German · New Poems

Der Fahnenträger

The Standard-Bearer

16 lines · 16 notes

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1
The others feel everything on them as rough
Dietheder · determiner, nominative, pluraldepends on andern
andernothersanderer · pronoun, nominative, pluralsubject of fühlen
fühlenfeelfühlen · verb, present, indicative, third-person, pluralmain verb of the sentence
alleseverythingalle · pronoun, accusative, neuter, singularobject of fühlen
anonan · prepositiondepends on fühlen
sichthemsich · pronoun, accusative, singular, reflexivedepends on an
rauhroughrauh · adjective, predicate (uninflected)depends on fühlen
GrammarPhysical sense of an sich An sich here is literal and physical, meaning 'on, against themselves'. Fühlen alles an sich rauh means 'feel everything against their bodies as rough'. Rauh is the pre-1996 spelling of modern rau, 'rough, harsh'.
2
and with no part in it: iron, cloth, and leather.
WordA noun meaning a share Der Anteil means 'a share, a part, a stake'. Ohne Anteil means 'with no share in it, taking no part'. Das Zeug here uses the older sense, 'stuff, cloth, kit', rather than the modern loose sense of 'stuff'.
3
True, at times a soft feather flatters,
GrammarConcession completed by doch Zwar means 'admittedly, it is true that' and opens a concession completed by doch, 'and yet', in the next line. Together they read as 'true, a feather sometimes flatters, and yet each man is alone'. Schmeicheln takes a dative object.
4
yet very alone and loveless is each one;
GrammarEmphatic double form Ein jeder is an emphatic, slightly elevated version of jeder, 'each, every one', with the indefinite article doubling the sense. It is the subject of the sentence. The verb ist comes forward, and the predicates allein and lieblos stand before it for emphasis.
5
but he bears—as though he bore a woman—
GrammarUnreal comparison takes subjunctive Als, meaning 'as though', with the verb moved forward and no ob, introduces an unreal comparison and takes Konjunktiv II, the subjunctive of unreality. Trüg comes from tragen, 'to carry, to bear', so als trüg er eine Frau means 'as though he were carrying a woman'. The final e of trüge is dropped for the meter.
GrammarBut placed after the pronoun Aber, 'but', normally opens a clause, but here it follows the pronoun: er aber instead of aber er. This word order is a poetic option in German, and it gives aber more emphasis than the ordinary position at the front of the clause.
6
the flag in its solemn, festive robe.
WordSolemn from die Feier Feierlich comes from die Feier, 'celebration, ceremony', and means 'solemn, ceremonial, festive'. Das Kleid means 'dress, gown, robe'. In dem feierlichen Kleide uses the old dative ending e on Kleide, a form common in older poetic German.
7
Close behind him trails her heavy silk,
GrammarHer refers to the flag Ihre, 'her', refers back to die Fahne, 'the flag', which is grammatically feminine in German. So ihre schwere Seide literally means 'the flag's heavy silk'. Dicht hinter ihm means 'close behind him', describing where the silk trails.
8
which at times flows over his hands.
9
Alone, when he closes his eyes, he can
GrammarVerb bracket across two lines Können, 'to be able to', is the finite verb in second position. Its dependent infinitive sehn, 'to see', is held back to the end of the next line, forming the verb bracket typical of German clauses. Allein here can mean 'only' as well as 'alone'.
10
see a smile: he may not abandon her.
GrammarDürfen negated means must not Dürfen means 'to be allowed to'. Negated with nicht, darf nicht means 'may not, must not', a prohibition rather than an inability. Er darf sie nicht verlassen means 'he must not abandon her'. Sie is accusative, the object of verlassen.
11
And when it comes in flashing cuirasses
WordThe cuirass, body armor Der Kürass, plural Kürasse, dative Kürassen after in, names a cuirass, the breastplate and backplate armor worn by heavy cavalry. Blitzenden, 'flashing', modifies Kürassen and takes the same dative plural ending.
12
and reaches for her and wrestles and would seize her—:
GrammarGreifen nach takes the dative Greifen nach means 'to reach or grab for', and nach governs the dative, so nach ihr means 'for her'. Three verbs stack up in the line, greift, ringt, and will fassen, 'reaches, wrestles, wants to seize'. Fassen means 'to grasp, to seize hold of'.
13
then he may tear her from the staff,
GrammarSeparable verb stays whole Abreißen, 'to tear off, rip away', is a separable verb, but after the modal darf it appears whole as an infinitive at the end of the clause: darf er sie abreißen. Der Stock here means the flagstaff. Von dem Stocke uses the old dative ending e, meaning 'from the staff'.
14
as though he tore her from her maidenhood,
WordSuffix makes an abstract noun Das Mädchentum means 'girlhood, maidenhood'. The suffix tum turns a noun into a state or condition, as in Heldentum, 'heroism'. Riß is Konjunktiv II of reißen, 'to tear', with the e clipped, following als to mark an unreal comparison.
15
to hold her beneath his soldier's coat.
GrammarPurpose clause with infinitive Um plus zu with an infinitive expresses purpose, 'in order to'. Um sie zu halten means 'in order to hold her'. Der Waffenrock is an old word for a soldier's tunic or coat. Unterm Waffenrocke, short for unter dem Waffenrocke, uses the old dative ending e and means 'beneath the coat'.
16
And for the others that is courage and glory.
GrammarDas as a neutral demonstrative Das here is a neutral demonstrative meaning 'that, this whole thing', not the article. Ist das Mut und Ruhm means 'that is courage and glory'. Mut and Ruhm are both nominative, joined by und after the verb ist.

The particulars

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