# Der Fahnenträger · The Standard-Bearer

Neue Gedichte · Rainer Maria Rilke · New Poems

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

**1** Die andern fühlen alles an sich rauh  
The others feel everything on them as rough
> Physical 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** und ohne Anteil: Eisen, Zeug und Leder.  
and with no part in it: iron, cloth, and leather.
> A 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** Zwar manchmal schmeichelt eine weiche Feder,  
True, at times a soft feather flatters,
> Concession 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** doch sehr allein und lieblos ist ein jeder;  
yet very alone and loveless is each one;
> Emphatic 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** er aber trägt–als trüg er eine Frau–  
but he bears—as though he bore a woman—
> Unreal 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.
> But 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** die Fahne in dem feierlichen Kleide.  
the flag in its solemn, festive robe.
> Solemn 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** Dicht hinter ihm geht ihre schwere Seide,  
Close behind him trails her heavy silk,
> Her 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** die manchmal über seine Hände fließt.  
which at times flows over his hands.


**9** Er kann allein, wenn er die Augen schließt,  
Alone, when he closes his eyes, he can
> Verb 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** ein Lächeln sehn: er darf sie nicht verlassen.  
see a smile: he may not abandon her.
> Dürfen 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** Und wenn es kommt in blitzenden Kürassen  
And when it comes in flashing cuirasses
> The 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** und nach ihr greift und ringt und will sie fassen–:  
and reaches for her and wrestles and would seize her—:
> Greifen 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** dann darf er sie abreißen von dem Stocke,  
then he may tear her from the staff,
> Separable 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** als riß er sie aus ihrem Mädchentum,  
as though he tore her from her maidenhood,
> Suffix 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** um sie zu halten unterm Waffenrocke.  
to hold her beneath his soldier's coat.
> Purpose 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** Und für die andern ist das Mut und Ruhm.  
And for the others that is courage and glory.
> Das 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.

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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.