{"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":"persisches-heliotrop","title":{"source":"Persisches Heliotrop","translated":"Persian Heliotrope"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/persisches-heliotrop","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-flamingos","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/schlaflied","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":"persisches-heliotrop-s1-l1","source":"Es könnte sein, daß dir der Rose Lob","translation":"It could be that to you the rose's praise","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Es könnte sein, daß","title":"Conditional opening, subjunctive könnte","body":"könnte is Konjunktiv II of können, 'can', softening a statement into a supposition: 'it could be that...'. daß, the old spelling of dass, sends its verb to the clause's end, here erscheint two lines on. der Rose Lob fronts a genitive, 'the rose's praise'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on könnte","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"könnte","lemma":"können","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"could"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, infinitive","role":"depends on könnte","gloss":"be"},{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on erscheint","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"dir","lemma":"dir","morphology":"pronoun, dative, singular","role":"depends on erscheint","gloss":"to you"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Rose","gloss":"the","note":"Archaic word order: the genitive 'der Rose' (of the rose) is placed before the noun it modifies, 'Lob' — 'der Rose Lob' = 'the rose's praise'."},{"surface":"Rose","lemma":"Rose","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Lob","gloss":"rose"},{"surface":"Lob","lemma":"Lob","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on erscheint","gloss":"praise"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s1-l2","source":"zu laut erscheint für deine Freundin: nimm","translation":"seems too loud for your beloved: take","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"zu laut erscheint","title":"To seem, to appear","body":"erscheinen means 'to appear, to seem'; zu laut erscheint means '[the praise] seems too loud'. This is the verb the daß-clause has been waiting for since line 1: 'the rose's praise seems too loud for your beloved'. die Freundin is 'girlfriend, beloved'."}],"words":[{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on laut","gloss":"too"},{"surface":"laut","lemma":"laut","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on erscheint","gloss":"loud"},{"surface":"erscheint","lemma":"erscheinen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"seems"},{"surface":"für","lemma":"für","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on erscheint","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"deine","lemma":"dein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Freundin","gloss":"your"},{"surface":"Freundin","lemma":"Freundin","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on für","gloss":"beloved"},{"surface":"nimm","lemma":"nehmen","morphology":"verb, imperative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"take"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s1-l3","source":"das schön gestickte Kraut und überstimm","translation":"the prettily embroidered herb and outvote","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das schön gestickte Kraut","title":"The herb, finely embroidered","body":"das Kraut means 'herb, plant, leafy growth', here the heliotrope itself. gestickt is the past participle of sticken, 'to embroider'; schön gestickt means 'prettily embroidered', picturing the plant as needlework."}],"words":[{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Kraut","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"schön","lemma":"schön","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on gestickte","gloss":"prettily"},{"surface":"gestickte","lemma":"gestickt","morphology":"adjective, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Kraut","gloss":"embroidered"},{"surface":"Kraut","lemma":"Kraut","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"herb"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on überstimm","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"überstimm","lemma":"überstimmen","morphology":"verb, imperative, second-person, singular","role":"coordinated imperative, depends on und","gloss":"outvote","note":"Imperative of 'überstimmen' ('to outvote'), not an adverb or a noun 'Überstimm'."}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s1-l4","source":"mit dringend flüsterndem Heliotrop","translation":"with the urgently whispering heliotrope","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"überstimm mit … Heliotrop","title":"Inseparable verb, to outvote","body":"überstimm is the imperative of überstimmen, 'to outvote, overrule by voice'; über- stays fixed to the stem here, so the verb is inseparable. The command runs across the line break: überstimm ... den ßülbül, 'outvote the nightingale'."}],"words":[{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"dringend","lemma":"dringend","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on flüsterndem","gloss":"urgently"},{"surface":"flüsterndem","lemma":"flüsternd","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Heliotrop","gloss":"whispering"},{"surface":"Heliotrop","lemma":"Heliotrop","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"heliotrope"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s2-l1","source":"den ßülbül, der an ihren Lieblingsplätzen","translation":"the bülbül, who at her favorite haunts","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on ßülbül","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"ßülbül","lemma":"Bülbül","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"bülbül","note":"The lemma 'Bülbül' (Persian nightingale) is correct, but 'ß standing in for capital B' is not an attested German orthographic convention — this is more likely a scanning/transcription artifact in the source text than a deliberate 'old-type rendering.'"