{"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":"naechtliche-fahrt","title":{"source":"Nächtliche Fahrt","translated":"Night Drive"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt","lines":25},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/lied-vom-meer","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/papageienpark","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":"naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l1","source":"Damals als wir mit den glatten Trabern","translation":"Back then, when we, with the sleek trotters","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Damals als","title":"Adverb and conjunction open the poem","body":"damals means 'then, back then'; the subordinating conjunction als introduces a single completed event in the past, 'when'. The whole poem hangs on this opening clause, whose main verb does not arrive until much later."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Traber","title":"A word for trotting horses","body":"A Traber is a trotting horse, bred and driven to trot rather than gallop, pulling a light carriage. mit den glatten Trabern means 'with the sleek trotters', dative plural after mit, which always takes the dative."}],"words":[{"surface":"Damals","lemma":"damals","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on fuhren (line 6)","gloss":"back then"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on fuhren (line 6), introduces the clause","gloss":"when"},{"surface":"wir","lemma":"wir","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"subject of fuhren (line 6)","gloss":"we"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on fuhren (line 6)","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Trabern","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"glatten","lemma":"glatt","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Trabern","gloss":"sleek"},{"surface":"Trabern","lemma":"Traber","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"trotters"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l2","source":"(schwarzen, aus dem Orloffschen Gestüt)–,","translation":"(black ones, from the Orlov stud)—,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das Gestüt","title":"A word for a horse-breeding farm","body":"Gestüt means 'stud, stud farm', an establishment that breeds horses. aus dem Orloffschen Gestüt means 'from the Orlov stud', the dative after aus, 'out of, from'."}],"words":[{"surface":"schwarzen","lemma":"schwarz","morphology":"adjective used as noun, dative, plural","role":"in apposition to Trabern (previous line)","gloss":"black ones"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on schwarzen","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gestüt","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Orloffschen","lemma":"orloffsch","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gestüt","gloss":"Orlov"},{"surface":"Gestüt)–","lemma":"Gestüt","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"stud"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l3","source":"während hinter hohen Kandelabern","translation":"while behind tall candelabra","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"während","title":"Subordinator sends verb far ahead","body":"The subordinating conjunction während, 'while', opens a parallel clause and sends its verb to the very end, here lagen in the next line. Read the whole span as one unit: 'while behind tall candelabra the city's night-fronts lay'."}],"words":[{"surface":"während","lemma":"während","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on lagen (next line)","gloss":"while"},{"surface":"hinter","lemma":"hinter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on lagen (next line)","gloss":"behind"},{"surface":"hohen","lemma":"hoch","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Kandelabern","gloss":"tall"},{"surface":"Kandelabern","lemma":"Kandelaber","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on hinter","gloss":"candelabra"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l4","source":"Stadtnachtfronten lagen, angefrüht","translation":"the city's night-fronts lay, made early,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Stadtnachtfronten","title":"A coined three-part compound","body":"Stadtnachtfronten stacks Stadt, 'city', Nacht, 'night', and Fronten, 'building fronts', into one word, 'the night-time fronts of the city'. German lets a poet build such a noun on the spot; English needs a phrase to unpack it."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"angefrüht","title":"An invented past participle","body":"angefrüht is a Rilke invention, a past participle built as though from a verb anfrühen, from früh, 'early': the fronts have been 'made early, brought on too soon', a pale light of a northern white night."}],"words":[{"surface":"Stadtnachtfronten","lemma":"Stadtnachtfront","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"subject of lagen","gloss":"the city's night-fronts"},{"surface":"lagen","lemma":"liegen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the während-clause (während...lagen)","gloss":"lay"},{"surface":"angefrüht","lemma":"anfrühen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"predicate complement of lagen, coordinate with stumm and gemäß (next line)","gloss":"made early"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l5","source":"stumm und keiner Stunde mehr gemäß–,","translation":"mute and answering to no hour anymore—,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"keiner Stunde gemäß","title":"Gemäß governs the dative","body":"gemäß, 'in accordance with, conforming to', takes the dative and usually follows its noun, keiner Stunde gemäß, 'conforming to no hour'. The façades belong to no hour of the clock, a sign that time is breaking down."