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Words of New Poems · 232 headwords
Each word with its meanings, its forms, and the lines it stands in.
Waage
scale once
Wage
Wage is an older/poetic spelling of Waage ("scale, balance").
wach
awake; waking; wakeful 8 times
wach, wache, wachen, wachem
adverb; adjective, dative, neuter, singular; adjective, accusative, neuter, singular
wachen
watched; lies awake; keeps watch 4 times
wacht, gewacht, wache
verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, participle; verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular
wachsen
grew; grow; growing 12 times
wuchs, wachsend, wächst, wachsen–, wuchsen, wachsen, Wachsenden
verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, infinitive; verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular
Wade
calves once
Waden
Fronted genitive plural: 'der Waden ... Schatten' = 'the shadow of the calves'.
wagen
dared; dare; daring 4 times
wagen, wagte, wagend, gewagt
verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural; verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; adverb
Wagen
carriage; wagons; carriage's 4 times
Wagen, Wagens
noun, dative, masculine, plural; noun, genitive, masculine, singular; noun, nominative, masculine, singular
wahr
true once
wahr
Idiom 'für wahr halten' = 'to hold as true, believe.'
Wald
forest; forests; wood 6 times
Wald, Wälder
noun, dative, masculine, singular; noun, nominative, masculine, singular; noun, nominative, masculine, plural
Wand
wall; walls; walls' 4 times
Wand, Wände
noun, nominative, feminine, singular; noun, nominative, feminine, plural; noun, genitive, feminine, plural
Wandelstern
wandering stars once
Wandelsterne
'Wandelstern' (wandering star) is the older German term for a planet.
wann
then; when; When 9 times
wann, Wann
adverb; interrogative adverb
warm
warm; warm ones; warmth 10 times
warm, warmes, Warme, warmen, warme
adjective, predicate; adjective, nominative, plural; adverb
Substantivized adjectives (plural), further describing the dolphins as a group.
warten
wait; waiting; waits 18 times
wartet, warten, wartend, wartest, wartete, Warten, Wartend
verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural; verb, present participle
warum
why; Why 10 times
warum, Warum, warum–
adverb; subordinating conjunction; interrogative adverb
was
what; which; that 87 times
was, Was
pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular; pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular; pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular, relative
'was...für ein' (split across the line) is an idiom meaning 'what kind of/what a'.
waschen
washed; washing 4 times
wusch, wuschen, waschend
verb, past, indicative, first-person, singular; verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural
Wasser
water; waters 11 times
Wasser, Wassern
noun, nominative, neuter, singular; noun, dative, neuter, singular; noun, nominative, neuter, plural
Watt
flats once
Watt
Watt: the tidal mudflats of the North Sea coast.
wählen
choose 4 times
wählt, wähltest, wählen
verb, present, indicative, second-person, plural; verb, past, indicative, second-person, singular; verb, infinitive
während
while 25 times
während, Während
wälzen
rolled; writhed; heaves 5 times
wälzte, wälzt, wälzten
verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural
Wärme
warmth 3 times
Wärme
noun, nominative, feminine, singular; noun, genitive, feminine, singular; noun, accusative, feminine, singular
Wechseln
flickering once
Wechseln
'Wechseln' is the nominalized infinitive ('the changing/flickering'), used here as a noun.
Weg
path; paths; way 18 times
Weges, Weg, Wege, Wegen
noun, genitive, masculine, singular; noun, dative, masculine, plural; noun, accusative, masculine, singular
weh
aching; pain; aches 4 times
wehen, weh
adverb; adjective, dative, masculine, singular; adjective, dative, feminine, singular
'wehen' here is the inflected adjective 'weh' (aching, sore), not the verb 'wehen' (to blow).
wehen
drifted; breathes; streamed 5 times
wehte, weht, wehen
verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, infinitive
Wehn
blowing; wind 3 times
Wehn
noun, nominative, neuter, singular; noun, accusative, neuter, singular
weich
soft 7 times
weiche, weich, weichen
adjective, nominative, masculine, singular; adjective, predicate; adjective, nominative, feminine, singular
weil
because 14 times
weil
Weile
while 4 times
Weile
Accusative of duration ('for a little while'), not the grammatical object.
