{"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":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906","title":{"source":"Selbstbildnis aus dem Jahre 1906","translated":"Self-Portrait from the Year 1906"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/jugendbildnis-meines-vaters","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-koenig","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":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l1","source":"Des alten lange adligen Geschlechtes","translation":"Of the old, long-noble lineage,","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Des alten lange adligen Geschlechtes","title":"A genitive placed before its noun","body":"The phrase is genitive: des Geschlechtes means 'of the lineage', and the adjectives alten and adligen take the genitive ending -en to agree with it. Rilke places this genitive before the noun it depends on, Feststehendes, in the next line. Lange is an adverb here, 'long', modifying adligen, not an inflected adjective."}],"words":[{"surface":"Des","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Geschlechtes","gloss":"of the"},{"surface":"alten","lemma":"alt","morphology":"adjective, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Geschlechtes","gloss":"old"},{"surface":"lange","lemma":"lange","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on adligen","gloss":"long"},{"surface":"adligen","lemma":"adlig","morphology":"adjective, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Geschlechtes","gloss":"noble"},{"surface":"Geschlechtes","lemma":"Geschlecht","morphology":"noun, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"lineage"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l2","source":"Feststehendes im Augenbogenbau.","translation":"something fixed in the arch of the brow.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Feststehendes","title":"A verb turned into a noun","body":"Feststehendes nominalizes feststehend, 'fixed, settled', itself the present participle of feststehen, 'to stand firm'. Capitalized, it functions as a noun meaning 'something settled'. Augenbogenbau is a compound of Augenbogen, the brow ridge, and Bau, 'structure', naming the bony arch above the eye."}],"words":[{"surface":"Feststehendes","lemma":"feststehend","morphology":"noun (substantivized adjective), nominative, neuter, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"something fixed"},{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Feststehendes","gloss":"in the"},{"surface":"Augenbogenbau","lemma":"Augenbogenbau","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"arch of the brow"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l3","source":"Im Blicke noch der Kindheit Angst und Blau","translation":"In the gaze still childhood's fear and blue,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"der Kindheit Angst und Blau","title":"Genitive precedes two nouns","body":"Der Kindheit is a genitive, 'of childhood', placed before the nouns it modifies, Angst und Blau. This word order is equivalent to die Angst und das Blau der Kindheit, with the genitive following. Blau is a neuter noun here, 'the blue', paired with the abstract noun Angst, 'fear'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"in the"},{"surface":"Blicke","lemma":"Blick","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Im","gloss":"gaze"},{"surface":"noch","lemma":"noch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Angst","gloss":"still"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Kindheit","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Kindheit","lemma":"Kindheit","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Angst","gloss":"childhood's"},{"surface":"Angst","lemma":"Angst","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"continues the list begun by Feststehendes (previous line)","gloss":"fear"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Angst","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"Blau","lemma":"Blau","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"blue"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l4","source":"und Demut da und dort, nicht eines Knechtes,","translation":"and humility here and there, not a serf's,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"connects Demut to the list (Feststehendes, Angst, Blau)","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"Demut","lemma":"Demut","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"humility"},{"surface":"da","lemma":"da","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Demut","gloss":"here"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on da","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"dort","lemma":"dort","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on und","gloss":"there"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on Knechtes","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"eines","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Knechtes","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Knechtes","lemma":"Knecht","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Demut (describes the kind of humility)","gloss":"serf's"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l5","source":"doch eines Dienenden und einer Frau.","translation":"but that of one who serves, and of a woman.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"eines Dienenden","title":"Nominalized participle in genitive","body":"Dienenden nominalizes the participle dienend, 'serving', from dienen, 'to serve'. In the genitive, eines Dienenden means 'of one who serves'. It appears alongside einer Frau, 'of a woman', both genitives depending on Demut, 'humility', named earlier in the sentence."}],"words":[{"surface":"doch","lemma":"doch","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Dienenden","gloss":"but"},{"surface":"eines","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Dienenden","gloss":"of one"},{"surface":"Dienenden","lemma":"dienend","morphology":"noun (substantivized participle), genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Demut (parallel to eines Knechtes, previous line)","gloss":"who serves"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Dienenden","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"einer","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Frau","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Frau","lemma":"Frau","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"woman"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l6","source":"Der Mund als Mund gemacht, groß und genau,","translation":"The mouth made as a mouth, large and exact,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l6.