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Comparing Literature: Exercise II
Leaving for the Front
Read the poem below then choose the tab above of the country you think represents the nationality of the poet.
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Leaving for the Front
Before I die I must just find this rhyme. We're marching off in company with death. There's nothing wrong with me. I'm glad to leave. (5) And now look how the sun's begun to set. Once more the good old sunset's glowing red. |
Notes Be quiet, my friends, and do not waste my time. (L.2) with death (L. 3) I only wish my girl would hold her breath (L. 4) There is almost a sense of embarrasment here. The soldier, in his new company, is leaving the old familiarities (his 'girl' and his 'mother'), but both women are showing too much emotion, where as the soldier reinforces his own resolve by stating There's nothing wrong with me (L. 5). the sun's begun to set (L. 7) In thirteen days I'll probably be dead. (L. 10) |
Great Britain - Incorrect! 
The poem was originally written in German and you are being presented with a translation here. The poet fought for the Central Powers during the War, not the Allies. The simple style relates in part to the fact that the poet had worked with children's literature earlier, and also to his adoption of the modernist approaches.
German Empire - Correct! 
The poem was written by Alfred Lichtenstein (1889-194) in the first few weeks of the War. Lichtenstein was born in Berlin, a Prussian Jew, and was educated in Law at University. He originally made his name writing a children's book Die Geschichten des Onkel Krause (The Stories of Uncle Krause).
He also began to experiment eraly on with modernist approaches to poetry, although 'Leaving for the Front' seems more attuned to the former genre, reflecting a simple nursery rhyme in its jaunty metrical structure and structure. In October 1913 Lichtenstein
began his compulsory one year's military service, but never left the ranks as after the declaration of War his regiment, the 2nd Bavarian Infantry, was sent directly to the front. Lichtenstein died of wounds after an attack at Vermandovillers on the
Somme on the 24th September 1914. It is ironic that Vermandovillers was retaken 4 years later (nearly to the day) by Wilfred Owen's regiment.
The original poem is entitled 'Abschied' and retains the simple rhyme structure of the translation:
Vorm Sterben mache ich noch mein Gedicht.
Still, Kameraden, stört mich nicht.
Wir ziehn sum Krieg. Der Tod is unser Kitt.
O, heulte mir doch die Geliebte nit.
Was liegt an mir. Ich gehe gerne ein.
Die Mutter weint. Man muß aus Eisen sein.
Die Sonne fällt zum Horizont hinab.
Bald wirft man mich ins milde Massengrab.
Am Himmel brennt das brave Abendrot.
Vielleicht bin ich in dreizehn Tagen tot.
United States - Incorrect! 
The poem was originally written in German and you are being presented with a translation here. The poet fought for the Central Powers during the War, not the Allies. The simple style relates in part to the fact that the poet had worked with children's
literature earlier, and also to his adoption of the mdoernist approaches.
Austria-Hungary - Incorrect! 
However you are close. The poem was written in German originally and the poet fought for the Central Powers. The simple style relates in part to the fact that the poet had worked with children's literature earlier, and also to his adoption of the mdoernist
approaches.
France - Incorrect! 
The poem was originally written in German and you are being presented with a translation here. The poet fought for the Central Powers during the War, not the Allies. The simple style relates in part to the fact that the poet had worked with children's literature earlier, and also to his adoption of the mdoernist approaches.
Italy - Incorrect! 
The poem was originally written in German and you are being presented with a translation here. The poet fought for the Central Powers during the War, not the Allies. The simple style relates in part to the fact that the poet had worked with children's
literature earlier, and also to his adoption of the mdoernist approaches.
Gala
Read the poem below then choose the tab above of the country you think represents the nationality of the poet.
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Skyrocket burst of hardened steel Two star shells first A poet in the forest sees Thinks of Saadi's roses then The air is full of a terrible |
Notes
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Great Britain - Incorrect!
Although the poet served in one of the armies of the Allies from 1914 to 1918 he was not British. The style of the poem (modernist) perhaps illustrates a mainland European background; and in fact that poet was one of the founding members of modernism and the first to coin the phrase 'surrealism'. Furthermore, the poem was not originally written in English (i.e. this is a translation, though it retains the structure of the lines).
German Empire - Inorrect!
The style of the poem (modernist) does illustrate a mainland European background (where the movement originated); and in fact that poet was one of the founding members of modernism and the first to coin the phrase 'surrealism'. The clue is that the poem's original title was 'Fête'.
