Walther von der Vogelweide : the single-stanza lyrics / edited and translated, with introduction and commentary by Frederick Goldin.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Goldin, Frederick.

Series:

Routledge medieval texts ; 2.

Routledge medieval texts ; 2

Language:

English

German, Middle High (ca. 1050-1500)

Subjects (All):

Walther, von der Vogelweide, active 12th century--Criticism and interpretation.

Walther.

Walther, von der Vogelweide, active 12th century.

Criticism and interpretation.

Walther, von der Vogelweide, active 12th century--Translations.

Genre:

Translations.

Physical Description:

510 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2003.

Language Note:

Text primarily in English with Middle High German lyrics which include an English translation on facing page.

Summary:

Walther von der Vogelweide (c. 1170-1230) was the greatest German lyric poet of the Middle Ages. He created and performed his songs for the noblest courts of the Holy Roman Empire. Though every German-speaking school-child can recite some of Walther's lines, his work is hardly known in the English-speaking world, largely because it has been available until now only in scattered and poorly annotated translations.

Apart from his performances as a Minnesinger, Walther produced many political, religious, and philosophical single-stanza lyrics (Spruche). Presented here is a complete, annotated edition of his Spruche, translated with care and elegance by Frederick Goldin, in a convenient facing-page, dual-language format. These brilliant and powerful strophes are master-pieces of propaganda and impassioned reflection in which the live voice of the poet and performer comes through to us today, a fierce and irresistible presence from the past. Brief as they are, the Spruche give an intimate and realistic picture of courtly life during a period of relentless political, religious, and cultural conflict -- between rival kings, between East and West, between Emperor and Pope. Here are the insights of a bitter wanderer and lyric genius into a range of issues, including the dynamics of performance. the nature of artistic patronage, the social standing of the poet, the evolution of communal ideals, the meaning of honor, the worldly power of the Church, and the concept of empire. For scholars and general readers alike, this collection offers inspired testimony and noble entertainment from one of the most charismatic witnesses of the Middle Ages.

Contents:

1. Waltherus Cantor 1

2. Walther's Life and Times 23

3. The Witness in Courtly Romance 36

4. Walther's Performance 52

5. Translating Walther 66

6. Editing Walther 73

7. Meter and Form 85

Concordance 499.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 475-498) and index.

ISBN:

041594337X

OCLC:

49991443