weisen
pointed; waves; show 5 times
wies, weist, weisen
verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural
weit
far; far off; wide 23 times
weit, weiten, weite, Weit, weit–
adverb; adjective, genitive, feminine, singular; adjective, dative, masculine, plural
Weite
expanse; distances; distance 10 times
Weite, Weiten
noun, accusative, feminine, singular; noun, nominative, feminine, singular; noun, nominative, feminine, plural
weiter
onward; on; more 9 times
weiter, weiter–
weitergehen
go on; walk on; goes further 3 times
weitergehn, weitergeht
verb, infinitive; verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular
weiterschwingen
vibrates on once
weiterschwingt
Separable verb 'weiterschwingen' (to go on vibrating).
weiterwinkend
going-on-waving thing once
Weiterwinkendes–
A substantivized present participle (from weiterwinken, "to go on waving") coined for this poem — literally "a still-waving thing."
weitverrollt
rolled far apart once
weitverrollte,–
Surface token carries the source's trailing comma and dash; the word itself is weitverrollt, 'rolled far apart.'
weiß
white; whiter; in white 17 times
weiß, weißer, weiße, weißes, Weiße, weißen
adjective, nominative, masculine, singular; adjective, nominative, neuter, singular; adjective, predicative
"weiß" here is the adjective "white," coordinated with "klein" — not the verb "wissen" (to know), which has the identical form.
Weiß
white 3 times
Weiß
noun, dative, neuter, singular; noun, nominative, neuter, singular
welcher
which; who; what 48 times
welcher, welche, welches, welchem, welchen, Welchen, Welcher, Welche
pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular; pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular; pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular
Neuter relative pronoun — refers back to das Kostüm ('the costume'), not der Schmerz ('the grief'), despite the intervening genitive.
Welkende
withering one once
Welkenden
Substantivized adjective referring to the aging King David.
Welle
waves; wave 5 times
Wellen, Welle
noun, dative, feminine, plural; noun, accusative, feminine, plural; noun, nominative, feminine, singular
Welt
world; worlds 17 times
Welt, Welten
noun, nominative, feminine, singular; noun, accusative, feminine, singular; noun, accusative, feminine, plural
wenden
turned; turn; turns 7 times
wandte, wenden, wendet
verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, infinitive; verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural
Infinitive parallel to 'schrecken' (s2-l1) — an implied modal ('with what word he might turn them') is elided.
wenig
little; a little 15 times
wenig
adverb; determiner; pronoun
wenn
when; if; When 60 times
wenn, Wenn
wer
who; Who; whoever 17 times
Wer, wer, Wen, was, wen
pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular; pronoun, accusative, masculine, singular; pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular
werden
will; grew; was 77 times
wird, wurde, werden, würde, wurden, ward, wirst, geworden and 1 more
auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular; auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; auxiliary verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular
'Ward' is an archaic poetic form of 'wurde' (past tense of werden).
werden / wollen
were turned–do you want once
wurden?–Willst
The source text runs 'wurden' and 'Willst' together with no space around the dash, so the tokenizer fused two separate words into one token; this entry stands for both.
werfen
flung; cast; throws 14 times
warf, wirft, warfen, werfend, werfen, warfet, geworfen
verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural
Widerschein
counter-sheen; reflected glow; reflection 4 times
Widerschein, Widerscheinen
noun, nominative, masculine, singular; noun, dative, masculine, singular; noun, dative, masculine, plural
Widerstand
resistance 4 times
Widerstand, Widerstand–
noun, dative, masculine, singular; noun, accusative, masculine, singular
wie
like; as; as if 428 times
wie, Wie
preposition; subordinating conjunction; conjunction
'Und wie' is an idiom meaning 'and how!' (emphatic agreement), pivoting into the description that follows.
wieder
again; and again; once more 51 times
wieder
"Hin und wieder" is the standard fixed idiom for "now and then / occasionally" — there is no verb splitting it here (hin, und, wieder are consecutive; the verb "irrt" follows the whole phrase). This is not the idiom "hin und her" ("back and forth"), so a spatial "back and forth" reading is not supported by the grammar; the gaze wanders now and then, i.e. intermittently.
wiederkennen
still recognizes once
wiederkennt
Poetic/archaic form of 'wiedererkennen' (to recognize again).
wiederkommen
returned again—and once
wiederkamen–und
This token fuses 'wiederkamen' (returned again) with the following 'und' (and) — a spacing artifact in the source text, not a single word.
