{"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":"roemische-fontaene","title":{"source":"Römische Fontäne","translated":"Roman Fountain"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/roemische-fontaene","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/buddha-2","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/das-karussell","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":"roemische-fontaene-s1-l1","source":"Zwei Becken, eins das andre übersteigend","translation":"Two basins, one rising above the other","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"übersteigend","title":"übersteigen, to rise above","body":"übersteigend is the present participle of übersteigen, 'to climb over' or 'surmount', used here as an adjective for one basin surmounting the other. It is the first of a chain of present participles running through the poem: übersteigend, neigend, entgegenschweigend, zeigend."}],"words":[{"surface":"Zwei","lemma":"zwei","morphology":"numeral","role":"depends on Becken","gloss":"two"},{"surface":"Becken","lemma":"Becken","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, plural","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"basins"},{"surface":"eins","lemma":"eins","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of übersteigend","gloss":"one"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on andre","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"andre","lemma":"andere","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on übersteigend","gloss":"other"},{"surface":"übersteigend","lemma":"übersteigen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on Becken","gloss":"rising above"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"roemische-fontaene-s1-l2","source":"aus einem alten runden Marmorrand,","translation":"out of an old round rim of marble,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Marmorrand","title":"A marble-and-rim compound","body":"Marmorrand joins Marmor, 'marble', and Rand, 'edge' or 'rim', in one compound noun, stressed on the first element. It is dative here after aus, 'out of', with the case masked by the adjective ending -en on alten and runden."}],"words":[{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on übersteigend","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"einem","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Marmorrand","gloss":"an"},{"surface":"alten","lemma":"alt","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Marmorrand","gloss":"old"},{"surface":"runden","lemma":"rund","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Marmorrand","gloss":"round"},{"surface":"Marmorrand","lemma":"Marmorrand","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"rim of marble"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"roemische-fontaene-s1-l3","source":"und aus dem oberen Wasser leis sich neigend","translation":"and from the upper water, softly inclining","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sich neigend","title":"Reflexive present participle","body":"sich neigen is reflexive, 'to bend' or 'incline'. As a present participle, sich neigend means 'inclining itself'. leis is the poetic short form of leise, 'soft', with the final -e dropped."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on neigend","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on neigend","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Wasser","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"oberen","lemma":"oberer","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Wasser","gloss":"upper"},{"surface":"Wasser","lemma":"Wasser","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"water"},{"surface":"leis","lemma":"leis","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on neigend","gloss":"softly"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on neigend","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"neigend","lemma":"neigen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"inclining"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"roemische-fontaene-s1-l4","source":"zum Wasser, welches unten wartend stand,","translation":"toward the water that stood waiting below,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"welches","title":"A relative pronoun, neuter","body":"welches is the neuter relative pronoun, 'which' or 'that', agreeing with neuter Wasser. It is a more formal alternative to das. wartend stand pairs the participle wartend, 'waiting', with the simple past stand, 'stood'."}],"words":[{"surface":"zum","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on neigend","gloss":"toward"},{"surface":"Wasser","lemma":"Wasser","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on zum","gloss":"water"},{"surface":"welches","lemma":"welcher","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of stand","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"unten","lemma":"unten","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on stand","gloss":"below"},{"surface":"wartend","lemma":"warten","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on stand","gloss":"waiting"},{"surface":"stand","lemma":"stehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the clause","gloss":"stood"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"roemische-fontaene-s2-l1","source":"dem leise redenden entgegenschweigend","translation":"keeping silence toward the softly speaking one,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"entgegenschweigend","title":"A coined compound verb","body":"entgegenschweigend fuses the separable prefix entgegen-, 'toward', with schweigen, 'to be silent', meaning 'to keep silence toward something'. dem leise redenden, 'to the softly speaking one', is the dative object entgegen- points toward."}],"words":[{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on redenden","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"leise","lemma":"leise","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on redenden","gloss":"softly"},{"surface":"redenden","lemma":"redend","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on entgegenschweigend","gloss":"speaking one"},{"surface":"entgegenschweigend","lemma":"entgegenschweigen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"keeping silence"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"roemische-fontaene-s2-l2","source":"und heimlich, gleichsam in der hohlen Hand","translation":"and secretly, as if in its cupped hand","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"gleichsam","title":"A word for as it were","body":"gleichsam is an adverb meaning 'as it were' or 'so to speak', softening a comparison. Here it modifies in der hohlen Hand, 'in the cupped hand', treating the phrase as a loose approximation."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on entgegenschweigend","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"heimlich","lemma":"heimlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on und","gloss":"secretly"},{"surface":"gleichsam","lemma":"gleichsam","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on in","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Hand","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"hohlen","lemma":"hohl","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Hand","gloss":"cupped"},{"surface":"Hand","lemma":"Hand","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"hand"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"roemische-fontaene-s2-l3","source":"ihm Himmel hinter Grün und Dunkel zeigend","translation":"showing it the sky behind green and dark","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ihm ... zeigend","title":"Participle with a dative object","body":"zeigend is the present participle of zeigen, 'to show', continuing the participle chain from earlier lines. ihm is its dative indirect object, 'it', and Himmel, 'the sky', is the accusative direct object."