergangene, 'the long-past woman', and die Blinde, 'the blind woman', are adjectives turned into nouns; the feminine -e ending marks the addressee as a woman. Rilke speaks directly to the dead lacemaker with Du."}],"words":[{"surface":"Du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on Langvergangene","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"Langvergangene","lemma":"Langvergangene","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"long-departed one"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"connects Langvergangene and Blinde","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"schließlich","lemma":"schließlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Blinde","gloss":"at last"},{"surface":"Blinde","lemma":"Blinde","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"coordinated with Langvergangene","gloss":"gone blind"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"die-spitze-s2-l2","source":"ist deine Seligkeit in diesem Ding,","translation":"is your blessedness within this thing,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Seligkeit","title":"A word for religious blessedness","body":"die Seligkeit means 'blessedness, beatitude, supreme bliss', with a religious overtone of the soul's salvation. The poet asks whether the dead woman's blessedness now resides in the Ding, 'thing', the surviving scrap of lace."}],"words":[{"surface":"ist","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"deine","lemma":"dein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Seligkeit","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"Seligkeit","lemma":"Seligkeit","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"blessedness"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"within"},{"surface":"diesem","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Ding","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"Ding","lemma":"Ding","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"thing"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"die-spitze-s2-l3","source":"zu welcher hin, wie zwischen Stamm und Rinde,","translation":"toward which, as between trunk and bark,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"zu welcher hin","title":"Motion toward a goal","body":"The pair zu … hin marks motion toward a goal, 'toward'. welcher is the relative pronoun, feminine dative, agreeing with Seligkeit, so zu welcher hin … ging means 'toward which it went'. The verb ging is held over to a later line."}],"words":[{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ging","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"welcher","lemma":"welcher","morphology":"pronoun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on zu, refers to Seligkeit","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"hin","lemma":"hin","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on zu","gloss":"-ward"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on ging","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"zwischen","lemma":"zwischen","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"between"},{"surface":"Stamm","lemma":"Stamm","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on zwischen","gloss":"trunk"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Stamm","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"Rinde","lemma":"Rinde","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"bark"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"die-spitze-s2-l4","source":"dein großes Fühlen, kleinverwandelt, ging?","translation":"your great feeling, transformed small, went?","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"kleinverwandelt","title":"A coined compound participle","body":"Rilke welds klein, 'small', to verwandelt, 'transformed', into one participle: 'transformed into something small'. The woman's großes Fühlen, 'great feeling', did not vanish but was condensed, like sap between trunk and bark, into the tiny lace."}],"words":[{"surface":"dein","lemma":"dein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Fühlen","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"großes","lemma":"groß","morphology":"adjective, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Fühlen","gloss":"great"},{"surface":"Fühlen","lemma":"fühlen","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of ging","gloss":"feeling"},{"surface":"kleinverwandelt","lemma":"kleinverwandeln","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"modifies Fühlen (parenthetical participle)","gloss":"transformed small"},{"surface":"ging","lemma":"gehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"went"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"die-spitze-s3-l1","source":"Durch einen Riß im Schicksal, eine Lücke","translation":"Through a tear in fate, a gap,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Riß","title":"Two nouns for a tear or opening","body":"der Riß is a 'tear, rip, fissure', the older spelling of modern Riss; die Lücke is a 'gap, opening'. The two nouns pair: a flaw torn in the weave of fate is itself an opening."}],"words":[{"surface":"Durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on entzogst","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"einen","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Riß","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Riß","lemma":"Riß","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Durch","gloss":"tear"},{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Riß","gloss":"in the"},{"surface":"Schicksal","lemma":"Schicksal","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"fate"},{"surface":"eine","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Lücke","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Lücke","lemma":"Lücke","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Riß","gloss":"gap"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"die-spitze-s3-l2","source":"entzogst du deine Seele deiner Zeit;","translation":"you withdrew your soul from your own time;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"entzogst","title":"entziehen governing the dative","body":"entziehen, 'to withdraw, take away from', governs a dative for the thing deprived: du entzogst deine Seele deiner Zeit means 'you withdrew your soul from your time'. entzogst is the simple-past du-form."