Trakl
paints the images of a field and natural beauty, then contracts them to
the reality of the activities on said field. Trakl addresses the reader
as though confessing the stresses, difficulties and observances made of
a battle ground. The poem opens in such a way as to imply it is a
romantic poem about nature, then draws parallels and creates extended
metaphors to incorporate the bloody carnage that is the war and battle.
This interaction between Trakl and nature show a connection to mankind
and how mankind’s destructive behaviors are affecting everything around
him. The continued drawing from nature by Trakl represents his
connectedness to the battle field as well as his innocence in portraying
natures as naive.
Trakl
uses enjambment to draw the reader to the next line, just ending a
sentence mid-way. Line 5 and 6 are a perfect example in that “dying
warriors” refers to the line above, there is a comma to pause, then “the
wild lament”- line break pulling the reader down to finish “of their
broken mouths.” In the 16 line poem there are only 4 sentences. Trakl
has arranged it so that he is never directly speaking to or about the
fallen men, save for “the dying warriors” mentioned in line 4. The ease
of relating nature to a reader also provided Trakl with a solid
foundation from which to draw allusions and metaphors. There is no
definite rhyme theme in the poem though this may be a result of Daniel
Simko's translation of it.
The
metaphor between the red cloud of line 7 and its representation of
pools of blood as dead men lay in the meadow paints this imagery of
beautiful sunset red clouds. This contrasts with the location of the
men's bodies as they lay in the meadow and are followed by a cold moon.
The idea that the scenery holds emotion to the war imagery gives the
tone of Trakl. The capitalization of God in line 8 tells the reader it
is the Christian God then Trakl says “which is spilled blood itself” in
reference to the for mentioned God; thus bringing to question the
religious overtones of Trakl.
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