{"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":"eine-sibylle","title":{"source":"Eine Sibylle","translated":"A Sibyl"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/eine-sibylle","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/jeremias","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/absaloms-abfall","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":"eine-sibylle-s1-l1","source":"Einst, vor Zeiten, nannte man sie alt.","translation":"Once, ages ago, they called her old.","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"nannte man sie alt","title":"Impersonal pronoun man","body":"man is an impersonal subject pronoun meaning 'one, people, they', with no specific person named. nannte man sie alt means 'they called her old' or 'she was called old'. nannte is the preterite of nennen, 'to call, to name'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Einst","lemma":"einst","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nannte","gloss":"Once"},{"surface":"vor","lemma":"vor","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on nannte","gloss":"ago","note":"\"vor Zeiten\" is an idiom meaning \"long ago, in days of old.\""},{"surface":"Zeiten","lemma":"Zeit","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on vor","gloss":"ages"},{"surface":"nannte","lemma":"nennen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"called"},{"surface":"man","lemma":"man","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on nannte","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on nannte","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"alt","lemma":"alt","morphology":"adjective, uninflected, predicate","role":"depends on nannte","gloss":"old"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"eine-sibylle-s1-l2","source":"Doch sie blieb und kam dieselbe Straße","translation":"Yet she stayed, and kept coming the same road","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"kam dieselbe Straße","title":"Accusative of path, Straße","body":"kam dieselbe Straße uses the accusative Straße, 'road', to mark the path traveled, an accusative of extent rather than a direct object. dieselbe means 'the same'. kam is the preterite of kommen, here meaning 'kept coming'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Doch","lemma":"doch","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on blieb","gloss":"Yet"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on blieb","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"blieb","lemma":"bleiben","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"stayed"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on blieb","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"kam","lemma":"kommen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"kept coming"},{"surface":"dieselbe","lemma":"derselbe","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Straße","gloss":"the same"},{"surface":"Straße","lemma":"Straße","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on kam","gloss":"road"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"eine-sibylle-s1-l3","source":"täglich. Und man änderte die Maße,","translation":"daily. And they changed the measures,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"täglich","lemma":"täglich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on kam (previous line)","gloss":"daily"},{"surface":"Und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on änderte","gloss":"And"},{"surface":"man","lemma":"man","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on änderte","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"änderte","lemma":"ändern","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"changed"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, plural","role":"depends on Maße","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Maße","lemma":"Maß","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on änderte","gloss":"measures"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"eine-sibylle-s1-l4","source":"und man zählte sie wie einen Wald","translation":"and counted her as one counts a forest","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wie einen Wald","title":"wie plus accusative","body":"wie einen Wald compares her to a forest, with Wald taking the same accusative case as sie, the direct object of zählte, 'counted'. wie, 'as, like', here introduces a comparison rather than a question."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on zählte","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"man","lemma":"man","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on zählte","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"zählte","lemma":"zählen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"counted"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on zählte","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Wald","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"einen","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Wald","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Wald","lemma":"Wald","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"forest"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"eine-sibylle-s2-l1","source":"nach Jahrhunderten. Sie aber stand","translation":"by centuries. But she stood","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Sie aber stand","title":"aber in second position","body":"aber, 'but', sits after Sie, 'she', its normal position when contrasting with what came before. Sie aber stand means 'but she stood', shifting the focus from the centuries just mentioned to her unchanging presence."}],"words":[{"surface":"nach","lemma":"nach","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on zählte (previous line)","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"Jahrhunderten","lemma":"Jahrhundert","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on nach","gloss":"centuries"},{"surface":"Sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on stand","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"aber","lemma":"aber","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on stand","gloss":"but"},{"surface":"stand","lemma":"stehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"stood"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"eine-sibylle-s2-l2","source":"jeden Abend auf derselben Stelle,","translation":"every evening in the same place,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"jeden Abend","title":"Accusative of time, jeden Abend","body":"jeden Abend, 'every evening', is an accusative of time, a phrase that takes the accusative case without any preposition to mark how often something happens. It answers the question when, modifying stand from the line before."}],"words":[{"surface":"jeden","lemma":"jeder","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Abend","gloss":"every"},{"surface":"Abend","lemma":"Abend","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on stand (previous line)","gloss":"evening"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on stand (previous line)","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"derselben","lemma":"derselbe","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stelle","gloss":"the same"},{"surface":"Stelle","lemma":"Stelle","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"place"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"eine-sibylle-s2-l3","source":"schwarz wie eine alte Zitadelle,","translation":"black like an old citadel,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"schwarz","lemma":"schwarz","morphology":"adjective, uninflected, predicate","role":"depends on stand (2 lines back)","gloss":"black"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Zitadelle","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"eine","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Zitadelle","gloss":"an"},{"surface":"alte","lemma":"alt","morphology":"adjective, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Zitadelle","gloss":"old"},{"surface":"Zitadelle","lemma":"Zitadelle","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on wie","gloss":"citadel"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"eine-sibylle-s2-l4","source":"hoch und hohl und ausgebrannt;","translation":"high and hollow and burnt-out;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"ausgebrannt","title":"Participle ausgebrannt","body":"ausgebrannt is the past participle of ausbrennen, 'to burn out'. Used as a predicate adjective alongside hoch and hohl, 'high' and 'hollow', it describes her as burnt out, spent from long use as an oracle."