person
The Sister
the sister
also: die Schwester, the sister, Schwester
A recurring, deliberately ambiguous figure throughout Trakl's corpus — part biographical (his sister Margarethe), part archetype. She combs her hair, whispers in branches, speaks with ghosts, and greets the spirits of the dead. Never named, the sister functions as both muse and shade.
Reading notes
- Sebastian in Dream §3 the sister
Trakl's sister Margarethe (Gretl, 1891–1917) is a pervasive presence across his work, figured simultaneously as companion, mirror-self, and forbidden desire; she is rarely named, always felt.