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on ßülbül","gloss":"who"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on der","gloss":"at"},{"surface":"ihren","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, dative, plural","role":"depends on Lieblingsplätzen","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"Lieblingsplätzen","lemma":"Lieblingsplatz","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on an","gloss":"favorite haunts"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s2-l2","source":"sie schreiend preist und sie nicht kennt.","translation":"praises her with shouts and does not know her.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sie schreiend preist","title":"Participle used as adverb","body":"preisen means 'to praise, extol'; sie ... preist means 'praises her'. schreiend is the present participle of schreien, 'to scream, shout', used adverbially: 'praising her with shouts'. und sie nicht kennt means 'and does not know her'."}],"words":[{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on preist","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"schreiend","lemma":"schreiend","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on preist","gloss":"shouting"},{"surface":"preist","lemma":"preisen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence, subject 'der' (previous line)","gloss":"praises"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on preist","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on kennt","gloss":"her"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on kennt","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"kennt","lemma":"kennen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"second main verb, coordinated with preist","gloss":"knows"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s2-l3","source":"Denn sieh: wie süße Worte nachts in Sätzen","translation":"For look: as sweet words at night, in sentences,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Denn sieh: wie …","title":"Wie opens a simile","body":"denn is the coordinating 'for, because', introducing a reason; sieh is the imperative of sehen, 'look!'. wie here opens a simile, 'as, just as', answered by so at the start of the third stanza. nachts, 'at night', is an adverbial genitive."}],"words":[{"surface":"Denn","lemma":"denn","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on sieh","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"sieh","lemma":"sehen","morphology":"verb, imperative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"look"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on beisammenstehn","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"süße","lemma":"süß","morphology":"adjective, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Worte","gloss":"sweet"},{"surface":"Worte","lemma":"Wort","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"subject of beisammenstehn","gloss":"words"},{"surface":"nachts","lemma":"nachts","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on beisammenstehn","gloss":"at night"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on beisammenstehn","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"Sätzen","lemma":"Satz","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"sentences"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s2-l4","source":"beisammenstehn ganz dicht, durch nichts getrennt,","translation":"stand all close together, by nothing parted,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"beisammenstehn … durch nichts getrennt","title":"Separable verb, standing together","body":"beisammenstehen, 'to stand together, side by side', is separable, beisammen- plus stehen; it is contracted to beisammenstehn for the meter. durch nichts getrennt, 'separated by nothing', uses getrennt, the past participle of trennen, 'to separate'."}],"words":[{"surface":"beisammenstehn","lemma":"beisammenstehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence, subject Worte (previous line)","gloss":"stand together"},{"surface":"ganz","lemma":"ganz","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on dicht","gloss":"quite"},{"surface":"dicht","lemma":"dicht","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on beisammenstehn","gloss":"close"},{"surface":"durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on getrennt","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"nichts","lemma":"nichts","morphology":"pronoun, neuter","role":"depends on durch","gloss":"nothing"},{"surface":"getrennt","lemma":"trennen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on beisammenstehn","gloss":"parted"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s2-l5","source":"aus der Vokale wachem Violett","translation":"out of the vowels' wakeful violet,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s2-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"aus der Vokale wachem Violett","title":"Genitive of the vowels, fronted","body":"der Vokale is the genitive plural of der Vokal, 'vowel', set before its noun: 'the vowels' violet'. wach means 'awake, wakeful'; the dative wachem Violett follows aus, 'out of'. das Violett is the color violet."}],"words":[{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Vokale","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Vokale","lemma":"Vokal","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Violett","gloss":"vowels'"},{"surface":"wachem","lemma":"wach","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Violett","gloss":"wakeful"},{"surface":"Violett","lemma":"Violett","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"violet"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s2-l6","source":"hindüftend durch das stille Himmelbett–:","translation":"wafting their scent through the silent canopied bed—:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s2-l6.