German composition

Section 158 The Warlike Character of the Germans

The Germans fight as a nation. Whatever⁠1 their birth⁠2 or (S. 10, N. 9) profession, all are trained⁠3 soldiers. The nation is the army; the army is the nation. Hence⁠4 they cannot be moved save at the bidding of some grand principle, and the stirring⁠5 of some soul-penetrating⁠6 and elevating sentiment; and yet they are as sensible⁠7 as any nation that they abandon comfort⁠8, domestic ease, monetary independence, everything⁠9 which (S. 3, N. 7) men (= man) love and live for, in⁠10 order to identify the nation and the army. But they are willing to pay the price. They count⁠11 hardihood of body and trained⁠12 courage of heart the noblest riches of a nation. They reckon⁠11 that national independence and national greatness are a thousand times more precious than gold and silver, and⁠13 that to die on the field of battle is better and happier than to rot⁠14 and crumble away in sybaritic ease. They⁠15 hold, too, that⁠16 the cause of liberty, and the free noble spirit engendered by the brotherhood of a nationality which affirms its oneness by noble acts⁠17, is blessed by God, and that He will give⁠18 victory to the armies who go forth to battle in (S. 3, N. 2) trust in⁠19 His name. No wonder⁠20 they fight and triumph⁠21.—Admiral Garbett.

Notes

1 supply the verb ‘be’.

2 = station, Stand, m.

3 = practised.

4 Say ‘Hence they can be moved (erregen) only at (durch) the bidding (Gebot, n.)’.

5 Erweckung, f.

6 die Seele ergreifend.

7 ‘to be sensible’, here sich bewußt sein.

8 here die Annehmlichkeiten des Lebens.

9 Say ‘in short give up everything’, for the verb ‘abandon’ must be placed at the end of this clause.

10 Say ‘in order to prove the identity of the nation and the army’.

11 halten (für).

12 here gestählt.

13 Say ‘and feel that it is better and nobler to die’, etc.

14 vermodern; to crumble away, verfallen; ‘ease’, here Gemächlichkeit.

15 Auch halten sie dafür.

16 Construe thus: ‘that God will bless the cause (Sache, f.) of liberty’, and use the attributive constr. for the transl. of ‘and the — nationality’. Any other constr. would be much too clumsy.

17 = deeds.

18 to give victory, den Sieg verleihen; to go forth to battle, in die Schlacht ziehen.

19 auf.

20 Supply ‘then, that’.

21 = conquer.