{"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-von-den-alten","title":{"source":"Eine von den Alten","translated":"One of the Old Women"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/eine-von-den-alten","lines":12},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/leichenwaesche","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-blinde","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-von-den-alten-s1-l1","source":"Abends manchmal (weißt du, wie das tut?)","translation":"Some evenings (do you know how that feels?)","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"wie das tut","title":"tun for how something affects you","body":"tun normally means 'to do', but in das tut weh, 'that hurts', and the clipped wie das tut, it describes how something acts on you. weißt du, wie das tut, means 'do you know how that feels'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Abends","lemma":"abends","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on stehn (cross-segment)","gloss":"Evenings"},{"surface":"manchmal","lemma":"manchmal","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on stehn (cross-segment)","gloss":"sometimes"},{"surface":"weißt","lemma":"wissen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the parenthetical clause","gloss":"do you know"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, second-person, singular","role":"depends on weißt","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on tut","gloss":"how"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of tut","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"tut","lemma":"tun","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on weißt","gloss":"feels"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s1-l2","source":"wenn sie plötzlich stehn und rückwärts nicken","translation":"when they suddenly stop and nod back over the shoulder","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"stehn","title":"Clipped verb for coming to a stop","body":"stehn is the poetic short form of stehen, 'to stand', with the -e- dropped for the meter. Here it means not just 'to be standing' but 'to come to a stop, to halt'."}],"words":[{"surface":"wenn","lemma":"wenn","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on stehn","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on stehn","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"plötzlich","lemma":"plötzlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on stehn","gloss":"suddenly"},{"surface":"stehn","lemma":"stehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the wenn-clause","gloss":"stop"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates stehn and nicken","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"rückwärts","lemma":"rückwärts","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nicken","gloss":"back"},{"surface":"nicken","lemma":"nicken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"coordinated with stehn","gloss":"nod"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s1-l3","source":"und ein Lächeln, wie aus lauter Flicken,","translation":"and a smile, as if made of nothing but patches,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"aus lauter Flicken","title":"Quantifier lauter meaning nothing but","body":"ein Flicken is a patch sewn onto worn cloth. aus lauter X means 'made of nothing but X'. lauter here is the quantifier 'sheer, nothing but', not the adjective laut, 'loud'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on zeigen (cross-segment)","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Lächeln","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Lächeln","lemma":"Lächeln","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"direct object of zeigen (cross-segment); zeigen is third-person plural, so plural 'sie' (they, the old women) is its subject and singular neuter 'Lächeln' cannot also be its subject","gloss":"smile"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Lächeln","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"lauter","lemma":"lauter","morphology":"determiner","role":"depends on Flicken","gloss":"nothing but"},{"surface":"Flicken","lemma":"Flicken","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"patches"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s1-l4","source":"zeigen unter ihrem halben Hut.","translation":"they show beneath their half-tilted hat.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"zeigen","title":"Main verb deferred across three lines","body":"zeigen, 'they show', is the main verb of the stanza, arriving only here with sie from an earlier line as its subject and ein Lächeln from the line before as its object. German routinely defers the verb this way, holding the sentence open."}],"words":[{"surface":"zeigen","lemma":"zeigen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"show"},{"surface":"unter","lemma":"unter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on zeigen","gloss":"beneath"},{"surface":"ihrem","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Hut","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"halben","lemma":"halb","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Hut","gloss":"half"},{"surface":"Hut","lemma":"Hut","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on unter","gloss":"hat"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s2-l1","source":"Neben ihnen ist dann ein Gebäude,","translation":"Beside them there is, just then, a building,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Neben ihnen","title":"neben plus dative for a fixed location","body":"neben, 'beside, next to', is a two-way preposition; with a static location it takes the dative, here ihnen, 'them'. Placing the phrase first inverts the order so the verb ist comes before the subject ein Gebäude."}],"words":[{"surface":"Neben","lemma":"neben","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"beside"},{"surface":"ihnen","lemma":"ihnen","morphology":"pronoun, dative, plural","role":"depends on Neben","gloss":"them"},{"surface":"ist","lemma":"sein","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"is"},{"surface":"dann","lemma":"dann","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"just then"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gebäude","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Gebäude","lemma":"Gebäude","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on ist","gloss":"building"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s2-l2","source":"endlos, und sie locken dich entlang","translation":"endless, and they lure you along it","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"locken dich entlang","title":"Verb for luring someone on","body":"locken means 'to entice, to tempt, to beckon', the verb used for luring an animal or person onward. dich is the accusative 'you', the reader drawn in. entlang, 'along', trails after the noun it follows."