vor dem grōȥem leide niht aȥ noch entranc.
doch mohten si dem lībe sō gar geswīchen niht:
si nerten sich nāch sorgen, sō noch genuogen geschiht.
[VIII]
WOLFRAM VON ESCHENBACH.
Wolfram von Eschenbach was a native of Bavaria. Of his life little is known, not even the exact dates of his birth and death. He flourished in the latter part of the twelfth and early part of the thirteenth century, and was by far the best and most extensive representative of the Court epic poetry. He is best known by his Parzival, which contains 24,812 lines divided up into sixteen books. The following extract is taken from Book III. For editions of his works, see Lachmann, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Berlin, 1833, fifth edition, Berlin, 1891; Bartsch, Wolfram’s von Eschenbach Parzival und Titurel, Leipzig, 1875.
Sich zōch diu frouwe jāmers balt
ūȥ ir lande in einen walt,
zer waste in Soltāne;
niht durch bluomen ūf die plāne,
ir herzen jāmer was sō ganz,