# Römische Sarkophage · Roman Sarcophagi

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems

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

**1** Was aber hindert uns zu glauben, daß  
But what prevents us from believing that
> hindern plus a zu-infinitive: 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.

**2** (so wie wir hingestellt sind und verteilt)  
(set down and parcelled out as we are)
> Two participles in a passive: 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'.

**3** nicht eine kleine Zeit nur Drang und Haß  
that only for a little while do urge and hatred
> A pressing, restless impulse: 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.

**4** und dies Verwirrende in uns verweilt,  
and this confusion linger in us,
> A present participle turned abstract noun: 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'.


**5** wie einst in dem verzierten Sarkophag  
as once within the ornamented sarcophagus,
> wie launches a long comparison: 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.

**6** bei Ringen, Götterbildern, Gläsern, Bändern,  
amid rings, images of gods, glasses, ribbons,
> bei always takes the dative: 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.

**7** in langsam sich verzehrenden Gewändern  
in garments slowly consuming themselves,
> A reflexive participle before its noun: 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'.

**8** ein langsam Aufgelöstes lag–  
a thing slowly dissolved lay—
> A past participle used as a noun: 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'.


**9** bis es die unbekannten Munde schluckten,  
until the unknown mouths swallowed it down,
> bis sends its verb to the end: 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.

**10** die niemals reden. (Wo besteht und denkt  
that never speak. (Where does there exist and think

**11** ein Hirn, um ihrer einst sich zu bedienen?)  
a brain, to make use of them one day?)
> sich bedienen governs the genitive: 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'.


**12** Da wurde von den alten Aquädukten  
Then from the ancient aqueducts there was
> werden plus a participle forms the passive: 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.

**13** ewiges Wasser in sie eingelenkt–:  
eternal water guided into them—:
> einlenken, to steer or channel in: 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.

**14** das spiegelt jetzt und geht und glänzt in ihnen.  
and now it mirrors and moves and gleams in them.
> One subject, three verbs in a row: 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.

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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.