Wiese
meadows; meadow 3 times
Wiesen, Wiese
noun, nominative, feminine, plural; noun, dative, feminine, plural; noun, nominative, feminine, singular
wild
wild; wildly 3 times
wild, wilde
adverb; adjective, nominative, feminine, singular
Wild
deer once
Wild
'Wild' literally means 'game' (a wild animal); the translation specifies 'deer.'
Wille
will; a will 6 times
Willen, Wille, Willens
noun, nominative, masculine, singular; noun, accusative, masculine, singular; noun, dative, masculine, singular
'Wille' is a weak noun (normally 'Willen' only in oblique cases); used here as the poetic subject.
willen
sake twice
willen
postposition; preposition (postposition pairing with um)
um … willen is a fixed circumposition meaning 'for the sake of'; the genitive noun sits between um and willen.
willig
willing; willingly 5 times
willig
adverb; adjective; adjective, predicate
Wind
wind 11 times
Wind
noun, nominative, masculine, singular; noun, accusative, masculine, singular
winken
beckoning; might wave; beckons 3 times
winkend, winkte, winkt
verb, participle; verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular; verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular
wir
we; us; We 66 times
wir, uns, Wir, wirs
pronoun, nominative, plural; pronoun, dative, plural; pronoun, accusative, plural
wirs is a poetic contraction of wir ('we') and the clitic es ('it'); the folded-in es is the object of verständen, matching 'it' in the translation.
wirklich
real; really; something real 11 times
wirklich, wirklicher, Wirklich, Wirkliches, Wirklichen
adverb; adjective, nominative, masculine, singular; adjective, predicate, uninflected
Wirklichkeit
reality; of reality; realities 6 times
Wirklichkeit, Wirklichkeiten
noun, dative, feminine, singular; noun, genitive, feminine, singular; noun, genitive, feminine, plural
wirr
tangled; cluttered 4 times
wirren, wirres, wirre
adjective, nominative, neuter, singular; adjective, dative, neuter, singular; adjective, accusative, masculine, singular
wissen
knew; know; knows 55 times
weiß, wußte, wissen, wußten, wissend, weißt, Wissen, wüßte and 3 more
verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, present, indicative, first-person, plural
From wissen ("to know"), not weiß/weißen ("white/whitewash") — a common false friend.
wo
where; Where 19 times
wo, Wo
subordinating conjunction; adverb; interrogative adverb
Wogenscham
wave-sex once
Wogenscham
Rilke's coinage: Woge (wave) + Scham (pudendum) — a bold erotic image.
wohin
where; where to; toward which 4 times
wohin
adverb; subordinating conjunction
wohnen
dwell; might dwell; dwelt 5 times
wohnen, wohne, wohnte, Wohnen
verb, infinitive; verb, present, subjunctive, third-person, singular; verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular
Wohner
dwellers once
Wohner
Wohner is a poetic shortening of Bewohner ('inhabitant, dweller').
Wolke
clouds; clouds' 3 times
Wolken
noun, dative, feminine, plural; noun, genitive, feminine, plural; noun, nominative, feminine, plural
wollen
wanted; want; wills 33 times
will, wollte, wollten, wollen, Willst, Will, wollt, willst and 1 more
auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular; auxiliary verb, present, indicative, first-person, singular
Wort
words; word 13 times
Worte, Wort, Worten
noun, nominative, neuter, plural; noun, accusative, neuter, plural; noun, dative, neuter, singular
wölben
arched; bulges; vaults 3 times
wölbt, wölbte
verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular; verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular
Wölbung
vault 4 times
Wölbung
noun, genitive, feminine, singular; noun, accusative, feminine, singular
wund
raw; wounded; wound 3 times
wund, wunde, Wunde
adjective, predicate; adjective, nominative, neuter, plural; adjective used as noun, accusative, neuter, singular
'das Wunde' is a substantivized adjective (the sore/raw place), not the ordinary noun 'die Wunde' — hence the neuter article.