}],"words":[{"surface":"stumm","lemma":"stumm","morphology":"adjective, predicate","role":"predicate complement of lagen (line 4), coordinate with angefrüht and gemäß","gloss":"mute"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on stumm","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"keiner","lemma":"kein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stunde","gloss":"no"},{"surface":"Stunde","lemma":"Stunde","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on gemäß","gloss":"hour"},{"surface":"mehr","lemma":"mehr","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on gemäß","gloss":"anymore"},{"surface":"gemäß–","lemma":"gemäß","morphology":"adjective, predicate (governs dative)","role":"predicate complement of lagen (line 4), coordinate with stumm and angefrüht","gloss":"answering to"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l6","source":"fuhren, nein: vergingen oder flogen","translation":"we drove, no: passed away or flew","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l6.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"fuhren","title":"The verb the opening clause waited for","body":"fuhren, 'we drove', is finally the finite verb of the als wir clause begun in line one; the long parenthesis is over. The poet then corrects himself with nein, 'no', replacing 'drove' with vergingen oder flogen, 'passed away or flew'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"vergehen","title":"A verb for passing away","body":"vergehen means 'to pass, elapse, fade, perish'; its past tense is vergingen. The word recurs through the poem, describing statues and finally the city itself, making 'passing away' the drive's true subject."}],"words":[{"surface":"fuhren","lemma":"fahren","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the als-clause (als wir...fuhren)","gloss":"drove"},{"surface":"nein","lemma":"nein","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on fuhren","gloss":"no"},{"surface":"vergingen","lemma":"vergehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"self-correction of fuhren, coordinate with flogen","gloss":"passed away"},{"surface":"oder","lemma":"oder","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on vergingen","gloss":"or"},{"surface":"flogen","lemma":"fliegen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"coordinate with vergingen","gloss":"flew"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l7","source":"und um lastende Paläste bogen","translation":"and rounded the looming palaces","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l7.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"biegen","title":"A verb for rounding a corner","body":"biegen means 'to bend, turn'; with um it means 'to round a corner or building'. Its past tense is bogen. lastend, 'looming', is the present participle of lasten, 'to weigh down'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates bogen with fuhren/vergingen/flogen (previous line)","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on bogen","gloss":"around"},{"surface":"lastende","lemma":"lastend","morphology":"adjective, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Paläste","gloss":"looming"},{"surface":"Paläste","lemma":"Palast","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on um","gloss":"palaces"},{"surface":"bogen","lemma":"biegen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"coordinate with fuhren (line 6, main verb of the als-clause)","gloss":"curved"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l8","source":"in das Wehn der Newa-Quais,","translation":"into the wind off the Neva quays,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s1-l8.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das Wehn","title":"A noun made from a verb","body":"das Wehn, also spelled Wehen, is a noun made from wehen, 'to blow, waft': 'the blowing, the breath of wind'. in das Wehn der Newa-Quais means 'into the wind off the Neva quays', the embankments of St Petersburg."}],"words":[{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on bogen (previous line)","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Wehn","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Wehn","lemma":"Wehn","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"wind"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, plural","role":"depends on Newa-Quais","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Newa-Quais","lemma":"Newa-Quai","morphology":"noun, genitive, plural","role":"depends on Wehn","gloss":"Neva quays"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l1","source":"hingerissen durch das wache Nachten,","translation":"swept away through the waking night-ness,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"hingerissen","title":"One participle, two meanings","body":"hingerissen is the past participle of the separable verb hinreißen, literally 'to sweep away', figuratively 'to enrapture, carry away'. Both senses apply, the riders physically swept along and inwardly enraptured by the night."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das Nachten","title":"A coined verbal noun","body":"Rilke turns the noun Nacht, 'night', into a verbal noun, das Nachten, 'the nighting', night treated as an ongoing process rather than a thing. das wache Nachten means 'the waking nighting', a night that is somehow alert."}],"words":[{"surface":"hingerissen","lemma":"hinreißen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"modifies wir (subject of fuhren, line s1-l1/s1-l6)","gloss":"swept away"},{"surface":"durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hingerissen","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Nachten","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"wache","lemma":"wach","morphology":"adjective, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Nachten","gloss":"waking"},{"surface":"Nachten","lemma":"Nachten","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on durch","gloss":"night-ness"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l2","source":"das nicht Himmel und nicht Erde hat,–","translation":"that has neither sky nor earth,—","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"nicht … und nicht …","title":"Doubled nicht for neither nor","body":"Doubled nicht works like English 'neither nor', nicht Himmel und nicht Erde, 'neither sky nor earth'. The relative clause das hat refers back to das Nachten, a night holding neither heaven above nor ground below."