English Translation

-9- 103 it, the eyes were closed and around the bearded mouth there was a soft smile of redeemed rest: reached to the goal. It was truly not the first dead person I saw, but the silent majesty of this face was so strong that I involuntarily grabbed the cap. Also the others all stepped off the road and no one dared to go over it. I went alone ahead and the people followed me silently. The path continued through the valley and up again on the opposite hill. There was a shallow but wide stream to jump, which flowed between willow trees, but also when the little ringel jumped too short that the water splashed, nobody laughed. In my memory I searched in vain for the original image of the dead; I knew him. Whether he reminded me of a painting, of a dead Christ, a victorious martyr? I had seen this face before, perhaps with another expression, alive, not yet smoothed and shaped in final perfection. I thought of an art work because the face was so beautiful. On the hill we were called by a post of battalion that I was looking for. I ordered my squad to step in good position before the foreign officer and missed the wild shooter, where the corporal is? They shrug the armpits and finally the blond Nitsch said, Jerbew strangely serious, he remained with the dead Seldate and since then he has not seen him. I ordered to wait here and went back furiously the way that we had come. When I arrived at the bottom of the stream, I saw him descend from the other side of the hill. He walked without looking to the right and left and waded through the stream carelessly, despite having been able to skip it with a sentence. He noticed me only when he was just standing in front of me. Without a sign of astonishment or an attempt to apologise for his behavior, he calmly looked me in the eyes and walked on. I found no word, I was as if I had been out of his face, which was pale under