Wunde
wounds; a wound 3 times
Wunden, Wunde
noun, accusative, feminine, plural; noun, nominative, feminine, singular; noun, dative, feminine, plural
wunderbar
more wondrously; wondrous; wondrous ones 3 times
wunderbarer, wunderbare, Wunderbare
adverb; adjective, accusative, feminine, singular; adjective (substantivized), accusative, plural
Substantivized adjective ('wondrous things/nights'), not a proper name.
wunderlich
strangely; strange 4 times
wunderlich, wunderliches
adverb; adjective, nominative, neuter, singular
Seen once or twice
Wachsen
growth once
wachslichtbleich
candle-pale woman once
Wachstum
growth's once
Waffenrock
soldier's coat once
Waffenträger
armor-bearers once
wagrecht
horizontal once
Wahl
choice twice
Wahnsinnige
madmen once
Waise
orphans once
Waldbad
forest pool once
Waldsee
forest lake once
Waldskelett
forest skeletons once
wallend
surging once
Wandel
shifting once
wandeln
transformed once
Wandervogel
migrant once
Wange
cheeks once
Wann
when once
Wappen
coat of arms once
Wappenhalter
heraldic bearer once
Wartende
waiting woman once
Wartender
waiting one once
Wartezimmer
waiting room once
Warum
why once
Waschender
washers once
Wasserschale
water-basin once
Wasserträgerin
water-carrier once
Wächter
guard once
Wärter
keepers' once
weben
weave once
wechseln
shifts once
wechselvoll
shifting once
wecken
wakes; woken twice
weg
away once
wegen
of once
weggeben
giving away once
weggesenkt
turned downward and away once
weggeworfen
cast away once
wegnehmen
taken away once
wegreißen
torn away once
wegschenken
gives away once
wegsenken
sank away once
wegwerfen
flinging once
wegzerren
wrench away once
Weh
harm; hurt twice
Wehmut
melancholy once
wehmütig
wistfully once
Wehr
defense once
wehren
resists once
wehrlos
defenseless once
wehtun
ached once
Weib
woman once
Weiche
soft down once
weichen
drew back once
weichlich
soft once
Weideplatz
pastures once
weigern
refuse once
Weiher
pools twice
Weihgeschenk
votive gift once
weilen
linger; stays twice
weilend
lingering once
Wein
wine twice
Weinen
weeping once
weinen
weeping; weeps twice
weinend
weeping once
Weiner
weeper once
Weise
manner; way twice
weise
wise man once
weitergeben
pass onward once
Weitergehen
onward going once
Weitergehn
walking-onward once
weitergleiten
slid further once
weiterleben
went on living once
weiterlocken
lured onward once
weiterringen
go on wrestling once
weitersprechen
goes on speaking once
weitertragen
bore onward; carried onward twice
weiterwachsen
grows on once
weitgeschleudert
far-flung once
weithin
far and wide once
Weizen
wheat once
Weiße
whiteness once
weiße
white one once
welk
more withered; withered twice
welken
wilt once
welkend
withering once
wellend
rippling once
Weltall
universe once
Wenden
turning once
Wendung
bend; turning twice
werben
woos once
Werferin
flinging woman once
Werk
work once
Werktag
workday once
wertlos
worthless once
Wesen
being; beings twice
wesenlos
bodiless once
weshalb
why once
wider
against twice
widerbilden
imprints itself once
Widersinn
contradiction once
widerstehen
resists once
Wie
how once
wiederbringen
bring back; could bring back twice
wiedergeben
giving back; give back twice
wiederherrollen
rolled back again once
wiederhören
hear again once
wiederkehren
returning once
Wiedersehn
seeing-again once
wiederum
once again once
wiegen
swaying; sway twice
wiegend
cradling once
Wiesenpfad
meadow-path once
wieviel
how much once
willkürlich
arbitrarily once
winden
writhed once
Windhund
greyhound once
windig
windy once
Wink
hint; beckoning twice
Winken
wave once
Winter
winters once
Wirbel
whirlpool's; eddies twice
Wirrn
confusion once
Wirrnis
turmoil once
Wissen
knowledge once
Wissend
knowing ones once
wissend
knowing once
Wissende
the knowing one once
Woche
weeks once
Woge
wave once
wogen
surged; surge twice
wogend
surging once
woher
where once
wohltun
of doing good once
Wolkenrand
cloud-edges once
wolkig
cloudy once
Wollen
willing once
wundertätig
miracle-working once
Wurf
throw once
Wurm
worms once
Wurzel
roots; root twice
Wut
rage once
wünschen
wish; wished twice
Würde
dignities; dignity twice
Wüste
desert once
Wüten
raging once
wütend
furiously once
The particulars
- The words
- Every word of the text, parsed: its headword, its form and its meaning in the line. Source text: public domain (Rainer Maria Rilke, died 1926; Neue Gedichte published 1907 and 1908), from Wikisource.
- Translation
- Public-domain German (Rilke, d. 1926). English translation © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC.
- Data
- JSON · A guide for agents