}],"words":[{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of hat; refers to Nachten (previous line)","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on Himmel","gloss":"no"},{"surface":"Himmel","lemma":"Himmel","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on hat","gloss":"sky"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Himmel","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on Erde","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"Erde","lemma":"Erde","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"earth"},{"surface":"hat,–","lemma":"haben","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the relative clause (das...hat)","gloss":"has"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l3","source":"als das Drängende von unbewachten","translation":"as the urging thing from unwatched","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"das Drängende","title":"Participle turned into a noun","body":"drängend, 'pressing, urging', is a present participle used here as a neuter noun, das Drängende, 'the urging thing'. German freely nominalizes participles this way; als das Drängende aufstieg means 'as the urging thing rose up'."}],"words":[{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"introduces a temporal clause completed beyond this batch (verb: aufstieg)","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Drängende","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Drängende","lemma":"drängen","morphology":"noun (substantivized participle), nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of aufstieg (verb beyond this batch)","gloss":"the urging thing"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Drängende","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"unbewachten","lemma":"unbewacht","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on von","gloss":"unwatched"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l4","source":"Gärten gärend aus dem Ljetnij-Ssad","translation":"gardens, fermenting, up from the Letny Sad","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"gärend","title":"Gären means to ferment","body":"gärend is the present participle of gären, 'to ferment, seethe, work'. The pairing Gärten gärend, 'gardens fermenting', is a deliberate echo between the two words, letting the verb seem to grow out of the noun."}],"words":[{"surface":"Gärten","lemma":"Garten","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on von (previous line)","gloss":"gardens"},{"surface":"gärend","lemma":"gärend","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Gärten","gloss":"fermenting"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on aufstieg (verb beyond this batch)","gloss":"up from"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Ljetnij-Ssad","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Ljetnij-Ssad","lemma":"Ljetnij-Ssad","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"Letny Sad"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l5","source":"aufstieg, während seine Steinfiguren","translation":"rose up, while its stone figures","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"aufstieg","title":"Past tense of a separable verb","body":"aufstieg is the past tense of the separable verb aufsteigen, 'to rise, climb, ascend'. In this subordinate als-clause the whole verb stands together at the end, completing als das Drängende aufstieg, 'as the urging thing rose up'."}],"words":[{"surface":"aufstieg","lemma":"aufsteigen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"rose up"},{"surface":"während","lemma":"während","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on vergingen","gloss":"while"},{"surface":"seine","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, plural","role":"depends on Steinfiguren","gloss":"its"},{"surface":"Steinfiguren","lemma":"Steinfigur","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, plural","role":"subject of vergingen","gloss":"stone figures"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l6","source":"schwindend mit ohnmächtigen Konturen","translation":"dwindling, with powerless contours,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l6.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"schwinden","title":"A verb for fading away","body":"schwindend is the present participle of schwinden, 'to dwindle, vanish, waste away'. mit ohnmächtigen Konturen means 'with powerless contours': ohnmächtig means both 'unconscious, fainting' and 'powerless'."}],"words":[{"surface":"schwindend","lemma":"schwinden","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on Steinfiguren","gloss":"dwindling"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on schwindend","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"ohnmächtigen","lemma":"ohnmächtig","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Konturen","gloss":"powerless"},{"surface":"Konturen","lemma":"Kontur","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"contours"}]},{"number":15,"label":"15","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l7","source":"hinter uns vergingen, wie wir fuhren–:","translation":"passed away behind us, as we drove—:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s2-l7.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wie wir fuhren","title":"Wie used to mean while","body":"Here wie works temporally, 'as, while', so wie wir fuhren means 'as we drove'. The verb fuhren again closes its clause. The colon and dash open the way to the poem's long-delayed main statement."}],"words":[{"surface":"hinter","lemma":"hinter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on vergingen","gloss":"behind"},{"surface":"uns","lemma":"uns","morphology":"pronoun, dative, plural","role":"depends on hinter","gloss":"us"},{"surface":"vergingen","lemma":"vergehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"passed away"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on fuhren","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"wir","lemma":"wir","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on fuhren","gloss":"we"},{"surface":"fuhren–","lemma":"fahren","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, first-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"drove"}]},{"number":16,"label":"16","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s3-l1","source":"damals hörte diese Stadt","translation":"back then this city ceased","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"hörte … auf","title":"The main clause finally arrives","body":"After all the suspended als, während, and wie clauses, the grammatical spine lands here. damals picks up the poem's first word; hörte diese Stadt auf zu sein means 'this city ceased to be'."