Rainer Maria Rilke Diskussionforum

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

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