# Spanische Tänzerin · Spanish Dancer

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/spanische-taenzerin. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/spanische-taenzerin.json. Audio: https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/<line id>.m4a.

**1** Wie in der Hand ein Schwefelzündholz, weiß,  
As in the hand a sulphur match, still white,
> A compound word for a match: Schwefelzündholz is an older compound for 'a sulphur match', joining Schwefel, 'sulphur', and Zündholz, 'a match for lighting fires'. weiß, 'white', describes its unlit head before it catches flame.

**2** eh es zur Flamme kommt, nach allen Seiten  
before it comes to flame, to every side
> A shortened word for before: eh is the shortened poetic form of ehe, 'before', a subordinating conjunction. eh es zur Flamme kommt means 'before it comes to flame', with kommt, 'comes', held to the end of its clause.

**3** zuckende Zungen streckt–: beginnt im Kreis  
thrusts out its twitching tongues—: so, ringed about
> zuckend, twitching: zuckend is the present participle of zucken, 'to twitch' or 'flicker', used adjectivally before Zungen, 'tongues'. zuckende Zungen, 'twitching tongues', is the accusative plural object of streckt, 'thrusts out'.
> Verb-first after a colon: beginnt, 'begins', opens this clause with the verb first rather than the subject, a construction that can follow a colon or dash marking a new development. im Kreis, 'in the circle', is dative after im, marking the enclosing space.

**4** naher Beschauer hastig, hell und heiß  
by close onlookers, hurried, bright and hot,
> der Beschauer, an onlooker: der Beschauer means 'onlooker' or 'observer', from beschauen, 'to view' or 'look at closely'. naher Beschauer, 'of close onlookers', is genitive plural, naming the agents by whom the dance is watched.

**5** ihr runder Tanz sich zuckend auszubreiten.  
her rounded dance to spread itself, twitching.
> sich ausbreiten, to spread itself: sich ausbreiten means 'to spread oneself out' or 'expand'. auszubreiten is its zu-infinitive, with zu inserted between the prefix aus and the stem breiten, as required for all separable verbs.


**6** Und plötzlich ist er Flamme ganz und gar.  
And suddenly it is flame, wholly and entire.
> Predicate noun without an article: ist er Flamme uses Flamme, 'flame', as a predicate noun without an article, a common pattern for naming what something becomes entirely: 'it is flame'. ganz und gar, 'wholly and entirely', reinforces the completeness.


**7** Mit ihrem Blick entzündet sie ihr Haar  
With her gaze she sets her own hair alight
> entzünden, to set alight: entzünden means 'to ignite' or 'set alight', formed from zünden, 'to kindle', with the prefix ent-. entzündet is its third-person present, agreeing with sie, 'she', as its subject.

**8** und dreht auf einmal mit gewagter Kunst  
and all at once, with daring artistry, turns
> gewagt, daring: gewagt is the past participle of wagen, 'to dare', used here as an adjective meaning 'daring' or 'risky'. mit gewagter Kunst, 'with daring artistry', is dative after mit, 'with'.

**9** ihr ganzes Kleid in diese Feuersbrunst,  
her whole dress into this conflagration,
> A word for a great blaze: die Feuersbrunst is a more literary word for fire than das Feuer, meaning 'a great blaze' or 'conflagration'. diese Feuersbrunst is accusative after in, 'into', marking a change of state.

**10** aus welcher sich, wie Schlangen, die erschrecken,  
out of which, like snakes that take fright,
> welcher after a preposition: welcher is the relative pronoun 'which', dative feminine here after aus, 'out of', referring back to Feuersbrunst. wie Schlangen, die erschrecken, 'like snakes that take fright', is a comparison inserted inside the relative clause.

**11** die nackten Arme wach und klappernd strecken.  
the naked arms stretch out, awake and clattering.
> A participle for clattering: klappernd is the present participle of klappern, 'to clatter' or 'rattle', used here as an adverb describing how the arms stretch out. wach und klappernd, 'awake and clattering', pairs it with wach, 'awake'.


**12** Und dann: als würde ihr das Feuer knapp,  
And then: as though the fire were running short for her,
> An unreal comparison, verb first: als introduces an unreal comparison and sends the verb to the front when ob is dropped: als würde, 'as though it were'. würde is the subjunctive of werden, and ihr das Feuer knapp means 'the fire were running short for her', with ihr as the dative of the person affected.

**13** nimmt sie es ganz zusamm und wirft es ab  
she gathers it all up and flings it off
> Two separable verbs in one line: zusammennehmen, 'to gather up', and abwerfen, 'to throw off', are both separable, each splitting its prefix to the clause's end: nimmt … zusamm and wirft … ab. zusamm here is the poetic short form of zusammen.

**14** sehr herrisch, mit hochmütiger Gebärde  
most imperiously, with a haughty gesture,
> herrisch and hochmütig: herrisch means 'imperious' or 'domineering', and hochmütig means 'haughty' or 'arrogant', literally 'high-minded'. herrisch functions as an adverb here, and hochmütiger agrees with the dative feminine Gebärde, 'gesture'.

**15** und schaut: da liegt es rasend auf der Erde  
and looks: there it lies raging on the ground
> A participle for raging: rasend is the present participle of rasen, 'to rage' or 'rave', used adverbially here to describe how something lies on the ground. auf der Erde, 'on the ground', is dative after auf, marking position.

**16** und flammt noch immer und ergibt sich nicht–.  
and flames on still and will not give itself up—.
> sich ergeben, to surrender: sich ergeben means 'to surrender' or 'give oneself up'. ergibt sich nicht, 'will not give itself up', negates this with nicht placed after the reflexive pronoun sich.

**17** Doch sieghaft, sicher und mit einem süßen  
Yet triumphant, sure, and with a sweet
> An adjective for triumphant: sieghaft means 'triumphant' or 'victorious', built from der Sieg, 'victory', with the adjective suffix -haft. It functions here as an adverb describing the manner of the action that follows.

**18** grüßenden Lächeln hebt sie ihr Gesicht  
greeting smile she lifts her face
> grüßend, greeting: grüßend is the present participle of grüßen, 'to greet', used adjectivally before Lächeln, 'smile'. grüßendem Lächeln, 'with a greeting smile', is dative after mit, 'with'.

**19** und stampft es aus mit kleinen festen Füßen.  
and stamps it out with small firm feet.
> Separable verb ausstampfen: ausstampfen, 'to stamp out', is separable. Its prefix aus moves to the end of the clause while the conjugated stem stampft carries the verb's person and number: stampft es aus, 'stamps it out'.

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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.