Rilke and Naples

[jubilan]

Hello dear Forum,

I'm writing to ask if anyone knows when Rilke first went to Naples. The Archeological Museum was one of his favorite places, and he had a special connection to a roman copy of a Greek frieze Orpheus, Eurydike, Hermes. He wrote his poem on the subject in early 1904, but I cannot find a record of his visiting Naples before 1906. Which is odd, since I believe this frieze inspired Rilke's poem (there is copy of this frieze too in Paris, but misattributed to another of Ovid's stories).

Your help will be appreciated!

Julian

[stilz]

Hello Jubilan,

You say the poem in question is from "early 1904" - might July 1904 be early enough?

Again I consulted the Rilke-Chronik:

Etwa vom 4. - 9. Juli (1904) ist R. mit seiner Frau in Neapel: »Neapel war viel, anders als Rom, wirklich lebendig, wirklich eine Welt und eines Meeres Nähe.«

All the best for you!
stilz