{"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":"ein-prophet","title":{"source":"Ein Prophet","translated":"A Prophet"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/ein-prophet","lines":18},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/samuels-erscheinung-vor-saul","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/jeremias","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":"ein-prophet-s1-l1","source":"Ausgedehnt von riesigen Gesichten,","translation":"Widened by enormous visions,","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Gesichten","title":"Plural Gesichte, visions","body":"Gesichte, plural of Gesicht, here means 'visions', a different sense from the ordinary Gesicht, 'face'. Ausgedehnt von riesigen Gesichten means 'widened by enormous visions', with Gesichten in the dative after von."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ausgedehnt","lemma":"ausdehnen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"Widened"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Ausgedehnt","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"riesigen","lemma":"riesig","morphology":"adjective, dative, plural","role":"depends on Gesichten","gloss":"enormous"},{"surface":"Gesichten","lemma":"Gesicht","morphology":"noun, dative, plural","role":"depends on von","gloss":"visions"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"ein-prophet-s1-l2","source":"hell vom Feuerschein aus dem Verlauf","translation":"bright with the firelight from the course","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"hell","lemma":"hell","morphology":"adjective, uninflected, predicate","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"bright"},{"surface":"vom","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hell","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"Feuerschein","lemma":"Feuerschein","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on vom","gloss":"the firelight"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Feuerschein","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Verlauf","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Verlauf","lemma":"Verlauf","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"course"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"ein-prophet-s1-l3","source":"der Gerichte, die ihn nie vernichten,–","translation":"of the judgments that never destroy him,–","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Gerichte","title":"Plural Gerichte, judgments","body":"Gerichte, plural of Gericht, means 'judgments' here, distinct from the everyday senses 'court' or 'dish of food'. der Gerichte is genitive plural, depending on a noun in the line before. die ihn nie vernichten means 'that never destroy him'."}],"words":[{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Gerichte","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Gerichte","lemma":"Gericht","morphology":"noun, genitive, neuter, plural","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"judgments"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"subject of vernichten,–","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"ihn","lemma":"ihn","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on vernichten,–","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"nie","lemma":"nie","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on vernichten,–","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"vernichten,–","lemma":"vernichten","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"verb of the relative clause modifying Gerichte","gloss":"destroy"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"ein-prophet-s1-l4","source":"sind die Augen, schauend unter dichten","translation":"are the eyes, gazing beneath thick","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sind die Augen","title":"Plural verb sind","body":"sind, 'are', agrees with the plural subject die Augen, 'the eyes'. schauend, 'gazing', is a present participle describing the eyes, and unter dichten depends on a noun that follows in the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"sind","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"are"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Augen","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Augen","lemma":"Auge","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"eyes"},{"surface":"schauend","lemma":"schauen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on Augen","gloss":"gazing"},{"surface":"unter","lemma":"unter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on schauend","gloss":"beneath"},{"surface":"dichten","lemma":"dicht","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Brauen (next line)","gloss":"thick"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"ein-prophet-s1-l5","source":"Brauen. Und in seinem Innern richten","translation":"brows. And within his inner self there raise","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s1-l5.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Brauen","lemma":"Braue","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on unter (previous line)","gloss":"brows"},{"surface":"Und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on richten","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on richten","gloss":"within"},{"surface":"seinem","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Innern","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Innern","lemma":"Innere","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"inner self"},{"surface":"richten","lemma":"richten","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence (separable verb sich aufrichten, split with auf in the next line)","gloss":"raise","note":"Separable verb \"sich aufrichten\" (to rise up) is split by the line break — its \"auf\" appears at the start of the next line."}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"ein-prophet-s1-l6","source":"sich schon wieder Worte auf,","translation":"themselves up once again words,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s1-l6.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"richten sich … auf","title":"Separable verb aufrichten","body":"aufrichten, 'to raise up, to straighten', is separable: its prefix auf appears at the end of the clause while sich richten sit earlier, giving richten sich ... auf. wieder, 'again', and schon here work together to mean 'once again'."