United States - Incorrect!
The poet enlisted in an artillery regiment right at the beginning of the War (three years before the US entered into the conflict). Although many US men did enlist in the armies of Europe between 1914 and 1917, the style of the poem (modernist) perhaps illustrates a European background. Furthermore, the poem was not originally written in English (i.e. this is a translation, though it reatins the structure of the lines).
Austria-Hungary - Incorrect!
The style of the poem (modernist) does illustrate a mainland European background (where the movement originated); and in fact that poet was one of the founding members of modernism and the first to coin the phrase 'surrealism'. The clue is that the poem's original title was 'Fête'.
France - Correct!
The poem was written by the French poet Guilaume Apollinaire (1880-1918). However, to state that Apollinaire (born Wilhelm de Krostrowitsky) was French is perhaps misleading. He was Born in Rome to a Polish mother and Italian father, and only left Italy for Monaco when he was 8. However, thereafter he assimilated French culture and language and is generally considered one of the finest French poets and writers of the 20th-century. Apollinaire enlisted in the French artillery at the beginning of the War, having already established himself amongst the literary and artistic circles of Paris and Berlin as a leading modernist, and was the first to coin the phrase 'surrealism' (later adopted by the Breton school). He was also a notable journalist, and France's leading authority on contemporary art. Apollinaire eventually attained a commission and his war service was long, but ultimately tragic. He was wounded in 1916 and deemed unfit for combat retruned to Paris. However he never fully recovered from the wound and depsite continued treatment in hospital he died from the influenza epidemic in November 1918 two days before the Armistice. One of his last statements before he died was: 'Save me doctor! I want to live! I still have so much to say!'. However, during his time at the front the exhilaration and spectacle of modern warfare clearly had a great impact on him. As Peter Read notes: 'Lines explode at all angles over the page...throughout his war poetry Apollinaire does include the havoc wrought at ground level'. The poem presented here is entitled 'Fête' in the original.
Italy - Incorrect!
The style of the poem (modernist) does illustrate a mainland European background (where the movement originated); and in fact that poet was one of the founding members of modernism and the first to coin the phrase 'surrealism'. The clue is that the poem's original title was 'Fête'.
Grodek
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At nightfall the autumn woods cry out |
Notes
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Great Britain - Incorrect!
The classical references and pastoral images are certainly reminiscent of Grenfell and other British poets, but similar motifs can be found in all European literature. Similarly the closing line bemoaning 'The grandsons yet unborn' is similar to Wilfred Owen's 'undone years' in 'Strange Meeting', but again the recognition of that the death of the individual means the cutting off of future generations is Universal. The major clue to the poem's origin is the title, 'Grodek', which depicts a battle fought on the Eastern Front in 1914.
German Empire - Incorrect!
However you are close to the right answer. The major clue to the poem's origin is the title, 'Grodek', which depicts a battle fought on the Eastern Front in 1914, i.e. where the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary in the main) took on the Russian armies. The poem was written in German but the poet's nationality is not German.
United States - Incorrect!
The major clue to the poem's origin is the title, 'Grodek', which depicts a battle fought on the Eastern Front in 1914, i.e. where the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary in the main) took on the Russian armies. Although many American men volunteered to fight in the War before the US entered in 1917 the majority (but by no means all) fought for the Allies.
Austria-Hungary - Correct!
'Grodek' was written by the Austro-Hungarian poet Georg Trakl (1887-1914). Trakl was born in Salzburg of Slav descent, with his family originating from Hungary. Although he showed a keen interest in literature and philosophy throughout his childhood, his career after school was to train as a dispensing chemist (possibly fuelling his growing drug addiction). In the 1900s he dabbled in drama, but in 1912 his work as a poet was recognised publishing in the journal Der Brenner, finally publishing his first book of of poems in 1913 (but by this time he was a confirmed drug addict). His work was recognised by Wittgenstein as displaying 'the tone of true genius', but Trakl's career never had a chance to fully flourish for in August 1914 he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Medical Corps of the Austrian army. At the battle of Grodek he was placed in the helpless position of being left in charge of nearly 100 serious casualties without any proper training or medical facilities. It was a nightmarish scene, exaccerbated by the sight of the corpses of men hung for desertiondisplayed outside the casualty station. Trakl suffered a breakdown and was removed to Cracow where he was diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia. At the beginningn of November 1914, at the age of 27, he committed suicide by taking an overdose of cocaine.