}],"words":[{"surface":"ihm","lemma":"ihm","morphology":"pronoun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on zeigend","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"Himmel","lemma":"Himmel","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on zeigend","gloss":"the sky"},{"surface":"hinter","lemma":"hinter","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Himmel","gloss":"behind"},{"surface":"Grün","lemma":"Grün","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on hinter","gloss":"green"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Grün","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"Dunkel","lemma":"Dunkel","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"dark"},{"surface":"zeigend","lemma":"zeigen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"showing"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"roemische-fontaene-s2-l4","source":"wie einen unbekannten Gegenstand;","translation":"like some unknown object;","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Gegenstand","title":"der Gegenstand, an object","body":"der Gegenstand means 'an object' or 'thing', literally what stands against or opposite. wie einen unbekannten Gegenstand, 'like some unknown object', takes the accusative after wie in this comparison."}],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Gegenstand","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"einen","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gegenstand","gloss":"some"},{"surface":"unbekannten","lemma":"unbekannt","morphology":"adjective, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gegenstand","gloss":"unknown"},{"surface":"Gegenstand","lemma":"Gegenstand","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on zeigend","gloss":"object"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"roemische-fontaene-s3-l1","source":"sich selber ruhig in der schönen Schale","translation":"spreading itself calmly in the lovely bowl,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sich selber","title":"Doubled reflexive for emphasis","body":"sich selber doubles the reflexive sich with the intensifier selber, 'itself', for emphasis. Here it modifies ruhig, 'calmly', as part of the phrase describing something spreading of its own accord."}],"words":[{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on verbreitend","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"selber","lemma":"selber","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on sich","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"ruhig","lemma":"ruhig","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verbreitend","gloss":"calmly"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verbreitend","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Schale","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"schönen","lemma":"schön","morphology":"adjective, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Schale","gloss":"lovely"},{"surface":"Schale","lemma":"Schale","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"bowl"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"roemische-fontaene-s3-l2","source":"verbreitend ohne Heimweh, Kreis aus Kreis,","translation":"without homesickness, circle out of circle,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Heimweh","title":"A compound for homesickness","body":"das Heimweh literally means 'home-pain', and idiomatically 'homesickness', the ache of missing home. ohne Heimweh, 'without homesickness', is accusative after ohne, 'without'."}],"words":[{"surface":"verbreitend","lemma":"verbreiten","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"spreading"},{"surface":"ohne","lemma":"ohne","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verbreitend","gloss":"without"},{"surface":"Heimweh","lemma":"Heimweh","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on ohne","gloss":"homesickness"},{"surface":"Kreis","lemma":"Kreis","morphology":"noun, accusative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on verbreitend","gloss":"circle"},{"surface":"aus","lemma":"aus","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Kreis","gloss":"out of"},{"surface":"Kreis","lemma":"Kreis","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on aus","gloss":"circle"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"roemische-fontaene-s3-l3","source":"nur manchmal träumerisch und tropfenweis","translation":"only at times, dreamily and drop by drop,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"tropfenweis","title":"The suffix -weis","body":"tropfenweis attaches the suffix -weis to Tropfen, 'drop', to form an adverb meaning 'by drops' or 'drop by drop'. German builds several such manner adverbs this way, for example stückweise, 'piece by piece'."}],"words":[{"surface":"nur","lemma":"nur","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on manchmal","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"manchmal","lemma":"manchmal","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verbreitend","gloss":"at times"},{"surface":"träumerisch","lemma":"träumerisch","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verbreitend","gloss":"dreamily"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on träumerisch","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"tropfenweis","lemma":"tropfenweis","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on und","gloss":"drop by drop"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"roemische-fontaene-s4-l1","source":"sich niederlassend an den Moosbehängen","translation":"settling down along the hanging moss,","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sich niederlassend","title":"Reflexive present participle","body":"sich niederlassen means 'to settle down' or 'come to rest'. As a present participle, sich niederlassend means 'settling itself down', continuing the chain of participles describing continuous motion in this stanza."}],"words":[{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on niederlassend","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"niederlassend","lemma":"niederlassen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"head of the phrase","gloss":"settling down"},{"surface":"an","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on niederlassend","gloss":"along"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Moosbehängen","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Moosbehängen","lemma":"Moosbehang","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on an","gloss":"hanging moss"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"roemische-fontaene-s4-l2","source":"zum letzten Spiegel, der sein Becken leis","translation":"to the last mirror, which makes its basins softly","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Spiegel","title":"der Spiegel, a mirror","body":"der Spiegel means 'mirror', here used for a still, reflecting pool of water. zum letzten Spiegel, 'to the last mirror', is dative after zu, 'to', marking the destination."}],"words":[{"surface":"zum","lemma":"zu","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on niederlassend","gloss":"to the"},{"surface":"letzten","lemma":"letzter","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Spiegel","gloss":"last"},{"surface":"Spiegel","lemma":"Spiegel","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on zum","gloss":"mirror"},{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of macht","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"sein","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Becken","gloss":"its"},{"surface":"Becken","lemma":"Becken","morphology":"noun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"basins"},{"surface":"leis","lemma":"leis","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on lächeln","gloss":"softly"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"roemische-fontaene-s4-l3","source":"von unten lächeln macht mit Übergängen.","translation":"smile from below with passages overhead.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-fontaene-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"lächeln macht","title":"Infinitive as direct object","body":"lächeln, 'to smile', is used here as an infinitive object of macht, 'makes': lächeln macht, 'makes to smile', meaning 'causes to smile'. mit Übergängen, 'with passages', is dative after mit, 'with'."}],"words":[{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on lächeln","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"unten","lemma":"unten","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on von","gloss":"below"},{"surface":"lächeln","lemma":"lächeln","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"smile"},{"surface":"macht","lemma":"machen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"makes"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on macht","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"Übergängen","lemma":"Übergang","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"passages"}]}]}