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als Mund gemacht","title":"Meaning as intended to be","body":"Als here means 'as, in the sense of being made to be'. Der Mund als Mund gemacht means 'the mouth made precisely as a mouth'. Gemacht is the past participle of machen, 'to make', used as an adjective with the verb sein left unstated."}],"words":[{"surface":"Der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Mund","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Mund","lemma":"Mund","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"mouth"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on gemacht","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"Mund","lemma":"Mund","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on als","gloss":"a mouth"},{"surface":"gemacht","lemma":"machen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on Mund","gloss":"made"},{"surface":"groß","lemma":"groß","morphology":"adjective, predicate (uninflected)","role":"depends on gemacht","gloss":"large"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on groß","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"genau","lemma":"genau","morphology":"adjective, predicate (uninflected)","role":"depends on und","gloss":"exact"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l7","source":"nicht überredend, aber ein Gerechtes","translation":"not persuading, but a just thing","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l7.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"überredend","title":"Persuade by pressure, not reason","body":"Überreden means 'to talk someone into something, to persuade by pressure', distinct from überzeugen, 'to convince by reason'. Nicht überredend means 'not persuading' in that pressuring sense. Ein Gerechtes nominalizes the adjective gerecht, 'just, righteous', meaning 'a just thing', completed by Aussagendes in the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on überredend","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"überredend","lemma":"überreden","morphology":"verb, participle, predicate (uninflected)","role":"depends on Mund (parallel to gemacht)","gloss":"persuading"},{"surface":"aber","lemma":"aber","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates überredend with Aussagendes (next line)","gloss":"but"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Aussagendes (next line)","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Gerechtes","lemma":"gerecht","morphology":"adjective (substantivized), accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Aussagendes (next line) — object of aussagend","gloss":"something just","note":"ein Gerechtes Aussagendes spans the line break: 'Gerechtes' is what is stated (its object), and 'Aussagendes' (next line) is the head — literally 'a thing stating something just'."}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l8","source":"Aussagendes. Die Stirne ohne Schlechtes","translation":"uttering. The forehead without anything base","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l8.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ein Gerechtes Aussagendes","title":"A participle completed next line","body":"Aussagendes, from aussagen, 'to state, to declare', completes the phrase begun in the previous line: ein Gerechtes Aussagendes means 'something that states what is just'. The sentence runs over the line break before its meaning is complete. Ohne Schlechtes uses Schlechtes, the nominalized form of schlecht, 'bad', meaning 'without anything bad'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Aussagendes","lemma":"aussagend","morphology":"verb, participle, substantivized, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"predicate of Der Mund, continues ein Gerechtes (previous line)","gloss":"uttering"},{"surface":"Die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Stirne","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Stirne","lemma":"Stirne","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"forehead"},{"surface":"ohne","lemma":"ohne","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Stirne","gloss":"without"},{"surface":"Schlechtes","lemma":"schlecht","morphology":"noun (substantivized adjective), accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on ohne","gloss":"anything base"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l9","source":"und gern im Schatten stiller Niederschau.","translation":"and glad in the shadow of a quiet looking-down.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s1-l9.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Niederschau","title":"A compound coined by Rilke","body":"Niederschau combines nieder, 'downward', with Schau, 'a looking', related to schauen, 'to look'. It names a lowered, downward gaze. Gern is an adverb here meaning 'gladly, willingly'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"coordinates with ohne Schlechtes (previous line)","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"gern","lemma":"gern","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Stirne (predicate, parallel to ohne Schlechtes)","gloss":"glad"},{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Stirne (predicate)","gloss":"in the"},{"surface":"Schatten","lemma":"Schatten","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"shadow"},{"surface":"stiller","lemma":"still","morphology":"adjective, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Niederschau","gloss":"quiet"},{"surface":"Niederschau","lemma":"Niederschau","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Schatten","gloss":"looking-down"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s2-l1","source":"Das, als Zusammenhang, erst nur geahnt;","translation":"This, as a whole, only sensed as yet;","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"als Zusammenhang","title":"A noun meaning coherent whole","body":"Zusammenhang means 'connection, context, a coherent