. . . and that was certainly the opinion of Captain Von Trapp at the time. Edelweiss, the truly breath taking rendition preformed as the debut of the Von Trapp family singers, is a simple song, a song with only eight lines. However, the meaning is unlimited. Just moments ago, while straightening my hair, I realized that in singing the line "Bless my homeland forever," Von Trapp himself was not blessing his homeland, but the edelweiss was. Now, I do not know if that makes me dumb (for not realizing that sooner) but I had always thought that Von Trapp himself was blessing his homeland forever. Certainly hadn't caught on to the fact the edelweiss was a flower. But days ago, when I realized so, the song made much more sense. I know have a greater insight of all of the hidden meaning. The edelweiss is a white, perennial. White and pure. Perennial meaning that it comes back every year. It will be strong and pure in Austria forever more. The Nazis can wipe out all of the Austrians, sure. But no matter what, the edelweiss will bless Von Trapp's homeland forever, they cannot be destroyed. At the time of singing this song, Von Trapp did not yet know that he would be leaving his homeland to which he was so devoted. Or did he? Maybe Von Trapp was handing the responsibilities that he once felt on his shoulders over to the flowers, the ones that can never be destroyed or over taken by the mass conformers. He feels safe, leaving his country to be blessed by the flowers that come up every year, pure and nobel.
The Nazis weren't going to wipe out the Austrians. They regarded the Austrians (minus Jews etc.) as good German genetic and cultural stock and that's why they wanted to incorporate them into the Reich (rather than annihilate them and move Germans onto their land like in Poland and Ukraine). Many many Austrians agreed, which is why there was no war when the Nazis marched in.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the power of Von Trapp and the danger to his family: He was the Aryan ideal, he was the kind of person the Anschluss was supposed to benefit. That's why they ordered him to become an officer in the German navy. And that's why it enraged the Nazis and their local supporters that Von Trapp remained an Austrian patriot who wouldn't goose step to Hitler's Greater Germany dreams.
I didn't know what the edelweiss was or what Von Trapp was singing about, other than thinly disguised Austrian patriotism. So thank you for explaining!
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