# Spätherbst in Venedig · Late Autumn in Venice

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems: The Other Part

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

**1** Nun treibt die Stadt schon nicht mehr wie ein Köder,  
Now the city no longer drifts like a lure,
> Verb-second after a fronted now: German main clauses keep the finite verb second. Fronting the adverb nun, 'now', pushes the subject die Stadt after the verb treibt, 'drifts'. schon nicht mehr stacks schon, 'already', with nicht mehr, 'no longer'.
> Bait, lure: der Köder is bait on a hook, or a lure that draws prey. Venice is glossed as ein Köder, 'a lure', in this line. The image continues in the next line's fängt, 'catches'.

**2** der alle aufgetauchten Tage fängt.  
that catches every day that rises up.
> To surface, to emerge: auftauchen, 'to surface, come up', is separable, formed from tauchen, 'to dive', plus auf-, 'up'. Its past participle aufgetauchten works as an adjective before Tage: die aufgetauchten Tage, 'the days that have surfaced'.

**3** Die gläsernen Paläste klingen spröder  
The glassy palaces ring more brittle
> Made of glass: gläsern is the adjective from das Glas, 'glass': 'of glass, glassy'. die gläsernen Paläste, 'the glass palaces', names Venice's palazzi. klingen, 'to ring, to sound', governs spröder, 'more brittle'.

**4** an deinen Blick. Und aus den Gärten hängt  
against your gaze. And out of the gardens hangs
> Preposition an takes accusative: an takes the accusative when it marks contact toward something: an deinen Blick, 'against your gaze' (accusative deinen Blick). klingen spröder an deinen Blick means the palaces ring more brittle against your gaze.


**5** der Sommer wie ein Haufen Marionetten  
the summer like a heap of marionettes
> A heap of: der Haufen means 'heap, pile'; followed by a bare noun it works like 'a heap of': ein Haufen Marionetten, 'a heap of marionettes', with Marionetten in the genitive of quantity.

**6** kopfüber, müde, umgebracht.  
head-down, weary, done to death.
> Headlong, upside down: kopfüber, from Kopf, 'head', plus über, 'over', means 'head-first, headlong, upside down'. umgebracht is the past participle of umbringen, 'to kill, do away with': kopfüber, müde, umgebracht, 'head-down, weary, killed off'.

**7** Aber vom Grund aus alten Waldskeletten  
But from the depths, out of old forest skeletons,
> From the bottom, aus plus dative: vom is the fusion of von dem, 'from the'; der Grund means 'ground, bottom, depths'. aus, 'out of', takes the dative: aus alten Waldskeletten. das Waldskelett joins Wald, 'forest', and Skelett, 'skeleton'.

**8** steigt Willen auf: als sollte über Nacht  
a will rises up: as if overnight
> Separable prefix comes last: aufsteigen, 'to rise, climb, well up', is separable, so its prefix auf- lands at the line's end: steigt Willen auf, 'a will rises up'. als, 'as though', plus the subjunctive sollte, 'were to', opens a contrary-to-fact comparison.


**9** der General des Meeres die Galeeren  
the admiral of the sea were to double
> Genitive marks of the sea: des Meeres is the genitive of das Meer, 'the sea': der General des Meeres, 'the admiral of the sea'. He is the subject of verdoppeln in the next line, and die Galeeren, 'the galleys', is its object.

**10** verdoppeln in dem wachen Arsenal,  
the galleys in the wakeful Arsenal,

**11** um schon die nächste Morgenluft zu teeren  
to tar the very next morning air already
> Purpose clause with teeren: um … zu plus infinitive forms a purpose clause, 'in order to': um … die nächste Morgenluft zu teeren, 'in order to tar the next morning air'. teeren means 'to tar, to pitch'.


**12** mit einer Flotte, welche ruderschlagend  
with a fleet which, plying its oars,
> Beating with oars: ruderschlagend is a coined present participle: Ruder, 'oar', plus schlagen, 'to beat, strike', giving 'beating its oars, plying the oars'. welche is the relative pronoun 'which', agreeing with the feminine eine Flotte, 'a fleet'.

**13** sich drängt und jäh, mit allen Flaggen tagend,  
presses forward and, abrupt, dawning with all its flags,
> To press forward, and to dawn: sich drängen is reflexive, 'to press, crowd forward'; jäh means 'sudden, abrupt, sheer'. tagend is the present participle of tagen, 'to dawn, grow light': mit allen Flaggen tagend, 'dawning with all its flags'.

**14** den großen Wind hat, strahlend und fatal.  
has the great wind, radiant and fatal.
> Verb lands at clause end: This closes the relative clause opened by welche: its verb hat, 'has', lands last, after the accusative object den großen Wind, 'the great wind'. strahlend is from strahlen, 'to shine'; fatal means 'fatal, baleful'.

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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.