{"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-welke","title":{"source":"Eine Welke","translated":"A Faded Woman"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/eine-welke","lines":12},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-blinde","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/abendmahl","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-welke-s1-l1","source":"Leicht, wie nach ihrem Tode","translation":"Lightly, as if after her death","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"leicht","title":"Two senses of leicht","body":"leicht means 'light' in weight, and also 'easy, effortless'. It stands first in the line, ahead of the verb trägt in the next line, giving it emphasis. It goes with nach ihrem Tode, 'after her death', which follows."}],"words":[{"surface":"Leicht","lemma":"leicht","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on trägt (cross-segment)","gloss":"Lightly"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on nach","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"nach","lemma":"nach","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Leicht","gloss":"after"},{"surface":"ihrem","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Tode","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"Tode","lemma":"Tod","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on nach","gloss":"death"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"eine-welke-s1-l2","source":"trägt sie die Handschuh, das Tuch.","translation":"she carries the gloves, the shawl.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"trägt sie","title":"Verb-second word order","body":"trägt is the present tense of tragen, 'to carry, to wear', with the vowel shift a to ä in the third person. Because the sentence opens with the adverb Leicht, the verb comes second and the subject sie follows it. die Handschuh is a shortened plural for die Handschuhe, 'the gloves'."}],"words":[{"surface":"trägt","lemma":"tragen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"carries"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on trägt","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Handschuh","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Handschuh","lemma":"Handschuh","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on trägt","gloss":"gloves"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Tuch","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Tuch","lemma":"Tuch","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on trägt, coordinated with Handschuh","gloss":"shawl"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"eine-welke-s1-l3","source":"Ein Duft aus ihrer Kommode","translation":"A scent out of her chest of drawers","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Kommode","title":"A chest of drawers","body":"die Kommode is a 'chest of drawers, dresser', borrowed from French. der Duft means 'scent, fragrance'; aus takes the dative, so aus ihrer Kommode is 'out of her dresser'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Duft","gloss":"A"},{"surface":"Duft","lemma":"Duft","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of verdrängte (cross-segment)","gloss":"scent"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Duft","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"ihrer","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Kommode","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"Kommode","lemma":"Kommode","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"chest of drawers"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"eine-welke-s1-l4","source":"verdrängte den lieben Geruch,","translation":"drove out the dear, familiar smell,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"verdrängte","title":"Simple past of verdrängen","body":"verdrängte is the simple past of verdrängen, 'to displace, drive out, supplant'. It takes the accusative object den lieben Geruch, 'the dear smell'. lieben is the accusative masculine form of lieb, 'dear, familiar'."}],"words":[{"surface":"verdrängte","lemma":"verdrängen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"drove out"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Geruch","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"lieben","lemma":"lieb","morphology":"adjective, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Geruch","gloss":"dear, familiar"},{"surface":"Geruch","lemma":"Geruch","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on verdrängte","gloss":"smell"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"eine-welke-s2-l1","source":"an dem sie sich früher erkannte,","translation":"by which she used to know herself,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"an dem sie sich erkannte","title":"sich erkennen an takes dative","body":"sich erkennen an means 'to recognize oneself by' something, and an governs the dative. dem is a relative pronoun pointing back to den lieben Geruch in the line before. sich is the reflexive object, 'herself'; früher means 'formerly, in earlier days'."}],"words":[{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on erkannte","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on an (relative pronoun for Geruch)","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on erkannte","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on erkannte","gloss":"herself"},{"surface":"früher","lemma":"früh","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on erkannte","gloss":"formerly"},{"surface":"erkannte","lemma":"erkennen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"knew"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"eine-welke-s2-l2","source":"Jetzt fragte sie lange nicht, wer","translation":"Now for a long while she did not ask who","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"fragte … lange nicht","title":"lange nicht, and a split clause","body":"fragte is the simple past of fragen, 'to ask'. lange nicht means 'not for a long time'. The indirect question opened by wer, 'who', is cut off at the line break and finishes in the next line as wer sie sei, 'who she was'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Jetzt","lemma":"jetzt","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on fragte","gloss":"Now"},{"surface":"fragte","lemma":"fragen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"asked"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on fragte","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"lange","lemma":"lange","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on fragte","gloss":"for a long while"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on fragte","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"wer","lemma":"wer","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of sei (cross-segment)","gloss":"who"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"eine-welke-s2-l3","source":"sie sei (:eine ferne Verwandte),","translation":"she was (: a distant relative),","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sie sei","title":"Subjunctive in reported speech","body":"sei is the present subjunctive (Konjunktiv I) of sein, 'to be', the form German uses for reported thought: wer sie sei means 'who she might be'. eine ferne Verwandte, 'a distant relative', is the answer given in parentheses."