{"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":"der-marmorkarren","title":{"source":"Der Marmorkarren","translated":"The Marble Cart"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-marmorkarren","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/die-treppe-der-orangerie","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/buddha-2","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":"der-marmorkarren-s1-l1","source":"Auf Pferde, sieben ziehende, verteilt,","translation":"Shared out across horses, seven of them pulling,","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"verteilt","title":"Participle opens the sentence","body":"verteilt is the past participle of verteilen, 'to distribute' or 'share out'. It opens the sentence in place of the subject, which is Niebewegtes, arriving only in the next line."},{"kind":"grammar","term":"sieben ziehende","title":"Present participle as adjective","body":"ziehende is the present participle of ziehen, 'to pull' or 'haul', used here as an adjective before Pferde. German forms this kind of modifier with -end plus the normal adjective ending, here weak -e after sieben."}],"words":[{"surface":"Auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verteilt","gloss":"across"},{"surface":"Pferde","lemma":"Pferd","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Auf","gloss":"horses"},{"surface":"sieben","lemma":"sieben","morphology":"numeral","role":"depends on ziehende","gloss":"seven"},{"surface":"ziehende","lemma":"ziehend","morphology":"adjective, accusative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Pferde","gloss":"pulling"},{"surface":"verteilt","lemma":"verteilen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"shared out"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"der-marmorkarren-s1-l2","source":"verwandelt Niebewegtes sich in Schritte;","translation":"the never-moved transforms itself into steps;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Niebewegtes","title":"A coined compound noun","body":"Niebewegtes fuses nie, 'never', with bewegt, 'moved', and turns the whole into a capitalized noun meaning 'the never-moved'. Nominalizing an adjective this way is ordinary in German, but this compound is coined for the line."},{"kind":"grammar","term":"verwandelt … sich","title":"Reflexive sich verwandeln","body":"sich verwandeln in means 'to transform' or 'change into'. The reflexive sich is separated from the verb by the subject Niebewegtes, and in takes the accusative Schritte because it marks a change of state."}],"words":[{"surface":"verwandelt","lemma":"verwandeln","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"transforms"},{"surface":"Niebewegtes","lemma":"niebewegt","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of verwandelt","gloss":"the never-moved"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on verwandelt","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verwandelt","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"Schritte","lemma":"Schritt","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"steps"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"der-marmorkarren-s1-l3","source":"denn was hochmütig in des Marmors Mitte","translation":"for what, in its arrogance, at the marble's center","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"des Marmors Mitte","title":"Genitive fronted again","body":"des Marmors Mitte means 'the marble's center'. The genitive des Marmors precedes Mitte instead of following it, an older word order; ordinary prose would write die Mitte des Marmors."}],"words":[{"surface":"denn","lemma":"denn","morphology":"conjunction","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"for"},{"surface":"was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, neuter","role":"subject of verweilt","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"hochmütig","lemma":"hochmütig","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verweilt","gloss":"arrogantly"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verweilt","gloss":"at"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Marmors","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Marmors","lemma":"Marmor","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Mitte","gloss":"marble's"},{"surface":"Mitte","lemma":"Mitte","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"center"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"der-marmorkarren-s1-l4","source":"an Alter, Widerstand und All verweilt,","translation":"lingers in age, resistance, and all-being,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"verweilt","title":"verweilen, to linger","body":"verweilen means 'to tarry' or 'dwell', a more literary verb than bleiben, 'to stay'. It governs an plus the dative, so an Alter, Widerstand und All means 'it lingers in age, resistance, and totality'."}],"words":[{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verweilt","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"Alter","lemma":"Alter","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"age"},{"surface":"Widerstand","lemma":"Widerstand","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on an","gloss":"resistance"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"All","lemma":"All","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"all-being"},{"surface":"verweilt","lemma":"verweilen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"lingers"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"der-marmorkarren-s2-l1","source":"das zeigt sich unter Menschen. Siehe, nicht","translation":"shows itself among men. Behold: not","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"das zeigt sich","title":"das resumes the subject","body":"The pronoun das, 'that', picks up the long subject built across the previous lines and finally gives it a verb: das zeigt sich, 'that shows itself'. sich zeigen means 'to appear' or 'show oneself'."