}],"words":[{"surface":"entzogst","lemma":"entziehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"withdrew"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on entzogst","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"deine","lemma":"dein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Seele","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"Seele","lemma":"Seele","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on entzogst","gloss":"soul"},{"surface":"deiner","lemma":"dein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Zeit","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"Zeit","lemma":"Zeit","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on entzogst","gloss":"time"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"die-spitze-s3-l3","source":"und sie ist so in diesem lichten Stücke,","translation":"and it is so wholly in this luminous piece","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"lichten","title":"licht versus leicht","body":"licht means 'bright, luminous, full of light', not to be confused with leicht, 'light in weight, easy'. dieses lichte Stück sees the lace as a piece of pure light; so … daß carries the result into the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"ist","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"so"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"diesem","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Stücke","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"lichten","lemma":"licht","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Stücke","gloss":"luminous"},{"surface":"Stücke","lemma":"Stück","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"piece","note":"'Stücke' here is an archaic poetic dative singular of 'Stück' (with the old -e ending), not a plural."}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"die-spitze-s3-l4","source":"daß es mich lächeln macht vor Nützlichkeit.","translation":"that it makes me smile for sheer usefulness.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"macht … lächeln","title":"machen with a bare infinitive","body":"etwas macht mich lächeln means 'something makes me smile': machen plus a bare infinitive expresses causation. vor Nützlichkeit uses vor plus the dative for cause, 'out of, for sheer usefulness'."}],"words":[{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"mich","lemma":"mich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular","role":"depends on lächeln","gloss":"me"},{"surface":"lächeln","lemma":"lächeln","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"smile"},{"surface":"macht","lemma":"machen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"makes"},{"surface":"vor","lemma":"vor","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"Nützlichkeit","lemma":"Nützlichkeit","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on vor","gloss":"usefulness"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"die-spitze-s4-l1","source":"II","translation":"II","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"II","lemma":"II","morphology":"numeral","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"II"}]},{"number":15,"label":"15","id":"die-spitze-s5-l1","source":"Und wenn uns eines Tages dieses Tun","translation":"And if one day this doing of ours","stanza":5,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s5-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"eines Tages","title":"A genitive marking indefinite time","body":"eines Tages, 'one day, someday', is a genitive used adverbially to mark an indefinite point in time. das Tun is the verb tun, 'to do', turned into a noun, 'our doing'. The wenn-clause it opens runs several lines further."}],"words":[{"surface":"Und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"connects to the previous stanza","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"wenn","lemma":"wenn","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on erschiene","gloss":"if"},{"surface":"uns","lemma":"uns","morphology":"pronoun, dative, plural","role":"depends on erschiene","gloss":"to us"},{"surface":"eines","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Tages","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"Tages","lemma":"Tag","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on erschiene","gloss":"day"},{"surface":"dieses","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Tun","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"Tun","lemma":"tun","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of erschiene","gloss":"doing"}]},{"number":16,"label":"16","id":"die-spitze-s5-l2","source":"und was an uns geschieht gering erschiene","translation":"and what happens to us should seem slight","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s5-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"erschiene","title":"Subjunctive II for a hypothetical","body":"erschiene is Konjunktiv II, past subjunctive, of erscheinen, 'to appear, seem'. It marks the clause as hypothetical, 'should appear', matching the earlier if. gering is a predicate adjective meaning 'slight, of little worth'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on erschiene","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on geschieht","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on geschieht","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"uns","lemma":"uns","morphology":"pronoun, dative, plural","role":"depends on an","gloss":"us"},{"surface":"geschieht","lemma":"geschehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of relative clause (co-subject of erschiene)","gloss":"happens"},{"surface":"gering","lemma":"gering","morphology":"adjective, predicate, uninflected","role":"depends on erschiene","gloss":"slight"},{"surface":"erschiene","lemma":"erscheinen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"should seem"}]},{"number":17,"label":"17","id":"die-spitze-s5-l3","source":"und uns so fremd, als ob es nicht verdiene,","translation":"and so strange to us, as if it did not merit","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s5-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als ob","title":"Triggers the subjunctive mood","body":"als ob, 'as though', introduces an unreal comparison and takes the subjunctive: als ob es nicht verdiene means 'as though it did not merit'. verdiene is subjunctive of verdienen, 'to deserve, earn'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on erschiene","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"uns","lemma":"uns","morphology":"pronoun, dative, plural","role":"depends on fremd","gloss":"to us"},{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on fremd","gloss":"so"},{"surface":"fremd","lemma":"fremd","morphology":"adjective, predicate, uninflected","role":"coordinated predicate with gering, depends on erschiene","gloss":"strange"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on verdiene","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"ob","lemma":"ob","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on verdiene","gloss":"if"},{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on verdiene","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on verdiene","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"verdiene","lemma":"verdienen","morphology":"verb, present, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the als-ob clause","gloss":"merit"}]},{"number":18,"label":"18","id":"die-spitze-s5-l4","source":"daß wir so mühsam aus den Kinderschuhn","translation":"that we, so laboriously, out of our childhood shoes","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s5-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Kinderschuhn","title":"An idiom for outgrowing childhood","body":"die Kinderschuhe, 'children's shoes', stands for earliest childhood; aus den Kinderschuhen wachsen means 'to outgrow one's childhood'. Kinderschuhn is a clipped poetic form of Kinderschuhen, dative plural, trimmed for the meter."