France - Incorrect!
The major clue to the poem's origin is the title, 'Grodek', which depicts a battle fought on the Eastern Front in 1914. By this it is meant the front line between the Central Powers and Russia, not the Western Front or the Italian Front.
Italy - Incorrect!
The major clue to the poem's origin is the title, 'Grodek', which depicts a battle fought on the Eastern Front in 1914. By this it is meant the front line between the Central Powers and Russia, not the Western Front or the Italian Front.
Battlefield
| Battlefield
Yielding clod lulls iron off to sleep |
Notes
Battlefield (Title) rusts crumble / fleshes slime (Ll. 3-4) Murder on murder (L. 6) blinks / in childish eyes (Ll. 7-8)
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Great Britain - Incorrect!
The poem was originally written in German, and the poet died on the Eastern Front in 1915. His style is very much of the modern approach, and he published in one of the main expressionist jornals of the pre-War period.
German Empire - Correct!
'Battlefield' or 'Schlachtfeld' as it was entitled in the original version was written by the German poet August Stramm (1874 - 1915). Although there are no direct clues in the poem itself the style is modernist, almost imagist, and is typical of Stramm's poetry (notably the tailing off towards an unresolved ending, allowing rhythm and sound to dispense with syntax). Stramm was born in Münster, Westphalia, Germany. He conducted his studies part-time whilst working for the post office, and gained his doctorate in 1909. His artistic pursuits included, drama, music, and painting, as well as poetry (an example of which is presented here). He developed a great friendship with Herwarth Walden, editor of Der Sturm, and published many poems in this major expressionist journal. He was called up at the outbreak of War and in January 1915 he became Commander of 9 Company III Battalion, fighting at St Quentin on the Western Front. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and was due to receive the 1st Class when he was killed on the 1st September 1915 at the Dnepr-Bug Canal on the Eastern Front having been transfered there in the April of that year. He died leaving a widow (the novelist Else Krafft) and two children.
The poem in its original is as follows:
Schlactfeld
Schollenmürbe schläfert ein das Eisen
Blute filzen Sickerflecke
Roste krumen
Fleische schleimen
Saugen brünstet um Zerfallen.
Mordesmorde
Blinzen
Kinderblicke.
Schollenmürbe schläfert ein das Eisen
Blute filzen Sickerflecke
Roste krumen
Fleische schleimen
Saugen brünstet um Zerfallen.
Mordesmorde
Blinzen
Kinderblicke.
United States - Incorrect!
The poem was originally written in German, and the poet died on the Eastern Front in 1915. His style is very much of the modern approach, and he published in one of the main expressionist jornals of the pre-War period.
Austria-Hungary - Incorrect!
However you are close. The original poem was written in German with the title 'Schlachtfeld' and the poet died in 1915 fighting for the Central Powers on the Eastern front.
France - Incorrect!
The poem was originally written in German, and the poet died on the Eastern Front in 1915. His style is very much of the modern approach, and he published in one of the main expressionist jornals of the pre-War period.
Italy - Incorrect!
The poem was originally written in German, and the poet died on the Eastern Front in 1915. His style is very much of the modern approach, and he published in one of the main expressionist jornals of the pre-War period.
An Imperial Elegy
| An Imperial Elegy
Not one corner of a foreign field |
Notes
An Imperial Elegy (Title) Not one corner of a foreign field / But a span as wide as Europe (Ll. 1–2) If I should die, think only this of me: However here, the corner, i.e. the loss of an individual soldier, is magnified to an enormous all-encompassing grave that covers the whole of Europe. titan's (L. 3) Spirits' Pathway (L. 6) On the spirit's pathway the light still lies Here the pathway is the 'mystic road', the way of the dead taken by the spirits of the killed soldiers. This is the Path of Glory (L. 8) The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
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Great Britain - Correct!
'An Imperial Elegy' was written by the British poet Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) - a fuller chronology of his life and works are given in Tutorial One. It survives as a fragment but is illustrative of Owen's attitude to the War and its predicted aftermath. Although the style of the poem is not immediately recognisable as Owen's (there are no colloquialisms or elements of pararhyme), the vision behind it most definitely is. Owen's strongest poems are when he rises above the concerns of the individual and looks at the wider consequences of the War.
