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"Under der linden" is a well-known poem written by the medieval German
Translation by Elizabeth Siekhaus
{{Authority control Works by Walther von der Vogelweide Medieval compositions
"Under der linden" is a well-known poem written by the medieval German lyric poet
Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person.
It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though song lyrics are often in the lyric mode, and it is also ''not'' equi ...
Walther von der Vogelweide. It is written in Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...
. The song may have originally been sung to the surviving melody of an old French song, which matches the meter of the poem.
Manuscripts and melody
The four strophes of the song are preserved in only two manuscripts: * The Weingarten Manuscript * TheManesse Codex
The Codex Manesse (also Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift or Pariser Handschrift) is a ''Liederhandschrift'' (manuscript containing songs), the single most comprehensive source of Middle High German ''Minnesang'' poetry, written and illustrat ...
Neither manuscript contains melodies, and the melody of the song is therefore unknown.
The melody of an anonymous Old French
Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...
folk song "En mai au douz tens novels" fits the metre of the lyric, suggesting that "Under der linden" might be a contrafactum of a French original.
Text
Full Poem:See also
* ''Palästinalied
The ''Palästinalied'' ("Palestine Song") is a crusade song written in the early 13th century by Walther von der Vogelweide, the most celebrated lyric poet of Middle High German literature. It is one of the few songs by Walther for which a melod ...
''
* " Elegie"
* Middle High German literature
* Lyric poetry
Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person.
It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though song lyrics are often in the lyric mode, and it is also ''not'' equi ...
References
External links
Translation by Elizabeth Siekhaus
{{Authority control Works by Walther von der Vogelweide Medieval compositions