}],"words":[{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on wachsen","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"wir","lemma":"wir","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on wachsen","gloss":"we"},{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on mühsam","gloss":"so"},{"surface":"mühsam","lemma":"mühsam","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wachsen","gloss":"laboriously"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wachsen","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, plural","role":"depends on Kinderschuhn","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Kinderschuhn","lemma":"Kinderschuh","morphology":"noun, dative, plural","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"childhood shoes","note":"'Kinderschuhn' is a poetic elision of 'Kinderschuhen', the standard dative plural."}]},{"number":19,"label":"19","id":"die-spitze-s5-l5","source":"um seinetwillen wachsen–: Ob die Bahn","translation":"should grow up for its sake–: whether the band","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s5-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"um seinetwillen","title":"um … willen means for the sake of","body":"The frame um … willen means 'for the sake of'; with a pronoun it fuses into a single word, um seinetwillen, 'for its sake'. Ob, 'whether', then opens the real question that follows. die Bahn is a 'strip, length, band' of cloth."}],"words":[{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wachsen","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"seinetwillen","lemma":"seinetwillen","morphology":"pronoun, genitive, fixed idiom (um...willen = for the sake of)","role":"depends on um","gloss":"its sake"},{"surface":"wachsen–","lemma":"wachsen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the daß-clause (subject: wir)","gloss":"grow"},{"surface":"Ob","lemma":"ob","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on genügte","gloss":"whether"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Bahn","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Bahn","lemma":"Bahn","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of genügte","gloss":"band"}]},{"number":20,"label":"20","id":"die-spitze-s6-l1","source":"vergilbter Spitze, diese dichtgefügte","translation":"of yellowed lace, this densely jointed","stanza":6,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s6-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"vergilbt","title":"Two compound descriptions of the lace","body":"vergilbt, 'yellowed with age', is the past participle of vergilben, used here as an adjective in the genitive, vergilbter Spitze, 'of yellowed lace'. dichtgefügt welds dicht, 'close', to gefügt, 'jointed, fitted'."}],"words":[{"surface":"vergilbter","lemma":"vergilbt","morphology":"adjective, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Spitze","gloss":"yellowed"},{"surface":"Spitze","lemma":"Spitze","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Bahn","gloss":"lace"},{"surface":"diese","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Spitzenbahn","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"dichtgefügte","lemma":"dichtgefügt","morphology":"adjective, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Spitzenbahn","gloss":"densely jointed"}]},{"number":21,"label":"21","id":"die-spitze-s6-l2","source":"blumige Spitzenbahn, dann nicht genügte,","translation":"flowering band of lace, would then not suffice","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s6-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"genügte","title":"genügen means to be enough","body":"genügen means 'to be enough, to suffice' and is intransitive; genügte here continues the hypothetical begun earlier, 'would not suffice'. The infinitive it governs, uns hier zu halten, 'to hold us here', follows in the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"blumige","lemma":"blumig","morphology":"adjective, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Spitzenbahn","gloss":"flowering"},{"surface":"Spitzenbahn","lemma":"Spitzenbahn","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of genügte","gloss":"band of lace"},{"surface":"dann","lemma":"dann","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on genügte","gloss":"then"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on genügte","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"genügte","lemma":"genügen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"would suffice"}]},{"number":22,"label":"22","id":"die-spitze-s6-l3","source":"uns hier zu halten? Sieh: sie ward getan.","translation":"to hold us here? Look: it was made.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s6-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ward getan","title":"An archaic passive with ward","body":"ward is the old simple-past of werden, modern wurde, forming a passive with the participle getan, 'done, made': sie ward getan means 'it was made'. The archaic verb gives the plain fact the weight of a finished deed."}],"words":[{"surface":"uns","lemma":"uns","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural","role":"depends on halten","gloss":"us"},{"surface":"hier","lemma":"hier","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on halten","gloss":"here"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on halten","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"halten","lemma":"halten","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on genügte","gloss":"hold"},{"surface":"Sieh","lemma":"sehen","morphology":"verb, imperative, second-person, singular","role":"imperative, addresses the reader","gloss":"look"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on ward","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"ward","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was","note":"'Ward' is an archaic poetic form of 'wurde' (past tense of werden)."},{"surface":"getan","lemma":"tun","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on ward","gloss":"made"}]},{"number":23,"label":"23","id":"die-spitze-s7-l1","source":"Ein Leben ward vielleicht verschmäht, wer weiß?","translation":"A life was perhaps disdained, who knows?","stanza":7,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s7-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"verschmäht","title":"verschmähen, to scorn or spurn","body":"verschmähen means 'to scorn, spurn, disdain'; verschmäht is its past participle, here passive, ward verschmäht, 'was disdained, was given up'. A whole life may have been refused so this single object could be made."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Leben","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Leben","lemma":"Leben","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on ward","gloss":"life"},{"surface":"ward","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was","note":"'Ward' is an archaic poetic form of 'wurde' (past tense of werden)."