{"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-sarkophage","title":{"source":"Römische Sarkophage","translated":"Roman Sarcophagi"},"section":"New Poems","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/roemische-sarkophage","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-engel","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/der-schwan","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-sarkophage-s1-l1","source":"Was aber hindert uns zu glauben, daß","translation":"But what prevents us from believing that","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"hindert uns zu glauben","title":"hindern plus a zu-infinitive","body":"hindern, 'to hinder, prevent', takes an accusative object plus a zu-infinitive: uns zu glauben means 'us from believing'. daß, the old spelling of dass, sends the verb of its own clause to the end."}],"words":[{"surface":"Was","lemma":"was","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on hindert","gloss":"what"},{"surface":"aber","lemma":"aber","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on hindert","gloss":"but"},{"surface":"hindert","lemma":"hindern","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"prevents"},{"surface":"uns","lemma":"uns","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural","role":"depends on hindert","gloss":"us"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on glauben","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"glauben","lemma":"glauben","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on hindert","gloss":"believe"},{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on glauben","gloss":"that"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s1-l2","source":"(so wie wir hingestellt sind und verteilt)","translation":"(set down and parcelled out as we are)","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"hingestellt sind und verteilt","title":"Two participles in a passive","body":"hinstellen means 'to set down, place there'; verteilen means 'to distribute, spread out, parcel'. Both appear as past participles in a passive, sind … hingestellt … und verteilt: 'we have been put in place and dealt out'."}],"words":[{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"just as"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"wir","lemma":"wir","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"we"},{"surface":"hingestellt","lemma":"hinstellen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"set down"},{"surface":"sind","lemma":"sein","morphology":"auxiliary verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"are"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on sind","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"verteilt","lemma":"verteilen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on und","gloss":"parcelled out"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s1-l3","source":"nicht eine kleine Zeit nur Drang und Haß","translation":"that only for a little while do urge and hatred","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"Drang","title":"A pressing, restless impulse","body":"Drang means 'urge, drive, pressing impulse', related to drängen, 'to press, push'. Paired with Haß, 'hatred', old spelling of Hass, it names the restless forces of the living self. nicht … nur works with verweilt in the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on Zeit","gloss":"not"},{"surface":"eine","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Zeit","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"kleine","lemma":"klein","morphology":"adjective, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Zeit","gloss":"little"},{"surface":"Zeit","lemma":"Zeit","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on verweilt","gloss":"while"},{"surface":"nur","lemma":"nur","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Drang","gloss":"only"},{"surface":"Drang","lemma":"Drang","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"subject of verweilt","gloss":"urge"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on Drang","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"Haß","lemma":"Haß","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"hatred"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s1-l4","source":"und dies Verwirrende in uns verweilt,","translation":"and this confusion linger in us,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"dies Verwirrende","title":"A present participle turned abstract noun","body":"verwirrend, 'confusing', is the present participle of verwirren, 'to confuse'. Capitalized with a neuter article it becomes an abstract noun, das Verwirrende, 'that which confuses'. verweilen means 'to linger, dwell'."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on verweilt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"dies","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Verwirrende","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"Verwirrende","lemma":"Verwirrende","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of verweilt","gloss":"confusion"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on verweilt","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"uns","lemma":"uns","morphology":"pronoun, dative, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"us"},{"surface":"verweilt","lemma":"verweilen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"linger"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s2-l1","source":"wie einst in dem verzierten Sarkophag","translation":"as once within the ornamented sarcophagus,","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"wie einst","title":"wie launches a long comparison","body":"wie, 'as, like', opens the simile that runs through the whole next stanza; einst means 'once, formerly, long ago'. verziert, 'ornamented', is the past participle of verzieren; the dative in dem … Sarkophag marks a fixed location."