{"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":"l-ange-du-meridien","title":{"source":"L'Ange du Méridien","translated":"The Angel of the Sundial"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/buddha","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-kathedrale","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":"l-ange-du-meridien-s1-l1","source":"Im Sturm, der um die starke Kathedrale","translation":"In the storm that, around the strong cathedral,","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Im Sturm","title":"Dative after a location","body":"Im is the contraction of in dem, the dative of der Sturm, 'the storm'. After in, the dative answers 'where', a static location, rather than the accusative 'where to'. Im Sturm means 'in the storm'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"in the"},{"surface":"Sturm","lemma":"Sturm","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Im","gloss":"storm"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of stürzt (s1-l2)","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on stürzt (s1-l2)","gloss":"around"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Kathedrale","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"starke","lemma":"stark","morphology":"adjective, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Kathedrale","gloss":"strong"},{"surface":"Kathedrale","lemma":"Kathedrale","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on um","gloss":"cathedral"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s1-l2","source":"wie ein Verneiner stürzt, der denkt und denkt,","translation":"like a denier, hurls itself down, one who thinks and thinks,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"der Verneiner","title":"One who says no","body":"Verneinen means 'to negate, to deny, to say no'; the agent noun der Verneiner means 'the one who denies, the denier'. Der denkt und denkt means 'who thinks and thinks'."}],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Verneiner","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Verneiner","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Verneiner","lemma":"Verneiner","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on stürzt","gloss":"denier"},{"surface":"stürzt","lemma":"stürzen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"hurls itself down"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of denkt","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"denkt","lemma":"denken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"verb of the relative clause modifying Verneiner","gloss":"thinks"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on denkt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"denkt","lemma":"denken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und (coordinate verb)","gloss":"thinks"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s1-l3","source":"fühlt man sich zärtlicher mit einem Male","translation":"one feels oneself, more tenderly, all at once","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"mit einem Male","title":"All at once, suddenly","body":"Mit einem Male is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'suddenly, all at once', literally 'with one time'. Mal here is the old neuter noun for an instance or moment. Sich fühlen means 'to feel oneself'."}],"words":[{"surface":"fühlt","lemma":"fühlen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"feels"},{"surface":"man","lemma":"man","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"subject of fühlt","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on fühlt","gloss":"oneself"},{"surface":"zärtlicher","lemma":"zärtlich","morphology":"adverb, comparative","role":"depends on fühlt","gloss":"more tenderly"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on fühlt","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"einem","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Male","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"Male","lemma":"Mal","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"time","note":"Idiom 'mit einem Male' = 'all at once, suddenly.'"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s1-l4","source":"von deinem Lächeln zu dir hingelenkt:","translation":"turned toward you by your smile:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"hingelenkt","title":"Separable verb hinlenken","body":"Hinlenken, 'to direct, to steer toward', is separable; its past participle, hingelenkt, ends the clause in a passive construction, man wird … hingelenkt, 'one is steered toward'. The prefix hin marks motion away from the speaker, toward the person addressed."}],"words":[{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hingelenkt","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"deinem","lemma":"dein","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Lächeln","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"Lächeln","lemma":"lächeln","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"smile"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hingelenkt","gloss":"toward"},{"surface":"dir","lemma":"dir","morphology":"pronoun, dative, singular","role":"depends on zu","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"hingelenkt","lemma":"hinlenken","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"predicate complement of fühlt (s1-l3)","gloss":"turned"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s2-l1","source":"lächelnder Engel, fühlende Figur,","translation":"smiling angel, feeling figure,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"lächelnder … fühlende","title":"Present participles used as adjectives","body":"Lächelnd, 'smiling', and fühlend, 'feeling', are present participles, formed by adding -d to the infinitive and then given adjective endings to agree with their nouns, masculine Engel and feminine Figur."