}],"words":[{"surface":"endlos","lemma":"endlos","morphology":"adjective, predicate use","role":"depends on Gebäude (cross-segment)","gloss":"endless"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on locken","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on locken","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"locken","lemma":"locken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"lure"},{"surface":"dich","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, second-person, singular","role":"depends on locken","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"entlang","lemma":"entlang","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on locken","gloss":"along"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s2-l3","source":"mit dem Rätsel ihrer Räude,","translation":"with the riddle of their mange,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Räude","title":"Noun for mange applied to people","body":"die Räude means mange or scabby skin disease, normally used of animals. Applied here to the women it is a deliberately harsh word for their ruined condition. mit dem Rätsel ihrer Räude is one of the dative mit-phrases naming what lures the reader."}],"words":[{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on locken (cross-segment)","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Rätsel","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Rätsel","lemma":"Rätsel","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"riddle"},{"surface":"ihrer","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Räude","gloss":"their"},{"surface":"Räude","lemma":"Räude","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Rätsel","gloss":"mange"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s2-l4","source":"mit dem Hut, dem Umhang und dem Gang.","translation":"with the hat, the cloak, and the gait.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"mit dem Hut, dem Umhang und dem Gang","title":"mit heads a list in the dative","body":"mit always governs the dative; here it heads a list of masculine nouns in the dative singular: dem Hut, 'the hat', dem Umhang, 'the cloak', and dem Gang, 'the gait'. The three complete the list of lures begun in the stanza before."}],"words":[{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on locken, coordinated with mit dem Rätsel","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Hut","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Hut","lemma":"Hut","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"hat"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Umhang","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Umhang","lemma":"Umhang","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on mit, list item with Hut","gloss":"cloak"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Umhang","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gang","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Gang","lemma":"Gang","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on mit, list item with Umhang","gloss":"gait"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s3-l1","source":"Mit der Hand, die hinten unterm Kragen","translation":"With the hand that behind, beneath the collar,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Mit der Hand, die","title":"Relative clause spanning a stanza","body":"Mit der Hand, 'with the hand', is dative after mit, extending the list of lures from the stanza before. die is a relative pronoun, 'that, which', introducing a clause that runs across the whole stanza. unterm contracts unter dem, 'beneath the'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"With"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Hand","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Hand","lemma":"Hand","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Mit","gloss":"hand"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of wartet (relative pronoun for Hand, cross-segment)","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"hinten","lemma":"hinten","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wartet (cross-segment)","gloss":"behind"},{"surface":"unterm","lemma":"unter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wartet (cross-segment)","gloss":"beneath"},{"surface":"Kragen","lemma":"Kragen","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on unterm","gloss":"collar"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s3-l2","source":"heimlich wartet und verlangt nach dir:","translation":"secretly waits and reaches out for you:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"verlangt nach dir","title":"verlangen nach governs the dative","body":"verlangen nach means 'to long for, to crave' and governs the dative: nach dir means 'for you'. Paired with heimlich wartet, 'secretly waits', it names the hand as the active thing that wants."}],"words":[{"surface":"heimlich","lemma":"heimlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wartet","gloss":"secretly"},{"surface":"wartet","lemma":"warten","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the relative clause","gloss":"waits"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates wartet and verlangt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"verlangt","lemma":"verlangen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"coordinated with wartet","gloss":"reaches out"},{"surface":"nach","lemma":"nach","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verlangt","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"dir","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, dative, second-person, singular","role":"depends on nach","gloss":"you"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s3-l3","source":"wie um deine Hände einzuschlagen","translation":"as if to fold your hands shut","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wie um … einzuschlagen","title":"um zu with zu inside a separable verb","body":"wie um ... einzuschlagen means 'as though in order to fold shut'. um zu plus infinitive expresses purpose, and wie softens it to 'as though to'. einschlagen, 'to wrap, to fold over', is separable, so zu slots between prefix and stem: ein-zu-schlagen."}],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on einzuschlagen","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on einzuschlagen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"deine","lemma":"dein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Hände","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"Hände","lemma":"Hand","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, plural","role":"direct object of einzuschlagen","gloss":"hands"},{"surface":"einzuschlagen","lemma":"einschlagen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"main verb of the um-zu clause","gloss":"to fold shut"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"eine-von-den-alten-s3-l4","source":"in ein aufgehobenes Papier.","translation":"in a piece of saved-up paper.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-von-den-alten-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"aufgehobenes Papier","title":"Participle meaning kept or saved","body":"aufgehoben is the past participle of aufheben, which means both 'to pick up' and 'to keep, to save'. ein aufgehobenes Papier is a scrap of paper that has been kept or saved, like cheap wrapping."}],"words":[{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on einzuschlagen (cross-segment)","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Papier","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"aufgehobenes","lemma":"aufgehoben","morphology":"adjective, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Papier","gloss":"saved-up"},{"surface":"Papier","lemma":"Papier","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"paper"}]}]}