“Eingang” was written in November 1905. The title is ambiguous as it can mean both entrance, doorway or access and introit or introduction. In the context of this poem, several of these translations seem plausible: “Eingang” is the introduction to …show more content…
The German word “male” refers to a large sculptural or architectonic structure that can be a monument, memorial or the like. According to Morwitz, the connection of “Mitten” and the preposition “beim” indicates that the fountain is placed in the middle of both the forest and the marble structure, and not next to it as most readers would understand it. The atmosphere of the second stanza is calm and peaceful. The fountain just starts (“beginnt”, v. 5). It is slow (“langsam”, v. 6) and the water flows gently (“sachte”, v. 7). The repeated murmuring consonants of the alliteration “Mitten […] marmornen male” convey the water’s soft gurgling and gentle flow. In the eighth verse, the otherwise regular rhythm is interrupted by a sudden trochaic beginning that illustrates the new image of the verse, which compares the water of the spring to grains falling one by one on a silver bowl. It is easy to associate this description with the idea of an hourglass that shows the slow trickle of time. Throughout the second stanza, different materials with different textures are mentioned: cold marble, slowly flowing water and single grains on a metal bowl. None of these materials are warm or soft, yet the scene appears pleasant due to the water’s “blumige spiele”. The adjective “blumig” means flowery, ornate, florid or floral and could refer to the water, its movement or the appearance of the marble