German · New Poems: The Other Part

Venezianischer Morgen

Venetian Morning

14 lines · 15 notes

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1
Princely, pampered windows always see
FürstlichPrincelyfürstlich · adverbdepends on verwöhnte
verwöhntepamperedverwöhnt · adjective, nominative, neuter, pluraldepends on Fenster
FensterwindowsFenster · noun, nominative, neuter, pluraldepends on sehen
sehenseesehen · verb, present, indicative, third-person, pluralmain verb of the sentence
immeralwaysimmer · adverbdepends on sehen
WordAdverb plus past participle fürstlich, 'princely', from der Fürst, 'prince', works here as an adverb, modifying verwöhnte, the past participle of verwöhnen, 'to spoil, pamper'. fürstlich verwöhnte Fenster means 'lavishly pampered windows', the subject of sehen, 'see'.
2
what now and then has deigned to trouble us:
WordA courtly verb meaning to deign geruht is the past participle of geruhen, an elevated verb meaning 'to deign, condescend'. With zu bemühn, 'to trouble', it reads 'has deigned to trouble us'. geruhen zu plus infinitive is a formal, archaic construction.
GrammarElided infinitive for meter bemühn is bemühen, 'to trouble, take pains', with its unstressed -e- dropped for meter, a common poetic elision. uns zu bemühn geruht means 'has deigned to trouble us'; geruhen governs the zu infinitive bemühn.
3
the city, which again and again, where a shimmer
4
of sky meets with a sense of tide,
WordFlood or tide, kept vague die Flut means 'flood, high water, tide'. ein Gefühl von Flut means 'a sense of tide', keeping the water an intimation rather than a named thing. The verb that completes this clause, sich bildet, stands across the stanza break.
5
takes shape, without ever being.
GrammarReflexive verb meaning to take shape sich bilden is the reflexive of bilden, 'to form, shape': 'to take shape, come into being'. Its subject, die Stadt, is held back across the line break and the clause between. ohne irgendwann zu sein means 'without ever being'.
6
Each and every morning must first show her
WordPlural noun for a gemstone die Opale is the plural of der Opal, 'opal', a gemstone whose color shifts with the light. muß ihr die Opale erst zeigen means 'must first show her the opals', with the dative ihr, 'to her', naming the city.
7
the opals she wore yesterday, and draw rows
Grammarerst meaning not yet, first erst here means 'first, only then', marking something that must happen before anything else can. muß ihr die Opale erst zeigen means 'must first show her the opals'. muß and zeigen split across two lines, ordinary German word order stretched over the verse.
8
of mirror-images out of the canal,
WordA compound noun for reflections das Spiegelbild, plural Spiegelbilder, means 'mirror image, reflection', from der Spiegel, 'mirror', and das Bild, 'image'. Reihn von Spiegelbildern ziehn aus dem Kanale means 'draw rows of reflections out of the canal'. Kanale is an older dative of der Kanal.
9
and remind her of the other times:
GrammarTo remind of, plus accusative erinnern an plus accusative means 'to remind someone of something': sie erinnern an die andern Male means 'they remind her of the other times'. sie, nominative plural, refers back to Reihn von Spiegelbildern, the subject.
10
only then does she admit herself and come to mind
GrammarSeparable verb split by reflexive gibt ... zu is the separable verb zugeben, 'to admit, concede', its prefix zu- split off to the line's end. Made reflexive, sie gibt sich zu means 'she admits herself'. erst here means 'only then'.
GrammarA second separable verb, idiom reversed fällt ... ein is the separable verb einfallen, whose idiom jemandem fällt etwas ein means 'something occurs to someone'. Made reflexive, sie fällt sich ein means 'she occurs to herself, comes to her own mind'.
11
like a nymph who once received Zeus.
GrammarPreterite of a strong verb empfing is the simple past of the strong verb empfangen, 'to receive, welcome', also used of a woman, 'to conceive'. die den Zeus empfing means 'who received Zeus', with the relative clause's verb closing it, as German requires.
12
The earring rings at her ear;
WordA hanging earring, plus a verb das Ohrgehäng means a hanging earring or pendant, from das Ohr, 'ear', and hängen, 'to hang'. erklingt, from erklingen, 'to sound, ring forth', means 'rings'. Ohre is the older dative form of Ohr, 'ear'.
13
but she lifts San Giorgio Maggiore
Grammaraber need not stand first aber, 'but, however', does not have to open its clause; placed after the subject, sie aber hebt means 'she, however, lifts'. hebt, from heben, 'to lift, raise', still keeps German's normal second-position verb slot.
14
and smiles idly into the lovely thing.
WordAdverb for a casual manner lässig means 'casual, nonchalant, languid', related to lassen, 'to let, leave be'. lächelt lässig means 'smiles idly, carelessly'. das schöne Ding means 'the lovely thing', the accusative object of in, 'into'.

The particulars

The text: Neue Gedichte, Rainer Maria Rilke. New Poems: The Other Part.
Reading aloud: Digital narration, directed by 1732 Studios.
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