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"hindüftend","title":"A coined verb for scent","body":"hindüftend is the present participle of a Rilkean coinage hinduften, hin-, 'away, forth', plus duften, 'to give off scent': 'wafting its fragrance forth'. das Himmelbett, literally 'heaven-bed', is a canopied bed, also punning on Himmel, 'sky'."}],"words":[{"surface":"hindüftend","lemma":"hindüftend","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on beisammenstehn","gloss":"wafting scent"},{"surface":"durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hindüftend","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Himmelbett–","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"stille","lemma":"still","morphology":"adjective, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Himmelbett–","gloss":"silent"},{"surface":"Himmelbett–","lemma":"Himmelbett","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on durch","gloss":"canopied bed"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s3-l1","source":"so schließen sich vor dem gesteppten Laube","translation":"so, before the quilted foliage, close","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"so schließen sich","title":"So answers the earlier wie","body":"so, 'so, thus', completes the simile begun with wie in the stanza before. sich schließen, 'to close, draw together', is reflexive; its subject, deutliche Sterne, arrives on the next line, so the verb stands before it."}],"words":[{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on schließen","gloss":"so"},{"surface":"schließen","lemma":"schließen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence, subject Sterne (next line)","gloss":"close"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural, reflexive","role":"depends on schließen","gloss":"themselves"},{"surface":"vor","lemma":"vor","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on schließen","gloss":"before"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Laube","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"gesteppten","lemma":"gesteppt","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Laube","gloss":"quilted"},{"surface":"Laube","lemma":"Laub","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on vor","gloss":"foliage","note":"Poetic dative form (archaic -e ending) of neuter 'Laub' (foliage) — not the feminine noun 'Laube' (arbor)."}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s3-l2","source":"deutliche Sterne zu der seidnen Traube","translation":"distinct stars into the silken cluster","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"zu der seidnen Traube","title":"Grape-cluster, silken","body":"sich schließen zu means 'to close up into, gather into'; die Traube is a 'grape-cluster, bunch'. zu der seidnen Traube means 'into the silken cluster', seidnen being a contracted dative of seiden, 'silken', shortened from seidenen for the verse."}],"words":[{"surface":"deutliche","lemma":"deutlich","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Sterne","gloss":"distinct"},{"surface":"Sterne","lemma":"Stern","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"subject of schließen","gloss":"stars"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Sterne","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Traube","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"seidnen","lemma":"seiden","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Traube","gloss":"silken"},{"surface":"Traube","lemma":"Traube","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on zu","gloss":"cluster"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s3-l3","source":"und mischen, daß sie fast davon verschwimmt,","translation":"and blend, so that it almost blurs from it,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"daß sie fast davon verschwimmt","title":"Daß of result, to blur","body":"mischen means 'to mix, blend'; daß here is consecutive, 'so that', giving the result: daß sie fast davon verschwimmt, 'so that it nearly blurs from it'. verschwimmen means 'to grow blurred, swim out of focus'; sie refers to die Stille, 'the silence'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on schließen","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"mischen","lemma":"mischen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"second main verb, coordinated with schließen","gloss":"blend"},{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on verschwimmt","gloss":"so that"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on verschwimmt","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"fast","lemma":"fast","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on davon","gloss":"almost"},{"surface":"davon","lemma":"davon","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verschwimmt","gloss":"from it"},{"surface":"verschwimmt","lemma":"verschwimmen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the daß-clause","gloss":"blurs"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"persisches-heliotrop-s3-l4","source":"die Stille mit Vanille und mit Zimt.","translation":"the silence with vanilla and with cinnamon.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/persisches-heliotrop-s3-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Stille mit Vanille und mit Zimt","title":"Closing object of mischen","body":"This line completes mischen: the stars 'blend the silence with vanilla and with cinnamon'. die Stille, 'the silence', is the object, mixed mit Vanille, 'with vanilla', und mit Zimt, 'and with cinnamon'."}],"words":[{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stille","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Stille","lemma":"Stille","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on mischen","gloss":"silence"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Stille","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"Vanille","lemma":"Vanille","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"vanilla"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on und","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"Zimt","lemma":"Zimt","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"cinnamon"}]}]}