German composition

Section 55 The Soldier and His Flag (Fahne)

On seeing⁠1 a young Prussian soldier who was pressing his flag to his bosom in the agonies of death, Napoleon said to his officers: “Gentlemen⁠2, you see that a soldier has for his flag a sentiment almost approaching⁠3 idolatry. Render⁠4 funeral honours at once to this young man. I regret that I do not know his name, that⁠5 I might write to his family. Do not take⁠6 away his flag; its silken folds will be an honourable shroud⁠7 for him.”—General Bourrienne⁠8.

Notes

1 When the Present Participle is used in adverbial clauses of time, it must generally, by the help of one of the conjunctions als (when), nachdem (after), indem (while, whilst), and während (while, whilst), be changed into a finite verb, i.e. one with a personal termination; thus—
Hearing his opponent speak in this way, his features assumed an expression of contempt. Als er seinen Gegner so sprechen hörte, nahmen seine Züge den Ausdruck der Verachtung an.
Having given his orders, the officer rode quickly away. Nachdem er seine Befehle erteilt hatte, ritt der Offizier schnell von dannen.
Looking at me in a suppliant manner, a tear glittered in her eye. Indem sie mich bittend ansah, glänzte eine Thräne in ihrem Auge.
I saw it when passing the house this morning. Ich sah es, als ich heute Morgen beim Hause vorüberging.
Consequently, the above passage must be rendered thus: ‘When Napoleon saw (bemerken) a young Prussian soldier who was pressing his flag to (an) his (S. 43, N. 9, A) bosom (Herz) in the agonies of death (im Todeskampfe, which place after ‘flag’), he said to his officers’: etc.

2 Say ‘You see, gentlemen’.

3 ‘to approach’ here = to border (an etwas grenzen). For the construction see S. 16, N. 4.

4 Say ‘Bury this young man (Jüngling) without delay with military honours’.

5 that — write, um... schreiben zu können. He writes to me once a month, Er schreibt einmal monatlich an mich.

6 Supply the pronoun ihm (from him) after the Imperative.

7 Leichentuch, n.; ‘for him’ must be rendered by the dat. of the pers. pron., which place after the copula ‘will’.

8 Der General Bourrienne war Privatsekretär und späterer Biograph Napoleons des Ersten.