Clues within the poem to the nationaility of the poet are few, however. Britain was not the only nation to claim an empire in 1914 (indeed the target of the poem could be the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, or imperialism as a whole). Nevertheless the direct references to Rupert Brooke's poem and Gray's 'Elegy' do indicate, at the very least, a good knowledge of English poetry.
German Empire - Incorrect!
The title of the poem, with its imperialist overtones does suggest a European observer and the use of the deictic 'this' in line 8 implies a sense of involvement, of the poet being part of the War not remote from it.. However, the references to Brooke and Gray indicate a good knowledge of English literature which may indicate an Anglophone (though not necessarily of course).
United States - Incorrect!
The references to Brooke and Gray do indicate a good knowledge of English literature which may point towards an American poet. Similarly, the detatched stance and anti-European/imperialist viewpoint, could indicate a remoteness from the War, possibly an observer looking across the Atlantic at the carnage in Europe. Indeed it is certainly true that many Americans preferred to adopt an attitude of 'isolation' which was popular during, and notably after the War. However, the poem was written when public opinion in the US was moving towards involvement on the side of the Allies. Furthermore the use of the deictic 'this' in line 8 implies a sense of involvement, of the poet being part of the War not remote from it.
Austria-Hungary - Incorrect!
The title of the poem, with its imperialist overtones does suggest a European observer and the use of the deictic 'this' in line 8 implies a sense of involvement, of the poet being part of the War not remote from it.. However, the references to Brooke and Gray indicate a good knowledge of English literature which may indicate an Anglophone (though not necessarily of course).
France - Incorrect!
The title of the poem, with its imperialist overtones does suggest a European observer and the use of the deictic 'this' in line 8 implies a sense of involvement, of the poet being part of the War not remote from it.. However, the references to Brooke and Gray indicate a good knowledge of English literature which may indicate an Anglophone (though not necessarily of course).
Italy - Incorrect!
The title of the poem, with its imperialist overtones does suggest a European observer and the use of the deictic 'this' in line 8 implies a sense of involvement, of the poet being part of the War not remote from it.. However, the references to Brooke and Gray indicate a good knowledge of English literature which may indicate an Anglophone (though not necessarily of course).
Breaking Camp
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Once before, fanfares tore to blood my impatient heart |
Notes
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Great Britain - Incorrect!
The poet did live in England for many years studying at Magdalen College, Oxford. Indeed his greatest academic achievement was a lengthy study of German Shakespearean criticism. Furthermore one could possibly see a glorification
of the war in these verses similar to the poetry of Julian Grenfell (though this is unfair as the poem was actually written before 1913). However he was born in Colmar in the Alsace region.
German Empire - Correct!
The poem was written by the German poet Ernst Stadler (1883-1914). However, to simply state that Stadler was German would be to oversimplify somewhat. As Cross states (1988, p. 101), Stadler 'was European'. He was born in Colmar in the Alsace region (now France), an area often contested by Germany (previously Prussia) and France. He was educated at Strasburg University and in 1906, as a Rhodes Scholar, he studied at Magdalen College in Oxford. His love for England (and in particular Shakespeare) became apparent at this time. In 1910, however, he left England and began work at the Université Libre in Brussels. Coupled with his pan-european experiences, Stadler worked with René Schikele on bettering cultural relations between France and Germany. In 1914 however, at the outbreak of war he enlisted with the German Army. He was awarded the Iron Cross in October but was killed in action at the first Battle of Ypres on the 30th October. 'Breaking Camp' is entitled 'Der Aufbruch' originally, and suffers from the fact that it was written before 1913. It is often cited as glorifying war but Stadler should never be accused of such things. He was as quick to see the stupidity fo war, and to criticise is, as any of his contemporaries. It is noted that he first heard about the outbreak of War at a meeting of poets in Alsace. When the news broke the poets stood up and sang the Marsellaise. For Stadler, therefore, like many people, the War presented a series of terrible choice.
United States - Incorrect!
The poem presented here is a translation. It was actually written well before the outbreak of the war when the poet was a lecturer at the University Libré in Brussels.
Austria-Hungary - Incorrect!
The poem was originally written in German, and the poet did fight for the Central Powers but not in the Austrian army.
France - Incorrect!
The poem presented here is a translation. It was actually written well before the outbreak of the war when the poet was a lecturer at the University Libré in Brussels.
Italy - Incorrect!
The poem presented here is a translation. It was actually written well before the outbreak of the war when the poet was a lecturer at the University Libré in Brussels.