}],"words":[{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on sei","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"sei","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"verb of the indirect clause introduced by wer","gloss":"was"},{"surface":"eine","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Verwandte","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"ferne","lemma":"fern","morphology":"adjective, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Verwandte","gloss":"distant"},{"surface":"Verwandte","lemma":"Verwandte","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on sei","gloss":"relative"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"eine-welke-s2-l4","source":"und geht in Gedanken umher","translation":"and walks about lost in thought","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"geht … umher","title":"Separable verb umhergehen","body":"umhergehen, 'to walk about, wander around', is separable: the prefix umher splits off and lands at the end of the clause, geht ... umher. in Gedanken is a fixed phrase meaning 'in thought, absent-mindedly', with the dative plural of Gedanke, 'thought'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"geht","lemma":"gehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"walks"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"Gedanken","lemma":"Gedanke","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"thought"},{"surface":"umher","lemma":"umher","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"about"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"eine-welke-s3-l1","source":"und sorgt für ein ängstliches Zimmer,","translation":"and tends to an anxious little room,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sorgt für","title":"sorgen für takes accusative","body":"sorgen für means 'to care for, look after, see to', and takes the accusative: für ein ängstliches Zimmer. ängstlich normally means 'anxious, timid'; here it describes the room, agreeing with Zimmer in the accusative neuter singular."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates geht and sorgt (cross-segment)","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"sorgt","lemma":"sorgen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"tends to"},{"surface":"für","lemma":"für","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on sorgt","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Zimmer","gloss":"an"},{"surface":"ängstliches","lemma":"ängstlich","morphology":"adjective, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Zimmer","gloss":"anxious"},{"surface":"Zimmer","lemma":"Zimmer","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on für","gloss":"room"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"eine-welke-s3-l2","source":"das sie ordnet und schont,","translation":"which she sets in order and spares,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"schont","title":"schonen","body":"ordnen means 'to put in order, arrange'; schonen means 'to spare, to treat gently'. The relative pronoun das refers back to ein ängstliches Zimmer, 'the room', named in the line before."}],"words":[{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on ordnet (relative pronoun for Zimmer)","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on ordnet","gloss":"she"},{"surface":"ordnet","lemma":"ordnen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"sets in order"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates ordnet and schont","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"schont","lemma":"schonen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"coordinated with ordnet","gloss":"spares"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"eine-welke-s3-l3","source":"weil es vielleicht noch immer","translation":"because perhaps it still","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"weil es … bewohnt","title":"weil sends the verb to the end","body":"weil, 'because', is a subordinating conjunction, so its verb is held back to the end of the clause, arriving as bewohnt two lines later. es, 'it', refers to the room. noch immer means 'still, even now'."}],"words":[{"surface":"weil","lemma":"weil","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on bewohnt (cross-segment)","gloss":"because"},{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"object of bewohnt (cross-segment)","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"vielleicht","lemma":"vielleicht","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on bewohnt (cross-segment)","gloss":"perhaps"},{"surface":"noch","lemma":"noch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on immer","gloss":"still"},{"surface":"immer","lemma":"immer","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on bewohnt, with noch (cross-segment)","gloss":"still"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"eine-welke-s3-l4","source":"dasselbe Mädchen bewohnt.","translation":"is lived in by the same girl.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/eine-welke-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"dasselbe Mädchen bewohnt","title":"bewohnen and its subject","body":"bewohnen means 'to inhabit, live in' and takes a direct object, here the room understood from earlier lines. The subject is dasselbe Mädchen, 'the same girl' (neuter das Mädchen), and bewohnt is the verb the weil-clause has been holding back since two lines before."}],"words":[{"surface":"dasselbe","lemma":"derselbe","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Mädchen","gloss":"the same"},{"surface":"Mädchen","lemma":"Mädchen","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on bewohnt","gloss":"girl"},{"surface":"bewohnt","lemma":"bewohnen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"lives in"}]}]}