}],"words":[{"surface":"lächelnder","lemma":"lächelnd","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Engel","gloss":"smiling"},{"surface":"Engel","lemma":"Engel","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"angel"},{"surface":"fühlende","lemma":"fühlend","morphology":"adjective, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Figur","gloss":"feeling"},{"surface":"Figur","lemma":"Figur","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"in apposition to Engel","gloss":"figure"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s2-l2","source":"mit einem Mund, gemacht aus hundert Munden:","translation":"with a mouth made out of a hundred mouths:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"aus hundert Munden","title":"An old plural of Mund","body":"Der Mund, 'the mouth', most often forms its plural as Münder. Munden is an older, dialectal plural, kept here for the dative plural -n ending after aus: aus hundert Munden, 'out of a hundred mouths'."}],"words":[{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on gemacht","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"einem","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Mund","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Mund","lemma":"Mund","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"mouth"},{"surface":"gemacht","lemma":"machen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on Mund (participial modifier)","gloss":"made"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on gemacht","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"hundert","lemma":"hundert","morphology":"numeral","role":"depends on Munden","gloss":"a hundred"},{"surface":"Munden","lemma":"Mund","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"mouths","note":"Archaic dative plural of Mund (modern: Mündern)."}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s2-l3","source":"gewahrst du gar nicht, wie dir unsre Stunden","translation":"do you not notice at all how, from you, our hours","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"gewahrst du","title":"To perceive, become aware","body":"Gewahren is a literary verb meaning 'to perceive, to become aware of, to notice'. Gewahrst du gar nicht means 'do you not notice at all'. The question continues into the following line."},{"kind":"grammar","term":"dir","title":"A dative marking separation","body":"Dir is the dative of du. With abgleiten, 'to slide off', in the next line, it works as a dative of separation: dir … abgleiten means 'slide away from you'. German uses the bare dative here, not a preposition, to mark the person something slips away from."}],"words":[{"surface":"gewahrst","lemma":"gewahren","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"notice"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"subject of gewahrst","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"gar","lemma":"gar","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nicht","gloss":"at all"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on gewahrst","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on abgleiten (s2-l4)","gloss":"how"},{"surface":"dir","lemma":"dir","morphology":"pronoun, dative, singular","role":"depends on abgleiten (s2-l4)","gloss":"from you"},{"surface":"unsre","lemma":"unser","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Stunden","gloss":"our"},{"surface":"Stunden","lemma":"Stunde","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"subject of abgleiten (s2-l4)","gloss":"hours"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s2-l4","source":"abgleiten von der vollen Sonnenuhr,","translation":"slip away from the full sundial,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"abgleiten","lemma":"abgleiten","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"verb of the subordinate clause introduced by wie (s2-l3)","gloss":"slip away"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on abgleiten","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Sonnenuhr","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"vollen","lemma":"voll","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Sonnenuhr","gloss":"full"},{"surface":"Sonnenuhr","lemma":"Sonnenuhr","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"sundial"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s3-l1","source":"auf der des Tages ganze Zahl zugleich,","translation":"on which the day's whole number, all at once,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"des Tages ganze Zahl","title":"Genitive placed before its noun","body":"Des Tages is the genitive of der Tag, 'the day', placed before the noun it modifies: des Tages ganze Zahl means 'the day's whole number, the entire count of the day'. Ordinary German would instead say die ganze Zahl des Tages."}],"words":[{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"on"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on auf","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Tages","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Tages","lemma":"Tag","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Zahl","gloss":"day's"},{"surface":"ganze","lemma":"ganz","morphology":"adjective, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Zahl","gloss":"whole"},{"surface":"Zahl","lemma":"Zahl","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"subject of steht (s3-l2)","gloss":"number"},{"surface":"zugleich","lemma":"zugleich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on steht (s3-l2)","gloss":"at once"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s3-l2","source":"gleich wirklich, steht in tiefem Gleichgewichte,","translation":"equally real, stands in deep equilibrium,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"in tiefem Gleichgewichte","title":"Balance, with an old dative ending","body":"Das Gleichgewicht, 'equilibrium, balance', is literally 'equal weight'. In tiefem Gleichgewichte carries the archaic dative -e ending on Gleichgewichte, a poetic form no longer used in modern German."