}],"words":[{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on lag","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"einst","lemma":"einst","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on lag","gloss":"once"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on lag","gloss":"within"},{"surface":"dem","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Sarkophag","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"verzierten","lemma":"verziert","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Sarkophag","gloss":"ornamented"},{"surface":"Sarkophag","lemma":"Sarkophag","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on in","gloss":"sarcophagus"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s2-l2","source":"bei Ringen, Götterbildern, Gläsern, Bändern,","translation":"amid rings, images of gods, glasses, ribbons,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"bei Ringen, Götterbildern, Gläsern, Bändern","title":"bei always takes the dative","body":"bei, 'by, amid, among', always governs the dative, so every noun in this list carries the dative-plural -n: Ringen, Götterbildern, Gläsern, Bändern. das Götterbild means 'image of a god'. These are the grave-goods buried beside the body."}],"words":[{"surface":"bei","lemma":"bei","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on lag","gloss":"amid"},{"surface":"Ringen","lemma":"Ring","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on bei","gloss":"rings"},{"surface":"Götterbildern","lemma":"Götterbild","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on bei","gloss":"god-images"},{"surface":"Gläsern","lemma":"Glas","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on bei","gloss":"glasses"},{"surface":"Bändern","lemma":"Band","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on bei","gloss":"ribbons"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s2-l3","source":"in langsam sich verzehrenden Gewändern","translation":"in garments slowly consuming themselves,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"sich verzehrenden","title":"A reflexive participle before its noun","body":"sich verzehren means 'to consume, waste oneself away'. The reflexive present participle is folded into an extended phrase before its noun: langsam sich verzehrenden Gewändern, 'garments slowly wasting themselves away'."}],"words":[{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on lag","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"langsam","lemma":"langsam","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on verzehrenden","gloss":"slowly"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural, reflexive","role":"depends on verzehrenden","gloss":"themselves"},{"surface":"verzehrenden","lemma":"verzehrend","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Gewändern","gloss":"consuming"},{"surface":"Gewändern","lemma":"Gewand","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"garments"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s2-l4","source":"ein langsam Aufgelöstes lag–","translation":"a thing slowly dissolved lay—","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ein langsam Aufgelöstes","title":"A past participle used as a noun","body":"aufgelöst is the past participle of auflösen, 'to dissolve, decompose'. Capitalized with the neuter article, ein … Aufgelöstes becomes a noun for an unnamed thing, 'a slowly dissolved thing'. lag is the simple past of liegen, 'to lie'."}],"words":[{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Aufgelöstes","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"langsam","lemma":"langsam","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Aufgelöstes","gloss":"slowly"},{"surface":"Aufgelöstes","lemma":"Aufgelöstes","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of lag","gloss":"dissolved"},{"surface":"lag–","lemma":"liegen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"lay"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s3-l1","source":"bis es die unbekannten Munde schluckten,","translation":"until the unknown mouths swallowed it down,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"bis es die … Munde schluckten","title":"bis sends its verb to the end","body":"bis, 'until', is a subordinating conjunction, so the finite verb schluckten, 'swallowed', from schlucken, goes to the very end of the clause. die unbekannten Munde, 'the unknown mouths', is the subject; Munde is an older plural of Mund."}],"words":[{"surface":"bis","lemma":"bis","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on schluckten","gloss":"until"},{"surface":"es","lemma":"es","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on schluckten","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Munde","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"unbekannten","lemma":"unbekannt","morphology":"adjective, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Munde","gloss":"unknown"},{"surface":"Munde","lemma":"Mund","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"subject of schluckten","gloss":"mouths"},{"surface":"schluckten","lemma":"schlucken","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"swallowed"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s3-l2","source":"die niemals reden. (Wo besteht und denkt","translation":"that never speak. (Where does there exist and think","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on reden","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"niemals","lemma":"niemals","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on reden","gloss":"never"},{"surface":"reden","lemma":"reden","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"speak"},{"surface":"Wo","lemma":"wo","morphology":"interrogative