{"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":"san-marco","title":{"source":"San Marco","translated":"San Marco"},"section":"New Poems: The Other Part","summary":null,"url":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/san-marco","lines":14},"previous":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/spaetherbst-in-venedig","next":"https://1732studios.com/books/rilke/ein-doge","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":"san-marco-s1-l1","source":"In diesem Innern, das wie ausgehöhlt","translation":"In this interior, which as if hollowed out","stanza":1,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s1-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"in diesem Innern","title":"An adjective used as a noun","body":"das Innere, 'the interior, the inside', is the adjective inner turned into a neuter noun, so it still takes adjective endings. After the dative in diesem it becomes in diesem Innern, 'in this interior'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"ausgehöhlt","title":"Hollowed out","body":"Past participle of the separable verb aushöhlen, 'to hollow out, scoop out', from hohl, 'hollow'. wie ausgehöhlt means 'as though hollowed out', a cavity carved into a mass rather than built up from parts."}],"words":[{"surface":"In","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wölbt","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"diesem","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Innern","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"Innern","lemma":"Innere","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on In","gloss":"interior"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on ausgehöhlt","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on ausgehöhlt","gloss":"as if"},{"surface":"ausgehöhlt","lemma":"aushöhlen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on das","gloss":"hollowed out"}]},{"number":2,"label":"2","id":"san-marco-s1-l2","source":"sich wölbt und wendet in die goldnen Smalten,","translation":"vaults and turns itself into the golden mosaics,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s1-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"sich wölben","title":"To arch, to vault","body":"The reflexive sich wölben means 'to arch, to curve, to form a vault', from die Wölbung, 'the vault, the dome'. It is paired here with sich wendet, 'turns itself'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Smalten","title":"The mosaic glass","body":"die Smalte, here plural Smalten, is smalt, the small cubes of colored, gold-backed glass, tesserae, used to set Byzantine mosaics. The upper interior of San Marco is sheathed in this gold smalt."}],"words":[{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on wölbt","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"wölbt","lemma":"wölben","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"vaults"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on wölbt","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"wendet","lemma":"wenden","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"depends on und","gloss":"turns"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on wendet","gloss":"into"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Smalten","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"goldnen","lemma":"golden","morphology":"adjective, accusative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on Smalten","gloss":"golden"},{"surface":"Smalten","lemma":"Smalte","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"mosaics"}]},{"number":3,"label":"3","id":"san-marco-s1-l3","source":"rundkantig, glatt, mit Köstlichkeit geölt,","translation":"round-edged, smooth, oiled with preciousness,","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s1-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"rundkantig","title":"Softened, rounded edges","body":"A compound of rund, 'round', and die Kante, 'edge': 'with rounded edges'. It names how the worn marble and mosaic have no sharp corners; every surface is smoothed."}],"words":[{"surface":"rundkantig","lemma":"rundkantig","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on gehalten","gloss":"round-edged"},{"surface":"glatt","lemma":"glatt","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on gehalten","gloss":"smooth"},{"surface":"mit","lemma":"mit","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on geölt","gloss":"with"},{"surface":"Köstlichkeit","lemma":"Köstlichkeit","morphology":"noun, dative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on mit","gloss":"preciousness"},{"surface":"geölt","lemma":"ölen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on gehalten","gloss":"oiled"}]},{"number":4,"label":"4","id":"san-marco-s1-l4","source":"ward dieses Staates Dunkelheit gehalten","translation":"this State's darkness was held","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s1-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"ward","title":"Archaic past of werden","body":"ward is the old, poetic simple past of werden, 'to become', now usually wurde. With the participle gehalten it forms a passive: ward … gehalten, 'was held'."