}],"words":[{"surface":"gleich","lemma":"gleich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wirklich","gloss":"equally"},{"surface":"wirklich","lemma":"wirklich","morphology":"adjective, predicate, uninflected","role":"predicate complement of steht","gloss":"real"},{"surface":"steht","lemma":"stehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"stands"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on steht","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"tiefem","lemma":"tief","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gleichgewichte","gloss":"deep"},{"surface":"Gleichgewichte","lemma":"Gleichgewicht","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"equilibrium"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s3-l3","source":"als wären alle Stunden reif und reich?","translation":"as though all the hours were ripe and rich?","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als wären","title":"Unreal comparison with als","body":"Als plus the subjunctive wären, Konjunktiv II of sein, means 'as though', introducing a hypothesis. In this inverted form, als needs no ob and sends the verb wären directly into second position after it."}],"words":[{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on wären","gloss":"as though"},{"surface":"wären","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"were"},{"surface":"alle","lemma":"aller","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Stunden","gloss":"all"},{"surface":"Stunden","lemma":"Stunde","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"subject of wären","gloss":"hours"},{"surface":"reif","lemma":"reif","morphology":"adjective, predicate, uninflected","role":"predicate complement of wären","gloss":"ripe"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on reif","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"reich","lemma":"reich","morphology":"adjective, predicate, uninflected","role":"depends on und","gloss":"rich"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s4-l1","source":"Was weißt du, Steinerner, von unserm Sein?","translation":"What do you know, stone one, of our being?","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Steinerner","title":"An adjective used as a name","body":"Steinern means 'made of stone, stony'. Capitalized and given a noun ending, Steinerner becomes a form of address, 'you stone one'. German freely turns adjectives into nouns this way."}],"words":[{"surface":"Was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on weißt","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"weißt","lemma":"wissen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"know"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"subject of weißt","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"Steinerner","lemma":"steinern","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on du (address, substantivized adjective)","gloss":"stone one","note":"Substantivized adjective addressing the stone angel: 'you of stone.'"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on weißt","gloss":"of"},{"surface":"unserm","lemma":"unser","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Sein","gloss":"our"},{"surface":"Sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"being"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s4-l2","source":"und hältst du mit noch seligerm Gesichte","translation":"and do you hold, with a still more blessed face,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"mit noch seligerm Gesichte","title":"A comparative in the dative","body":"Selig means 'blessed, blissful'; seliger is its comparative, 'more blessed', and noch seliger means 'still more blessed'. The dative ending after mit contracts to seligerm, for seligerem, agreeing with Gesichte, itself an old dative -e form of das Gesicht."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on hältst","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"hältst","lemma":"halten","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"hold"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"subject of hältst","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hältst","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"noch","lemma":"noch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on seligerm","gloss":"still"},{"surface":"seligerm","lemma":"selig","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular, comparative","role":"depends on Gesichte","gloss":"more blessed"},{"surface":"Gesichte","lemma":"Gesicht","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"face"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"l-ange-du-meridien-s4-l3","source":"vielleicht die Tafel in die Nacht hinein?","translation":"perhaps the tablet out into the night?","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/l-ange-du-meridien-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"in die Nacht hinein","title":"Motion into, reinforced","body":"In die Nacht takes the accusative, marking motion toward, and the trailing hinein, 'into, in toward', reinforces the direction: in die Nacht hinein means 'right on into the night'. The verb is halten, 'to hold'."}],"words":[{"surface":"vielleicht","lemma":"vielleicht","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on hältst (s4-l2)","gloss":"perhaps"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Tafel","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Tafel","lemma":"Tafel","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on hältst (s4-l2)","gloss":"tablet"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hältst (s4-l2)","gloss":"into"},{"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 in","gloss":"night"},{"surface":"hinein","lemma":"hinein","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on hältst (s4-l2)","gloss":"into","note":"Reinforces 'in': together 'in die Nacht hinein' means 'out into the night.'"}]}]}