adverb","role":"depends on besteht","gloss":"where"},{"surface":"besteht","lemma":"bestehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"exists"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on besteht","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"denkt","lemma":"denken","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on besteht","gloss":"thinks"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s3-l3","source":"ein Hirn, um ihrer einst sich zu bedienen?)","translation":"a brain, to make use of them one day?)","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"sich ihrer bedienen","title":"sich bedienen governs the genitive","body":"sich bedienen means 'to make use of', and it governs the genitive: ihrer here is the genitive 'of them'. um … zu frames purpose, so um ihrer … sich zu bedienen means 'in order to make use of them'. einst means 'one day'."}],"words":[{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Hirn","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Hirn","lemma":"Hirn","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of besteht and denkt","gloss":"brain"},{"surface":"um","lemma":"um","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on bedienen","gloss":"in order to"},{"surface":"ihrer","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, genitive, plural","role":"depends on bedienen","gloss":"of them"},{"surface":"einst","lemma":"einst","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on bedienen","gloss":"one day"},{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on bedienen","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"zu","lemma":"zu","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on bedienen","gloss":"to"},{"surface":"bedienen","lemma":"bedienen","morphology":"verb, infinitive","role":"depends on besteht","gloss":"make use","note":"'sich einer Sache bedienen' is an idiom meaning 'to avail oneself of / make use of something', governing the genitive (ihrer)."}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s4-l1","source":"Da wurde von den alten Aquädukten","translation":"Then from the ancient aqueducts there was","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"Da wurde … eingelenkt","title":"werden plus a participle forms the passive","body":"wurde, past of werden, pairs with the participle eingelenkt at the end of the next line to form the passive, 'was channelled in'. da means 'then'. von den alten Aquädukten, 'from the old aqueducts', names the source."}],"words":[{"surface":"Da","lemma":"da","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on wurde","gloss":"then"},{"surface":"wurde","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was"},{"surface":"von","lemma":"von","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wurde","gloss":"from"},{"surface":"den","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Aquädukten","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"alten","lemma":"alt","morphology":"adjective, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on Aquädukten","gloss":"ancient"},{"surface":"Aquädukten","lemma":"Aquädukt","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, plural","role":"depends on von","gloss":"aqueducts"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s4-l2","source":"ewiges Wasser in sie eingelenkt–:","translation":"eternal water guided into them—:","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"eingelenkt","title":"einlenken, to steer or channel in","body":"einlenken means literally 'to steer, guide, channel in'. ewiges Wasser in sie eingelenkt means 'eternal water channelled into them', with sie referring back to the sarcophagi."}],"words":[{"surface":"ewiges","lemma":"ewig","morphology":"adjective, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Wasser","gloss":"eternal"},{"surface":"Wasser","lemma":"Wasser","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"subject of wurde eingelenkt","gloss":"water"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on eingelenkt–","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"them"},{"surface":"eingelenkt–","lemma":"einlenken","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on wurde","gloss":"guided"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"roemische-sarkophage-s4-l3","source":"das spiegelt jetzt und geht und glänzt in ihnen.","translation":"and now it mirrors and moves and gleams in them.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/roemische-sarkophage-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"das spiegelt … und geht und glänzt","title":"One subject, three verbs in a row","body":"das, 'it', resumes ewiges Wasser as the subject of three present-tense verbs strung together: spiegelt, 'mirrors', from spiegeln; geht, 'moves'; and glänzt, 'gleams'. in ihnen, dative plural, means 'in them', the sarcophagi."}],"words":[{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on spiegelt","gloss":"it"},{"surface":"spiegelt","lemma":"spiegeln","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"mirrors"},{"surface":"jetzt","lemma":"jetzt","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on spiegelt","gloss":"now"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on spiegelt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"geht","lemma":"gehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"moves"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on geht","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"glänzt","lemma":"glänzen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"gleams"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on glänzt","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"ihnen","lemma":"ihnen","morphology":"pronoun, dative, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"them"}]}]}