},{"kind":"grammar","term":"dieses Staates Dunkelheit","title":"A fronted genitive phrase","body":"dieses Staates is the genitive of der Staat, 'the State', placed before its noun: dieses Staates Dunkelheit, 'this State's darkness'. Plain prose would say die Dunkelheit dieses Staates."}],"words":[{"surface":"ward","lemma":"werden","morphology":"auxiliary verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"was","note":"Archaic form of 'wurde' (was), passive auxiliary."},{"surface":"dieses","lemma":"dieser","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Staates","gloss":"this"},{"surface":"Staates","lemma":"Staat","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Dunkelheit","gloss":"state's"},{"surface":"Dunkelheit","lemma":"Dunkelheit","morphology":"noun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on gehalten","gloss":"darkness"},{"surface":"gehalten","lemma":"halten","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on ward","gloss":"held"}]},{"number":5,"label":"5","id":"san-marco-s2-l1","source":"und heimlich aufgehäuft, als Gleichgewicht","translation":"and secretly heaped up, as a counterweight","stanza":2,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s2-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"aufgehäuft","title":"Separable verb aufhäufen","body":"aufgehäuft is the past participle of the separable verb aufhäufen, 'to heap up, pile up, amass', from der Haufen, 'heap'. It continues the passive: ward … gehalten und … aufgehäuft, 'was held and heaped up'."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das Gleichgewicht","title":"Balance, counterweight","body":"das Gleichgewicht, 'equilibrium, balance', literally 'equal-weight', here names a counterpoise: das Gleichgewicht des Lichtes, the weight set against the light. The genitive des Lichtes continues into the next line."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on gehalten","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"heimlich","lemma":"heimlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on aufgehäuft","gloss":"secretly"},{"surface":"aufgehäuft","lemma":"aufhäufen","morphology":"verb, participle","role":"depends on und","gloss":"heaped up"},{"surface":"als","lemma":"als","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on aufgehäuft","gloss":"as"},{"surface":"Gleichgewicht","lemma":"Gleichgewicht","morphology":"noun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on als","gloss":"counterweight"}]},{"number":6,"label":"6","id":"san-marco-s2-l2","source":"des Lichtes, das in allen seinen Dingen","translation":"of the light, which in all its things","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s2-l2.m4a","notes":[],"words":[{"surface":"des","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Lichtes","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Lichtes","lemma":"Licht","morphology":"noun, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Gleichgewicht","gloss":"light"},{"surface":"das","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on vermehrte","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"in","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on vermehrte","gloss":"in"},{"surface":"allen","lemma":"aller","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Dingen","gloss":"all"},{"surface":"seinen","lemma":"sein","morphology":"determiner, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on Dingen","gloss":"its"},{"surface":"Dingen","lemma":"Ding","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, plural","role":"depends on in","gloss":"things"}]},{"number":7,"label":"7","id":"san-marco-s2-l3","source":"sich so vermehrte, daß sie fast vergingen.","translation":"so multiplied that they almost passed away.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s2-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"sich vermehren","title":"To multiply, to increase","body":"The reflexive sich vermehren means 'to multiply, to increase, to proliferate'. vermehrte sich so means 'multiplied itself so much', governing the daß-clause that names the result in the next line."},{"kind":"grammar","term":"vergingen","title":"Past tense of vergehen","body":"vergingen is the simple past of vergehen, 'to pass away, vanish, fade'. daß sie fast vergingen means 'so that they nearly passed away'; the subject sie is all the light's things."