}],"words":[{"surface":"damals","lemma":"damals","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on hörte","gloss":"back then"},{"surface":"hörte","lemma":"aufhören","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"ceased"},{"surface":"diese","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stadt","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"Stadt","lemma":"Stadt","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on hörte","gloss":"city"}]},{"number":17,"label":"17","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s3-l2","source":"auf zu sein. Auf einmal gab sie zu,","translation":"to be. All at once it admitted","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"aufhören zu sein","title":"Aufhören zu plus infinitive","body":"aufhören, 'to stop, cease', takes zu plus an infinitive, aufhören zu sein, 'to cease to be'. The prefix separated in the line before rejoins here. Then Auf einmal, 'all at once', and zugeben, 'to admit': gab sie zu, 'it admitted'."}],"words":[{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on hörte","gloss":"cease","note":"Separable prefix of aufhören ('to cease'), completing hörte from the previous line."},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on sein","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on hörte","gloss":"be"},{"surface":"Auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on gab","gloss":"at","note":"\"Auf einmal\" is an idiom meaning \"suddenly, all at once.\""},{"surface":"einmal","lemma":"einmal","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Auf","gloss":"once"},{"surface":"gab","lemma":"zugeben","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"admitted"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on gab","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on gab","gloss":"admit","note":"Separable prefix of zugeben ('to admit'), paired with gab."}]},{"number":18,"label":"18","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s3-l3","source":"daß sie niemals war, um nichts als Ruh","translation":"that it never was, pleading for nothing","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"daß sie niemals war","title":"Daß introduces the confession","body":"daß, spelled with ß as Rilke wrote it, today dass, means 'that', and introduces what the city admits, sending its verb to the end, daß sie niemals war, 'that it never was'. um nichts als Ruh means 'for nothing but rest'."}],"words":[{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on war","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on war","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"niemals","lemma":"niemals","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on war","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"war","lemma":"sein","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was"},{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on flehend","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"nichts","lemma":"nichts","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on um","gloss":"nothing"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Ruh","gloss":"but"},{"surface":"Ruh","lemma":"Ruhe","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on als","gloss":"rest"}]},{"number":19,"label":"19","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s3-l4","source":"flehend; wie ein Irrer, dem das Wirrn","translation":"but rest; like a madman whom the tangle","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"flehen","title":"A verb for pleading","body":"flehend is the present participle of flehen, 'to beg, implore, plead', which takes um for what is begged, um nichts als Ruh flehend, 'pleading for nothing but rest'. The city begs only to be let stop existing."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"ein Irrer; das Wirrn","title":"A madman and a coined noun","body":"ein Irrer means 'a madman, a deranged person', from irre, 'astray, insane'. das Wirrn is a Rilke coinage for the tangle or confusion, related to wirr, 'confused'. The relative dem is dative, 'the madman for whom the tangle'."}],"words":[{"surface":"flehend","lemma":"flehen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on war","gloss":"pleading"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on Irrer","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Irrer","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Irrer","lemma":"Irrer","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"madman"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on entwirrt","gloss":"whom"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Wirrn","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Wirrn","lemma":"Wirrn","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of entwirrt","gloss":"confusion"}]},{"number":20,"label":"20","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s3-l5","source":"plötzlich sich entwirrt, das ihn verriet,","translation":"that betrayed him suddenly unravels,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s3-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"sich entwirren","title":"Reflexive verb, to unravel","body":"sich entwirren, 'to disentangle itself', is the reflexive of entwirren. das Wirrn entwirrt sich plötzlich means 'the tangle suddenly untangles'. das ihn verriet, 'that betrayed him', describes the confusion that had given the madman away."}],"words":[{"surface":"plötzlich","lemma":"plötzlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on entwirrt","gloss":"suddenly"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on entwirrt","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"entwirrt","lemma":"entwirren","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"unravels"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on verriet","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"ihn","lemma":"ihn","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on verriet","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"verriet","lemma":"verraten","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"betrayed"}]},{"number":21,"label":"21","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s4-l1","source":"und der einen jahrelangen kranken","translation":"and who feels a years-long, sick,","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"und der … fallen fühlt","title":"Relative pronoun tracking the madman","body":"der, 'who', still refers to ein Irrer, the madman. The accusative object einen jahrelangen kranken Gedanken, 'a years-long, sick thought', stretches across three lines before its verbs, fallen fühlt, arrive at the end."