}],"words":[{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of zeigt","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"zeigt","lemma":"zeigen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"shows"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on zeigt","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"unter","lemma":"unter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on zeigt","gloss":"among"},{"surface":"Menschen","lemma":"Mensch","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on unter","gloss":"men"},{"surface":"Siehe","lemma":"sehen","morphology":"verb, imperative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"behold"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on unkenntlich","gloss":"not"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"der-marmorkarren-s2-l2","source":"unkenntlich, unter irgendeinem Namen,","translation":"unrecognizable, under some name or other,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"irgendeinem Namen","title":"irgendein, some or other","body":"irgendein means 'some indefinite one', used when the specific choice does not matter. irgendeinem Namen is dative after unter, here meaning 'under the heading of', so the phrase reads 'under some name or other'."}],"words":[{"surface":"unkenntlich","lemma":"unkenntlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on zeigt","gloss":"unrecognizable"},{"surface":"unter","lemma":"unter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on unkenntlich","gloss":"under"},{"surface":"irgendeinem","lemma":"irgendein","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Namen","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"Namen","lemma":"Name","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on unter","gloss":"name"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"der-marmorkarren-s2-l3","source":"nein: wie der Held das Drängen in den Dramen","translation":"no: as the hero, in the dramas, the urgency","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das Drängen","title":"Infinitive used as a noun","body":"das Drängen is the infinitive drängen, 'to press' or 'push forward', used as a neuter noun meaning 'pressure' or 'urgency'. It is the direct object of macht … sichtbar, 'makes visible', two lines later."}],"words":[{"surface":"nein","lemma":"nein","morphology":"particle","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"no"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Held","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Held","lemma":"Held","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of macht","gloss":"hero"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Drängen","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Drängen","lemma":"Drängen","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"urgency"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Drängen","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Dramen","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Dramen","lemma":"Drama","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"dramas"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"der-marmorkarren-s2-l4","source":"erst sichtbar macht und plötzlich unterbricht:","translation":"first makes visible and abruptly cuts short:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"unterbricht","title":"unterbrechen stays fused","body":"unterbrechen, 'to interrupt', is inseparable: its prefix unter- never detaches, so the present tense is er unterbricht, with the stem vowel changing from e to i, never bricht unter."}],"words":[{"surface":"erst","lemma":"erst","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"first"},{"surface":"sichtbar","lemma":"sichtbar","morphology":"adjective","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"visible"},{"surface":"macht","lemma":"machen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"makes"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"plötzlich","lemma":"plötzlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on unterbricht","gloss":"abruptly"},{"surface":"unterbricht","lemma":"unterbrechen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"cuts short"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"der-marmorkarren-s3-l1","source":"so kommt es durch den stauenden Verlauf","translation":"so it comes, through the damming-up course","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"so kommt es","title":"so triggers verb-second order","body":"so, 'in this way', answers the earlier wie, 'as', completing the comparison. Because so is fronted, the verb must come second, so kommt precedes its subject es: kommt es."}],"words":[{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on kommt","gloss":"so"},{"surface":"kommt","lemma":"kommen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"comes"},{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of kommt","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"durch","lemma":"durch","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on kommt","gloss":"through"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Verlauf","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"stauenden","lemma":"stauend","morphology":"adjective, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Verlauf","gloss":"damming-up"},{"surface":"Verlauf","lemma":"Verlauf","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on durch","gloss":"course"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"der-marmorkarren-s3-l2","source":"des Tages, kommt in seinem ganzen Staate,","translation":"of the day, comes in its full state,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"in seinem ganzen Staate","title":"Staat meaning pomp","body":"Staat here carries its older sense of 'pomp' or 'ceremonial splendor' rather than 'the state'. in seinem ganzen Staate, with the archaic dative ending -e, means 'in all its pomp'."