},{"surface":"vielleicht","lemma":"vielleicht","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verschmäht","gloss":"perhaps"},{"surface":"verschmäht","lemma":"verschmähen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on ward","gloss":"disdained"},{"surface":"wer","lemma":"wer","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on weiß","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"weiß","lemma":"wissen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the question 'wer weiß?'","gloss":"knows"}]},{"number":24,"label":"24","id":"die-spitze-s7-l2","source":"Ein Glück war da und wurde hingegeben,","translation":"A happiness was there and was given away,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s7-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"hingegeben","title":"A separable verb in the passive","body":"hingeben, 'to give away, surrender, devote', is separable: hin- plus geben. In the passive past, wurde hingegeben, the prefix reattaches to the participle. The line contrasts war da, 'was present', with wurde hingegeben, 'was surrendered'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Glück","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Glück","lemma":"Glück","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on war","gloss":"happiness"},{"surface":"war","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was"},{"surface":"da","lemma":"da","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on war","gloss":"there"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on war","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"wurde","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"was"},{"surface":"hingegeben","lemma":"hingeben","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on wurde","gloss":"given away"}]},{"number":25,"label":"25","id":"die-spitze-s7-l3","source":"und endlich wurde doch, um jeden Preis,","translation":"and in the end there was, at any price,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s7-l3.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on wurde","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"endlich","lemma":"endlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wurde","gloss":"in the end"},{"surface":"wurde","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"there was"},{"surface":"doch","lemma":"doch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wurde","gloss":"still"},{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wurde","gloss":"at"},{"surface":"jeden","lemma":"jeder","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Preis","gloss":"any"},{"surface":"Preis","lemma":"Preis","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on um","gloss":"price"}]},{"number":26,"label":"26","id":"die-spitze-s7-l4","source":"dies Ding daraus, nicht leichter als das Leben","translation":"this thing made from it, no lighter than life","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s7-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"daraus","title":"A pronominal adverb meaning from it","body":"daraus fuses da(r) and aus, 'out of it, from it', referring back to the surrendered life and happiness. wurde … dies Ding daraus means 'this thing came to be out of that'. leicht here means 'light in weight, easy'."}],"words":[{"surface":"dies","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Ding","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"Ding","lemma":"Ding","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on wurde","gloss":"thing"},{"surface":"daraus","lemma":"daraus","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Ding","gloss":"from it"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on leichter","gloss":"no"},{"surface":"leichter","lemma":"leicht","morphology":"adjective, comparative, predicate, uninflected","role":"depends on Ding","gloss":"lighter"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Leben","gloss":"than"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Leben","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Leben","lemma":"Leben","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on als","gloss":"life"}]},{"number":27,"label":"27","id":"die-spitze-s7-l5","source":"und doch vollendet und so schön, als sei's","translation":"and yet complete and so beautiful, as if it were","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s7-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als sei's","title":"A contracted subjunctive with als","body":"als sei's contracts als es sei: als, 'as though', with Konjunktiv I sei, 'were', of sein. After als German may drop ob and front the verb, giving 'as though it were'. vollendet means 'completed, perfected'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on vollendet","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"doch","lemma":"doch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on vollendet","gloss":"yet"},{"surface":"vollendet","lemma":"vollenden","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on Ding (coordinated predicate)","gloss":"complete"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates vollendet and schön","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on schön","gloss":"so"},{"surface":"schön","lemma":"schön","morphology":"adjective, predicate, uninflected","role":"depends on Ding (coordinated predicate)","gloss":"beautiful"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on sei's","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"sei's","lemma":"sein","morphology":"verb, present, subjunctive, third-person, singular (contracted with es)","role":"main verb of the als-clause","gloss":"were it","note":"'sei's' is a contraction of 'sei es' ('were it')."}]},{"number":28,"label":"28","id":"die-spitze-s7-l6","source":"nicht mehr zu früh, zu lächeln und zu schweben.","translation":"no longer too soon to smile and to float.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/die-spitze-s7-l6.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"schweben","title":"A verb for hovering or floating","body":"schweben means 'to hover, float, be suspended', weightless motion in air. Set against nicht leichter als das Leben two lines above, the close treats the finished lace as no longer too early to smile and drift."}],"words":[{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on früh","gloss":"no"},{"surface":"mehr","lemma":"mehr","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nicht","gloss":"longer"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on früh","gloss":"too"},{"surface":"früh","lemma":"früh","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on sei's","gloss":"soon"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on lächeln","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"lächeln","lemma":"lächeln","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on früh","gloss":"smile"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on lächeln","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on schweben","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"schweben","lemma":"schweben","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on und","gloss":"float"}]}]}