}],"words":[{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural, reflexive","role":"depends on richten (previous line)","gloss":"themselves"},{"surface":"schon","lemma":"schon","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wieder","gloss":"once"},{"surface":"wieder","lemma":"wieder","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on richten (previous line)","gloss":"again"},{"surface":"Worte","lemma":"Wort","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"subject of richten (previous line)","gloss":"words"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"aufrichten","morphology":"particle (separable verb prefix)","role":"completes aufrichten with richten (previous line)","gloss":"up"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"ein-prophet-s2-l1","source":"nicht die seinen (denn was wären seine,","translation":"not his own (for what would his be,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wären","title":"Subjunctive wären","body":"wären is the past subjunctive, Konjunktiv II, of sein, 'to be'. was wären seine means 'what would his own be', a hypothetical question inside the parenthesis. The subjunctive marks it as unreal, not something that actually happens."}],"words":[{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on seinen","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, plural","role":"depends on seinen","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"seinen","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, plural","role":"head of the phrase (elliptical predicate)","gloss":"his own"},{"surface":"denn","lemma":"denn","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on wären","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on wären","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"wären","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"would be"},{"surface":"seine","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on wären","gloss":"his"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"ein-prophet-s2-l2","source":"und wie schonend wären sie vertan),","translation":"and how gently they would be squandered),","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"vertan","title":"Participle vertan","body":"vertan is the past participle of vertun, 'to waste, to squander'. wären sie vertan, 'they would be squandered', is Konjunktiv II passive, continuing the hypothetical begun with wären in the line before."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on wären","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on schonend","gloss":"how"},{"surface":"schonend","lemma":"schonend","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wären","gloss":"gently"},{"surface":"wären","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"would be"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on wären","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"vertan","lemma":"vertun","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on wären","gloss":"squandered"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"ein-prophet-s2-l3","source":"andre, harte: Eisenstücke, Steine,","translation":"others, hard ones: pieces of iron, stones,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"andre","lemma":"andere","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on Eisenstücke","gloss":"others"},{"surface":"harte","lemma":"hart","morphology":"adjective, nominative, plural","role":"depends on andre","gloss":"hard"},{"surface":"Eisenstücke","lemma":"Eisenstück","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"pieces of iron"},{"surface":"Steine","lemma":"Stein","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Eisenstücke","gloss":"stones"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"ein-prophet-s2-l4","source":"die er schmelzen muß wie ein Vulkan,","translation":"which he must melt like a volcano,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"die er schmelzen muß","title":"Relative die, accusative","body":"die is a relative pronoun here, accusative plural, referring back to words named earlier in the poem. It is the object of schmelzen, 'to melt': die er schmelzen muß means 'which he must melt'. muß is the present tense of müssen, 'must'."}],"words":[{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural","role":"depends on schmelzen","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on muß","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"schmelzen","lemma":"schmelzen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on muß","gloss":"melt"},{"surface":"muß","lemma":"müssen","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"must"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Vulkan","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Vulkan","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Vulkan","lemma":"Vulkan","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"volcano"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"ein-prophet-s3-l1","source":"um sie in dem Ausbruch seines Mundes","translation":"in order to fling them, in the eruption of his mouth,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"um … auszuwerfen","title":"um ... zu, purpose clause","body":"um ... zu plus an infinitive states a purpose, 'in order to'. Here um sie ... auszuwerfen, continuing into the next line, means 'in order to fling them out'. sie is accusative plural, referring to words mentioned earlier."}],"words":[{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces purpose clause with auszuwerfen (next line)","gloss":"in order to"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, accusative","role":"depends on auszuwerfen (next line)","gloss":"them"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on auszuwerfen (next line)","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Ausbruch","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Ausbruch","lemma":"Ausbruch","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"eruption"},{"surface":"seines","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Mundes","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Mundes","lemma":"Mund","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Ausbruch","gloss":"mouth"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"ein-prophet-s3-l2","source":"auszuwerfen, welcher flucht und flucht;","translation":"his mouth which curses and curses;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"flucht","title":"Present tense flucht","body":"flucht is the third person singular present of fluchen, 'to curse'. Repeating it, flucht und flucht, 'curses and curses', shows the action continuing without stopping, describing the mouth that keeps cursing."