With thanks to AC Benus* for finding this poet and his poems for us. Although it has not been possible so far to find any war-related poems by Robert Jentsch it is entirely possible that he wrote some and that they were either not published or lost.
 |
| Robert c. 1910 |
Educated at the Prinz-Heinrich-Gymnasium in Berlin, Robert went on to study mathematics in Jena. He only stayed one semester in Jena before moving back to Berlin. In 1908 he enrolled at the then Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin as a mathematics student. Between 1911 and 1912 he studied in Munich before returning to Berlin. He received his doctorate in 1914 from Ferdinand Georg Frobenius on the subject of investigations into the theory of the consequences of analytical functions and received the award "summa cum laude".
Robert joined the expressionist Berlin poets' association Der Neue Club, of which the well-known poet and friend of Robert’s - Georg Heym – was also a member. The tragic accidental death of his friend Georg Heym while ice skating in January 1912 upset Robert deeply.
Robert joined the Germany Army early in the First World War. He served at the front and was discharged. He then signed up again and was in Command of a Battalion of a Communications Company when he was killed on 21st March 1918 during the Battle of Cambrai on the St. Quentin Canal as part of the German spring offensive that was just beginning. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st class.
 |
| Robert during WW1 |
From AC Benus:
I had hoped to find war poems from him, but this morning I'm convinced he wrote none, or that none survive.
Here's a sample of his work from 1911, together with my translation of the poem:
Die Gefangenen
Uns blieb das enge Zimmer nicht erspart;
Drin wir wie Tiere trotten auf und ab.
– Die Zeit fällt langsam in ihr Abgrund-Grab . . .
Der Teppich schweigt und jene Diele knarrt.
Weh! Schon fließt über schrill im Abendrot
Der Horizont! – fern hinterm Fensterglas . . .
Da schäumt noch einmal wütend unser Haß.
Dann wirft er uns zu Schatten, toll und tot.
The Prisoners
We weren't deprived of a single small cell;
Pent in there, we paced like beasts all around.
– Time into its hell-grave gets slowly ground . . .
The rug's silent, and that floorboard creaks well.
Oh! The sunset flows so soon harshly red
On the horizon! – the window's glass plate . . .
Where once more furiously foams our hate.
Then it casts us to shadows, raged and dead.
Sources:
https://archive.org/details/dieschriftendesn0000unse/page/216/mode/2up
p. 626 ( Die Aktion)
https://archive.org/details/dieschriftendesn0000unse/page/626/mode/2up
Here is the German wiki entry on the man:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jentzsch
And in google translation:
https://de-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Robert_Jentzsch?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
 |
| Cover of Robert's poetry collection "Versensporn" |
* AC Benus is the author of a book about German WW1 poet Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele : “The Thousandth Regiment: A Translation of and Commentary on Hans Ehrenbaum-Degele’s War Poems” by AC Benus (AC Benus, San Francisco, 2020). Along with Hans's story, the book includes original poems as well as translations. ISBN: 978-1657220584