}],"words":[{"surface":"sich","lemma":"sich","morphology":"pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexive","role":"depends on vermehrte","gloss":"itself"},{"surface":"so","lemma":"so","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on vermehrte","gloss":"so"},{"surface":"vermehrte","lemma":"vermehren","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the relative clause","gloss":"multiplied"},{"surface":"daß","lemma":"daß","morphology":"subordinating conjunction","role":"depends on vergingen","gloss":"that"},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on vergingen","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"fast","lemma":"fast","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on vergingen","gloss":"almost"},{"surface":"vergingen","lemma":"vergehen","morphology":"verb, past, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the daß-clause","gloss":"passed away"}]},{"number":8,"label":"8","id":"san-marco-s2-l4","source":"Und plötzlich zweifelst du: vergehn sie nicht?","translation":"And suddenly you doubt: are they not passing away?","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s2-l4.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"zweifelst du","title":"The shift to second person","body":"zweifeln means 'to doubt, to be unsure': zweifelst du, 'you doubt'. The clause turns from describing the church to addressing a du, 'you'. vergehn sie nicht? means 'are they not vanishing?'."}],"words":[{"surface":"Und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on zweifelst","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"plötzlich","lemma":"plötzlich","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on zweifelst","gloss":"suddenly"},{"surface":"zweifelst","lemma":"zweifeln","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"doubt"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, second-person, singular","role":"depends on zweifelst","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"vergehn","lemma":"vergehen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, plural","role":"main verb of the embedded question","gloss":"pass away","note":"Poetic elision of 'vergehen'."},{"surface":"sie","lemma":"sie","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, plural","role":"depends on vergehn","gloss":"they"},{"surface":"nicht","lemma":"nicht","morphology":"particle","role":"depends on vergehn","gloss":"not"}]},{"number":9,"label":"9","id":"san-marco-s3-l1","source":"und drängst zurück die harte Galerie,","translation":"and you push back the hard gallery,","stanza":3,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s3-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"grammar","term":"drängst zurück","title":"Separable verb zurückdrängen","body":"drängst … zurück is the present tense of the separable verb zurückdrängen, 'to push back, force back', with the prefix zurück- placed after the object. Its object is die harte Galerie, the hard gallery."}],"words":[{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on drängst","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"drängst","lemma":"drängen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"push back"},{"surface":"zurück","lemma":"zurück","morphology":"particle, separable verb prefix","role":"depends on drängst","gloss":"back","note":"Separable prefix of 'zurückdrängen' (to push back)."},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Galerie","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"harte","lemma":"hart","morphology":"adjective, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Galerie","gloss":"hard"},{"surface":"Galerie","lemma":"Galerie","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on drängst","gloss":"gallery"}]},{"number":10,"label":"10","id":"san-marco-s3-l2","source":"die wie ein Gang im Bergwerk nah am Glanz","translation":"which, like a passage in a mine, near the gleam","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s3-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"der Gang im Bergwerk","title":"A mine shaft","body":"der Gang here is a passage or gallery; das Bergwerk is a mine. ein Gang im Bergwerk means 'a passage in a mine', a tunnel modifying die Galerie."}],"words":[{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on hängt","gloss":"which"},{"surface":"wie","lemma":"wie","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Gang","gloss":"like"},{"surface":"ein","lemma":"ein","morphology":"determiner, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Gang","gloss":"a"},{"surface":"Gang","lemma":"Gang","morphology":"noun, nominative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on nah","gloss":"passage"},{"surface":"im","lemma":"in","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on Gang","gloss":"in the"},{"surface":"Bergwerk","lemma":"Bergwerk","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on im","gloss":"mine"},{"surface":"nah","lemma":"nah","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on hängt","gloss":"near"},{"surface":"am","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on nah","gloss":"at the"},{"surface":"Glanz","lemma":"Glanz","morphology":"noun, dative, masculine, singular","role":"depends on am","gloss":"gleam"}]},{"number":11,"label":"11","id":"san-marco-s3-l3","source":"der Wölbung hängt; und du erkennst die heile","translation":"of the vault hangs; and you recognize the whole","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s3-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"heil","title":"Whole, unbroken","body":"heil means 'whole, intact, sound, unhurt', the root of heilen, 'to heal'. die heile Helle des Ausblicks means 'the whole, unbroken brightness of the view', with Helle waiting in the next stanza."