}],"words":[{"surface":"hoch","lemma":"hoch","morphology":"adjective, uninflected, predicate","role":"depends on stand (3 lines back)","gloss":"high"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on hoch","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"hohl","lemma":"hohl","morphology":"adjective, uninflected, predicate","role":"depends on und","gloss":"hollow"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on hohl","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"ausgebrannt","lemma":"ausbrennen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on und","gloss":"burnt-out"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"eine-sibylle-s3-l1","source":"von den Worten, die sich unbewacht","translation":"by the words that, unguarded,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Worte","title":"Dative plural den Worten","body":"den Worten is the dative plural of Wort, 'word', governed by von, 'by'. die sich unbewacht introduces a relative clause describing these words, continuing into the next line, sich referring back to the words themselves."}],"words":[{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ausgebrannt (previous line)","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Worten","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Worten","lemma":"Wort","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on von","gloss":"words"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"subject of mehrten (next line)","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural, reflexive","role":"depends on mehrten (next line)","gloss":"themselves"},{"surface":"unbewacht","lemma":"unbewacht","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Worten","gloss":"unguarded"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"eine-sibylle-s3-l2","source":"wider ihren Willen in ihr mehrten,","translation":"against her will multiplied within her,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"wider ihren Willen","title":"Fixed phrase wider ihren Willen","body":"wider ihren Willen means 'against her will'. wider is an older preposition taking the accusative, distinct from wieder, 'again'. The words multiplied in her wider ihren Willen, against what she wanted."}],"words":[{"surface":"wider","lemma":"wider","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on mehrten","gloss":"against"},{"surface":"ihren","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Willen","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"Willen","lemma":"Wille","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on wider","gloss":"will"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on mehrten","gloss":"within"},{"surface":"ihr","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"mehrten","lemma":"mehren","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"multiplied"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"eine-sibylle-s3-l3","source":"immerfort umschrieen und umflogen,","translation":"forever shrieked around and flown about,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"umschrieen und umflogen","title":"The prefix um-","body":"umschrieen and umflogen are past participles of umschreien and umfliegen, both built with the prefix um-, meaning 'around'. umschreien means 'to shriek around someone', umfliegen 'to fly around someone'. Both describe things happening all around her."}],"words":[{"surface":"immerfort","lemma":"immerfort","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on umschrieen","gloss":"forever"},{"surface":"umschrieen","lemma":"umschreien","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"further predicate describing sie/stand (several lines back)","gloss":"shrieked around"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on umschrieen","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"umflogen","lemma":"umfliegen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on und","gloss":"flown about"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"eine-sibylle-s3-l4","source":"während die schon wieder heimgekehrten","translation":"while those already homeward-returned","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"die schon wieder heimgekehrten","title":"Nominalized participle heimgekehrten","body":"heimgekehrten is the past participle of heimkehren, 'to return home', used as a noun with the article die: 'those who returned home'. schon wieder means 'once again'. It refers to other prophetic voices already back among ordinary life."}],"words":[{"surface":"während","lemma":"während","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on saßen (s3-l6, introduces the clause)","gloss":"while"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun (demonstrative), nominative, plural","role":"depends on heimgekehrten","gloss":"those"},{"surface":"schon","lemma":"schon","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wieder","gloss":"already"},{"surface":"wieder","lemma":"wieder","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on heimgekehrten","gloss":"again"},{"surface":"heimgekehrten","lemma":"heimgekehrt","morphology":"noun (substantivized participle), nominative, plural","role":"subject of saßen (s3-l6)","gloss":"homeward-returned","note":"‘die … heimgekehrten’ = 'those already returned home' (the words, pictured as birds come to roost) — this whole phrase is the subject of ‘saßen’ two lines below, not a finite verb itself."}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"eine-sibylle-s3-l5","source":"dunkel unter ihren Augenbogen","translation":"darkly beneath the arches of her brows","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s3-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Augenbogen","title":"Compound noun Augenbogen","body":"Augenbogen combines Auge, 'eye', and Bogen, 'arch, bow', meaning 'brow-arch, the arch above the eye'. It is dative plural here, unter ihren Augenbogen, 'beneath her brow-arches', after the preposition unter."}],"words":[{"surface":"dunkel","lemma":"dunkel","morphology":"adjective (predicate, uninflected)","role":"depends on saßen (s3-l6)","gloss":"dark"},{"surface":"unter","lemma":"unter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on saßen (s3-l6)","gloss":"beneath"},{"surface":"ihren","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, dative, plural","role":"depends on Augenbogen","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"Augenbogen","lemma":"Augenbogen","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on unter","gloss":"brow-arches","note":"‘der Augenbogen’ — literally 'eye-arch,' the bony ridge above the eye; the plural here keeps the older unumlauted form ‘Augenbogen’ rather than ‘Augenbögen’."}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"eine-sibylle-s3-l6","source":"saßen, fertig für die Nacht.","translation":"sat, ready for the night.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-sibylle-s3-l6.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"saßen","title":"Preterite saßen","body":"saßen is the preterite of sitzen, 'to sit'. fertig für die Nacht, 'ready for the night', is a predicate phrase describing the state they sat in. The subject, likely the words or visions from earlier lines, is left unstated in this fragment."}],"words":[{"surface":"saßen","lemma":"sitzen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"sat"},{"surface":"fertig","lemma":"fertig","morphology":"adjective (predicate, uninflected)","role":"depends on saßen","gloss":"ready"},{"surface":"für","lemma":"für","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on fertig","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Nacht","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Nacht","lemma":"Nacht","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on für","gloss":"night"}]}]}