}],"words":[{"surface":"auszuwerfen","lemma":"auswerfen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"completes the um...zu clause begun with um (previous line)","gloss":"fling out"},{"surface":"welcher","lemma":"welcher","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on flucht","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"flucht","lemma":"fluchen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the relative clause (welcher flucht)","gloss":"curses"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on flucht","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"flucht","lemma":"fluchen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"curses"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"ein-prophet-s3-l3","source":"während seine Stirne, wie des Hundes","translation":"while his brow, like the dog's","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"während","title":"Subordinating conjunction während","body":"während means 'while' here, introducing a subordinate clause and sending its verb to the end of that clause. It contrasts what happens to his brow with the mouth described just before it."}],"words":[{"surface":"während","lemma":"während","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"while"},{"surface":"seine","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stirne","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Stirne","lemma":"Stirne","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on während","gloss":"brow"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Hundes","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Hundes","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Hundes","lemma":"Hund","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Stirne (next line)","gloss":"dog's"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"ein-prophet-s3-l4","source":"Stirne, das zu tragen sucht,","translation":"brow, that seeks to bear","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"Stirne","lemma":"Stirne","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"completes des Hundes (previous line) in the simile; the subject of sucht is seine Stirne (ein-prophet-s3-l3-w3)","gloss":"brow"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"object of tragen","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on tragen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"tragen","lemma":"tragen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on sucht","gloss":"bear"},{"surface":"sucht","lemma":"suchen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"seeks"}]},{"number":15,"label":"15","id":"ein-prophet-s4-l1","source":"was der Herr von seiner Stirne nimmt:","translation":"what the Lord takes from his brow:","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"der Herr","title":"Noun der Herr","body":"der Herr, 'the Lord', is masculine, nominative here as the subject of nimmt, 'takes'. von seiner Stirne nimmt means 'takes from his brow', describing what mark or burden God removes."}],"words":[{"surface":"was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on nimmt","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Herr","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Herr","lemma":"Herr","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on nimmt","gloss":"Lord"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on nimmt","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"seiner","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stirne","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Stirne","lemma":"Stirne","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"brow"},{"surface":"nimmt","lemma":"nehmen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"takes"}]},{"number":16,"label":"16","id":"ein-prophet-s4-l2","source":"Dieser, Dieser, den sie alle fänden,","translation":"This one, This one, whom they would all find,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"fänden","title":"Subjunctive fänden","body":"fänden is the past subjunctive, Konjunktiv II, of finden, 'to find'. den sie alle fänden means 'whom they would all find', a hypothetical outcome rather than something that happens. It continues the unreal comparison begun in the surrounding lines."}],"words":[{"surface":"Dieser","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"This one"},{"surface":"Dieser","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Dieser","gloss":"this one"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on fänden","gloss":"whom"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on fänden","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"alle","lemma":"alle","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on fänden","gloss":"all"},{"surface":"fänden","lemma":"finden","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the relative clause modifying Dieser","gloss":"would find"}]},{"number":17,"label":"17","id":"ein-prophet-s4-l3","source":"folgten sie den großen Zeigehänden,","translation":"if they followed the great pointing hands,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"folgten sie","title":"Subjunctive folgten plus dative","body":"folgten is the past subjunctive, Konjunktiv II, of folgen, 'to follow', continuing the hypothetical begun with fänden. folgen takes a dative object: folgten sie den ... Zeigehänden means 'if they followed the ... pointing hands'."}],"words":[{"surface":"folgten","lemma":"folgen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"followed"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on folgten","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Zeigehänden","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"großen","lemma":"groß","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Zeigehänden","gloss":"great"},{"surface":"Zeigehänden","lemma":"Zeigehand","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on folgten","gloss":"pointing hands"}]},{"number":18,"label":"18","id":"ein-prophet-s4-l4","source":"die Ihn weisen, wie Er ist: ergrimmt.","translation":"that show Him as He is: enraged.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/ein-prophet-s4-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"ergrimmt","title":"Participle ergrimmt","body":"ergrimmt is the past participle of ergrimmen, 'to become enraged', used here as a predicate after the colon: 'as he is: enraged'. It names the state the pointing hands would show him in, if followed."}],"words":[{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"subject of weisen","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"Ihn","lemma":"ihn","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on weisen","gloss":"Him"},{"surface":"weisen","lemma":"weisen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"show"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"Er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"He"},{"surface":"ist","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on weisen","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"ergrimmt","lemma":"ergrimmen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"enraged"}]}]}