}],"words":[{"surface":"des","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Tages","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Tages","lemma":"Tag","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Verlauf","gloss":"day"},{"surface":"kommt","lemma":"kommen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"comes"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on kommt","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"seinem","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Staate","gloss":"its"},{"surface":"ganzen","lemma":"ganz","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Staate","gloss":"full"},{"surface":"Staate","lemma":"Staat","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"state"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"der-marmorkarren-s3-l3","source":"als ob ein großer Triumphator nahte,","translation":"as though a great conqueror were drawing near,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"als ob … nahte","title":"als ob with the subjunctive","body":"als ob, 'as though', introduces an unreal comparison and takes the subjunctive. nahte is the past subjunctive of nahen, 'to approach', and it falls at the end of the clause it opens."}],"words":[{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on nahte","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"ob","lemma":"ob","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on nahte","gloss":"though"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Triumphator","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"großer","lemma":"groß","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Triumphator","gloss":"great"},{"surface":"Triumphator","lemma":"Triumphator","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of nahte","gloss":"conqueror"},{"surface":"nahte","lemma":"nahen","morphology":"verb, past, subjunctive, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"were drawing near","note":"For this weak verb, subjunctive II is identical in form to the simple past ('nahte'); 'als ob' triggers the irrealis reading."}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"der-marmorkarren-s4-l1","source":"langsam zuletzt; und langsam vor ihm her","translation":"slowly, at last; and slowly on before him","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"vor ihm her","title":"vor … her, moving ahead","body":"vor jemandem her means 'moving along in front of someone'. vor ihm her, 'on ahead of him', uses her to mark motion proceeding from a point toward the speaker's vantage."}],"words":[{"surface":"langsam","lemma":"langsam","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nahte","gloss":"slowly"},{"surface":"zuletzt","lemma":"zuletzt","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on nahte","gloss":"at last"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"langsam","lemma":"langsam","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on vor","gloss":"slowly"},{"surface":"vor","lemma":"vor","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Gefangene","gloss":"before"},{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"ihm","morphology":"pronoun, dative, singular","role":"depends on vor","gloss":"him"},{"surface":"her","lemma":"her","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on vor","gloss":"on"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"der-marmorkarren-s4-l2","source":"Gefangene, von seiner Schwere schwer.","translation":"captives, made heavy by his heaviness.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"von seiner Schwere schwer","title":"Noun and adjective share a root","body":"die Schwere, 'weight' or 'heaviness', and schwer, 'heavy', share the same root. von seiner Schwere schwer means 'heavy with his weight', with von plus the dative giving the cause."}],"words":[{"surface":"Gefangene","lemma":"Gefangener","morphology":"noun, nominative, plural","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"captives"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on schwer","gloss":"by"},{"surface":"seiner","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Schwere","gloss":"his"},{"surface":"Schwere","lemma":"Schwere","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on von","gloss":"heaviness"},{"surface":"schwer","lemma":"schwer","morphology":"adjective","role":"depends on Gefangene","gloss":"heavy"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"der-marmorkarren-s4-l3","source":"Und naht noch immer und hält alles auf.","translation":"And still keeps drawing near, and holds everything up.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/der-marmorkarren-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"hält alles auf","title":"Separable verb aufhalten","body":"aufhalten, 'to hold up' or 'delay', is separable. Its prefix auf breaks off and moves to the end of the clause: hält alles auf, 'holds everything up'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on naht","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"naht","lemma":"nahen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"draws near"},{"surface":"noch","lemma":"noch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on naht","gloss":"still"},{"surface":"immer","lemma":"immer","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on naht","gloss":"continually"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"links the coordination","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"hält","lemma":"halten","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"holds"},{"surface":"alles","lemma":"alle","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on hält","gloss":"everything"},{"surface":"auf","lemma":"auf","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on hält","gloss":"up"}]}]}