# Venezianischer Morgen · Venetian Morning

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

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

**1** Fürstlich verwöhnte Fenster sehen immer,  
Princely, pampered windows always see
> Adverb 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** was manchesmal uns zu bemühn geruht:  
what now and then has deigned to trouble us:
> A 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.
> Elided 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** die Stadt, die immer wieder, wo ein Schimmer  
the city, which again and again, where a shimmer

**4** von Himmel trifft auf ein Gefühl von Flut,  
of sky meets with a sense of tide,
> Flood 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** sich bildet, ohne irgendwann zu sein.  
takes shape, without ever being.
> Reflexive 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** Ein jeder Morgen muß ihr die Opale  
Each and every morning must first show her
> Plural 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** erst zeigen, die sie gestern trug, und Reihn  
the opals she wore yesterday, and draw rows
> erst 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** von Spiegelbildern ziehn aus dem Kanale,  
of mirror-images out of the canal,
> A 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** und sie erinnern an die andern Male:  
and remind her of the other times:
> To 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** dann gibt sie sich erst zu und fällt sich ein  
only then does she admit herself and come to mind
> Separable 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'.
> A 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** wie eine Nymphe, die den Zeus empfing.  
like a nymph who once received Zeus.
> Preterite 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** Das Ohrgehäng erklingt an ihrem Ohre;  
The earring rings at her ear;
> A 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** sie aber hebt San Giorgio Maggiore  
but she lifts San Giorgio Maggiore
> aber 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** und lächelt lässig in das schöne Ding.  
and smiles idly into the lovely thing.
> Adverb 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'.

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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.