whole', literally a hanging together. Als Zusammenhang means 'as one coherent thing'. Geahnt is the past participle of ahnen, 'to sense, to have a presentiment of'; erst nur geahnt means 'as yet only sensed'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on geahnt","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Das","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"Zusammenhang","lemma":"Zusammenhang","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on als","gloss":"whole"},{"surface":"erst","lemma":"erst","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on geahnt","gloss":"as yet"},{"surface":"nur","lemma":"nur","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on geahnt","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"geahnt","lemma":"ahnen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"sensed"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s2-l2","source":"noch nie im Leiden oder im Gelingen","translation":"never yet in suffering or in success","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"im Gelingen","title":"Infinitive used as a noun","body":"Gelingen is the nominalized infinitive of gelingen, 'to succeed, to turn out well', used here as a neuter noun meaning 'success'. It is paired with Leiden, 'suffering', in im Leiden oder im Gelingen, 'in suffering or in success'."}],"words":[{"surface":"noch","lemma":"noch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nie","gloss":"yet"},{"surface":"nie","lemma":"nie","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on zusammgefaßt (next line)","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on zusammgefaßt (next line)","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"Leiden","lemma":"leiden","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"suffering"},{"surface":"oder","lemma":"oder","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on im","gloss":"or"},{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on oder","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"Gelingen","lemma":"gelingen","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"success"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s2-l3","source":"zusammgefaßt zu dauerndem Durchdringen,","translation":"gathered into a lasting penetration,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"dauerndem Durchdringen","title":"An elided participle and a noun","body":"Zusammgefaßt is an elided spelling of zusammengefaßt, the past participle of zusammenfassen, 'to gather, to sum up'. It governs the dative phrase zu dauerndem Durchdringen. Durchdringen, from durchdringen, 'to pierce through, to permeate', is used as a noun meaning 'penetration'."}],"words":[{"surface":"zusammgefaßt","lemma":"zusammenfassen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"predicate of Das (parallel to geahnt, s2-l1)","gloss":"gathered","note":"zusammgefaßt is an elided spelling of zusammengefaßt, the past participle of zusammenfassen ('to gather, to sum up')."},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on zusammgefaßt","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"dauerndem","lemma":"dauernd","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Durchdringen","gloss":"lasting"},{"surface":"Durchdringen","lemma":"Durchdringen","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on zu","gloss":"penetration"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s2-l4","source":"doch so, als wäre mit zerstreuten Dingen","translation":"yet as if, with scattered things,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als wäre","title":"Word order after als","body":"Als wäre means 'as though... were', the past subjunctive, Konjunktiv II, of sein, 'to be', after als. In such clauses German places the verb right after als instead of at the end of the clause. Zerstreuten is the dative plural of zerstreut, 'scattered'."}],"words":[{"surface":"doch","lemma":"doch","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on so","gloss":"yet"},{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wäre (correlative with als)","gloss":"so"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on wäre","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"wäre","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"auxiliary of geplant (next line) — forms the subjunctive passive 'wäre geplant'","gloss":"were"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on geplant (next line)","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"zerstreuten","lemma":"zerstreut","morphology":"adjective, dative, plural","role":"depends on Dingen","gloss":"scattered"},{"surface":"Dingen","lemma":"Ding","morphology":"noun, dative, plural","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"things"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s2-l5","source":"von fern ein Ernstes, Wirkliches geplant.","translation":"from afar something serious, something real, were planned.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/selbstbildnis-aus-dem-jahre-1906-s2-l5.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ein Ernstes, Wirkliches geplant","title":"Subject of the passive subjunctive","body":"The clause begun with wäre in the previous line ends here. Its subject is ein Ernstes, Wirkliches, two neuter nominalized adjectives meaning 'something serious, something real'. Together with wäre, geplant forms a passive subjunctive, wäre geplant, 'were planned'. Von fern means 'from a distance' and modifies geplant."}],"words":[{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on geplant","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"fern","lemma":"fern","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on von","gloss":"afar"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Ernstes","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Ernstes","lemma":"ernst","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of geplant","gloss":"serious thing"},{"surface":"Wirkliches","lemma":"wirklich","morphology":"noun (substantivized adjective), nominative, neuter, singular","role":"coordinated with Ernstes, subject of geplant","gloss":"something real"},{"surface":"geplant","lemma":"planen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"main verb of the clause (with wäre, previous line, forms the subjunctive passive)","gloss":"planned"}]}]}