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of fühlt","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"einen","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gedanken","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"jahrelangen","lemma":"jahrelang","morphology":"adjective, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gedanken","gloss":"years-long"},{"surface":"kranken","lemma":"krank","morphology":"adjective, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gedanken","gloss":"sick"}]},{"number":22,"label":"22","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s4-l2","source":"gar nicht zu verwandelnden Gedanken,","translation":"wholly unchangeable thought,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"zu verwandelnden","title":"A gerundive expressing possibility","body":"der zu verwandelnde Gedanke means 'the thought to be changed'; zu plus a declined present participle expresses obligation or possibility. With gar nicht it negates fully, 'a thought not at all to be changed'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"verwandeln","title":"A recurring word for change","body":"verwandeln means 'to transform, change, transmute', a recurring Rilke word. Here the fixed delusion is gar nicht zu verwandeln, incapable of being transformed, until it simply drops away like the city's existence."}],"words":[{"surface":"gar","lemma":"gar","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nicht","gloss":"at all"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on verwandelnden","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on verwandelnden","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"verwandelnden","lemma":"verwandelnd","morphology":"adjective, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gedanken","gloss":"changeable"},{"surface":"Gedanken","lemma":"Gedanke","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"object of fühlt","gloss":"thought"}]},{"number":23,"label":"23","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s4-l3","source":"den er nie mehr denken muß: Granit–","translation":"that he need never think again: granite—","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"nie mehr","title":"Never again, plus a colon","body":"nie mehr means 'never again, no more'. The relative clause den er nie mehr denken muß means 'that he need never think again'. After the colon, Granit, 'granite', names what the released thought has become."}],"words":[{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on denken","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"er","lemma":"er","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on muß","gloss":"he"},{"surface":"nie","lemma":"nie","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on denken","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"mehr","lemma":"mehr","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nie","gloss":"again"},{"surface":"denken","lemma":"denken","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on muß","gloss":"think"},{"surface":"muß","lemma":"müssen","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"must"},{"surface":"Granit–","lemma":"Granit","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gedanken","gloss":"granite"}]},{"number":24,"label":"24","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s4-l4","source":"aus dem leeren schwankenden Gehirn","translation":"from the empty, swaying brain","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s4-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"schwankend","title":"Schwanken means to sway","body":"schwankend is the present participle of schwanken, 'to sway, totter, waver'. aus dem leeren schwankenden Gehirn means 'out of the empty, swaying brain', dative after aus. The petrified thought drops from the reeling mind."}],"words":[{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on fallen","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gehirn","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"leeren","lemma":"leer","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gehirn","gloss":"empty"},{"surface":"schwankenden","lemma":"schwankend","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gehirn","gloss":"swaying"},{"surface":"Gehirn","lemma":"Gehirn","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"brain"}]},{"number":25,"label":"25","id":"naechtliche-fahrt-s4-l5","source":"fallen fühlt, bis man ihn nicht mehr sieht.","translation":"fall, until one sees it no more.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/naechtliche-fahrt-s4-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"fallen fühlt","title":"Perception verb with bare infinitive","body":"Verbs of perception like fühlen, 'to feel', take a bare infinitive without zu, fühlt fallen, 'feels it fall'. These are the long-awaited verbs of the final sentence. bis man ihn nicht mehr sieht means 'until one sees it no more'."}],"words":[{"surface":"fallen","lemma":"fallen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on fühlt","gloss":"fall"},{"surface":"fühlt","lemma":"fühlen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"feels"},{"surface":"bis","lemma":"bis","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on sieht","gloss":"until"},{"surface":"man","lemma":"man","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, singular","role":"depends on sieht","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"ihn","lemma":"ihn","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on sieht","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on sieht","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"mehr","lemma":"mehr","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nicht","gloss":"more"},{"surface":"sieht","lemma":"sehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"sees"}]}]}