[Allen Tice]

The newly launched New York based Trinacria has accepted "The Maiden and the Knight" (Under der linden an der heide) by Walther von der Vogelweide (c 1170-1230) in my translation. What the troubadours and minnesingers can teach!

I feel like I've just had a double espresso and understand a bit better the meaning of life.
Sing along.

[Maryann Corbett]

I'll cheer for translations of medieval poetry any time! Congratulations, Allen.

[R. Nemo Hill]

Congrats, Allen.

Nemo

[Tim Murphy]

Allen, I love Nims' translations of Vogelweide, and I look forward to yours. Be sure to post a link if Trinacria is an online publication.

[Adam Elgar]

Great work, Allen. Ply your minnesinging over at Trans from time to time. We'd love to sing along over there.

[Allen Tice]

Here's a link to what the editor has online presently: Trinacria.   As you can see, it is a hard-copy publication (quite solid and hefty in fact : durable is the word that comes to mind), and the editor is independent minded. For example, the website does not include all the contents of the first issue, and it doesn't come out frequently. However, I was impressed in a number of ways with the first issue.

There's no ban on posting the original text, a charmer of the first order, so here it is from a pretty fair edition. Walther was a member of the minor nobility, as were several Minnesingers. Very small estates could give them a degree of economic freedom. "Von der Vogelweide" is a gently amusing title to hold. His name means, roughly, Walter of Bird-meadow --- but, man up a tree, could he compose! There are a dozen heavenly song-poems that will stand with anybody's, and the music actually remains for one of them, a song about troubles in Palestine, the Palästinalied. OK, folks, have at it yourselves!

Under der linden
an der heide,
dâ unser zweier bette was,

Dâ muget ir vinden
schône beide
gebrochen bluomen unde gras.

Vor dem walde in einem tal
tandaradei!
      schône sanc diu nahtegal.


Ich kam gegangen
zuo der ouwe:
dô was mîn friedel komen ê.

Dâ wart ich enpfangen,
hêre frouwe,
daz ich bin saelic iemer mê.

Kust er mich? Wol tûsentstunt!
tandaradei!
      seht wie rôt mir ist der munt.


Dô hât er gemachet
also rîche
von bluomen eine bettestat.

Des wirt noch gelachet
inneclîche,
kumt iemen an daz selbe pfat.

Bî den rôsen er wol mac,
tandaradei!
      merken wâ mirz houbet lac.


Daze er bî mir lege,
wessez iemen,
(nu enwelle Got!), sô schamte ich mich.

Wes er mit mir pflaege,
niemer niemen
bevinde daz wan er und ich,

Und ein kleinez vogellîn,
tandaradei!
      daz mac wol getriuwe sîn.


                Herr Walther von der Vogelweide
                     active 1170—1230

[Tim Murphy]

Allen, my favorite ME lyric by far is Alisoun, which begins:

BYTUENE Mershe ant Averil
When spray biginneth to spring,
The lutel foul hath hire wyl
On hyre lud to synge:
Ich libbe in love-longinge 5
For semlokest of alle thynge,
He may me blisse bringe,
Icham in hire bandoun.
An hendy hap ichabbe y-hent,
Ichot from hevene it is me sent, 10
From alle wymmen my love is lent
Ant lyht on Alisoun.

When I was younger and stage-frightened, I would often open readings by reciting all of it, just to calm me down. Now I ask you, could Anon have written this without a thorough acquaintence with your author's songs?

[Allen Tice]

I myself like the one about the "Maiden who is makeless" (matchless) (various spellings I've haven't looked up this week). The reference, not overly insisted upon, is to the mother of Christ.

It's clear there was a common core of motifs and song "arcs", if you will, all the way from early medieval Italy and Spain north to at least Schleswig-Holstein where the Danish cows come from, including the British Isles. These chappies got around.

There a story about French-speaking Richard the Lion-heart (Richard I of England) and the French-speaking minstrel Blondel de Nesle, who sang outside castles all over Europe looking for the King who was imprisoned, and is supposed to have thereby aided in freeing Richard. Blondel took part in Crusades, including, alas, the horrid Albigensian Crusade against simple non-hierarchical Christians in southern France on the edge of Spain that so upset Walther and many, many others.

In any case, his songs illustrate the common currency of ideas and images that recur in the lovely songs and poems from the Middle Ages.

If the works are correctly identified and dated, he [Blondel] was a significant influence on his European contemporaries, who made much use of his melodies. (The melody of "L'amours dont sui espris" is used in Carmina Burana, for the song "Procurans Odium").

[Rick Mullin]

Good news for modern Menschen, not to mention Mädchen!

Rick

[Terese Coe]

Congrats, Allen! I hope to hear your translation at the next CSM reading...