}],"words":[{"surface":"der","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Wölbung","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Wölbung","lemma":"Wölbung","morphology":"noun, genitive, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Glanz","gloss":"vault"},{"surface":"hängt","lemma":"hängen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, third-person, singular","role":"main verb of the relative clause","gloss":"hangs"},{"surface":"und","lemma":"und","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on erkennst","gloss":"and"},{"surface":"du","lemma":"du","morphology":"pronoun, nominative, second-person, singular","role":"depends on erkennst","gloss":"you"},{"surface":"erkennst","lemma":"erkennen","morphology":"verb, present, indicative, second-person, singular","role":"main verb of the sentence","gloss":"recognize"},{"surface":"die","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on heile","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"heile","lemma":"heil","morphology":"adjective, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Helle","gloss":"whole"}]},{"number":12,"label":"12","id":"san-marco-s4-l1","source":"Helle des Ausblicks: aber irgendwie","translation":"brightness of the view out: but somehow","stanza":4,"audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s4-l1.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"der Ausblick","title":"The view out","body":"der Ausblick is the view or outlook, from ausblicken, 'to look out'. Helle des Ausblicks means 'brightness of the view out'. aber irgendwie, 'but somehow', opens the sentence that follows the colon."}],"words":[{"surface":"Helle","lemma":"Helle","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on erkennst","gloss":"brightness"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Ausblicks","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Ausblicks","lemma":"Ausblick","morphology":"noun, genitive, masculine, singular","role":"depends on Helle","gloss":"view"},{"surface":"aber","lemma":"aber","morphology":"conjunction","role":"depends on messend","gloss":"but"},{"surface":"irgendwie","lemma":"irgendwie","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on messend","gloss":"somehow"}]},{"number":13,"label":"13","id":"san-marco-s4-l2","source":"wehmütig messend ihre müde Weile","translation":"wistfully measuring its weary while","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s4-l2.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"wehmütig","title":"Wistful, melancholy","body":"wehmütig means 'wistful, melancholy, mournful', from das Weh, 'woe', and der Mut, 'spirit'. It modifies messend, 'measuring', describing how ihre müde Weile, 'its weary while', is measured."},{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"die Weile","title":"A while, a span","body":"die Weile is 'a while, a span of time', as in eine Weile, 'for a while'. ihre müde Weile means 'its weary while'; messend is the present participle of messen, 'to measure'."}],"words":[{"surface":"wehmütig","lemma":"wehmütig","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on messend","gloss":"wistfully"},{"surface":"messend","lemma":"messend","morphology":"adverb","role":"depends on Helle","gloss":"measuring"},{"surface":"ihre","lemma":"ihr","morphology":"determiner, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Weile","gloss":"its"},{"surface":"müde","lemma":"müde","morphology":"adjective, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on Weile","gloss":"weary"},{"surface":"Weile","lemma":"Weile","morphology":"noun, accusative, feminine, singular","role":"depends on messend","gloss":"while"}]},{"number":14,"label":"14","id":"san-marco-s4-l3","source":"am nahen Überstehn des Viergespanns.","translation":"against the near outlasting of the four-horse team.","audio":"https://audio.1732studios.com/rilke/san-marco-s4-l3.m4a","notes":[{"kind":"vocabulary","term":"das Überstehn","title":"Enduring, outlasting","body":"das Überstehn is the noun formed from überstehen, 'to survive, endure, outlast', and also literally 'to stand over'. am nahen Überstehn des Viergespanns means 'against the near outlasting of the four-horse team'."}],"words":[{"surface":"am","lemma":"an","morphology":"preposition","role":"depends on messend","gloss":"against the"},{"surface":"nahen","lemma":"nah","morphology":"adjective, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Überstehn","gloss":"near"},{"surface":"Überstehn","lemma":"Überstehn","morphology":"noun, dative, neuter, singular","role":"depends on am","gloss":"outlasting"},{"surface":"des","lemma":"der","morphology":"determiner, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Viergespanns","gloss":"the"},{"surface":"Viergespanns","lemma":"Viergespann","morphology":"noun, genitive, neuter, singular","role":"depends on Überstehn","gloss":"four-horse team"}]}]}