Walther von der Vogelweide: The court of Vienna spoke to me (L 24,33)
Der hof ze Wiene sprach ze mir:
›Walther, ich solte lieben dir,
nû leide ich dir, daz müeze got erbarmen.
mîn wirde diu was wîlent grôz,
dô lebte niender mîn genôz
wan künec künic Artûses hof: sô wê mir armen!
Wâ nû ritter unde frowen,
die man bî mir solte schowen?
seht, wie jâmerlîch ich stê!
mîn dach ist fûl, sô rîsent mîne wende.
mich enminnet nieman leider.
golt, silber, ros und dar zuo kleider
die gap ich unde hât ouch mê:
nûn hab ich weder schappel noch gebende
noch frowen zeinem tanze, owê!‹
Translation
The Viennese court said to me:
“Walther, I should please you,
but now I displease you, may God have mercy on me.
I used to stand in high honour,
there was no one like me,
except the court of King Arthur. Woe is me!
Where are the knights and ladies,
who should be seen with me?
Look at how miserable I stand here.
My roof is rotten and my walls are falling apart.
No one loves me, sadly.
Gold, silver, horses and clothes
I gave this away and still had more:
now I have neither wreaths nor ornamental ribbons
nor ladies for a dance, oh such woe!”
Audio sample
Rotten roof and decaying walls
The Viennese court speaks and complains that it is no longer loved as it was before: “Walther, I should please you, but now you feel sorry for me.”
The personification reveals itself primarily through its ability to speak and its lamentations. It mourns the glorious past and claims an exceptional status by comparing itself to the court of King Arthur. The old splendour has now faded, however: “My roof is rotten and my walls are falling apart,” says the personification. On the one hand, the court seems to be a building that is falling apart, or an institution of knights and ladies. On the other hand, the Viennese court is humanised at the same time, can speak, distribute gold and silver and dance with the ladies.
Contents
The lament of the personified Viennese court is a stanza of rebuke, one of a total of 15 stanzas that deal with this idea that everything used to be better: for example, the third stanza of the Viennese court tone is about how bad the world is, and the ninth stanza is about fathers who raise their children incorrectly. It is a comprehensive lament about the times and morals, whereby the personified Viennese court differentiates itself from the other stanzas through its use of second person. In the following, the addressee will be referred to as Walther. It is generally assumed that the lament of the Viennese court takes up real historical events, since Walther von der Vogelweide was forced to leave this court after the death of his patron.
What else?
It’s pretty clever to use a personification to criticise current conditions: Walther von der Vogelweide lets the personified court complain and talk about grievances. This implicitly criticises the current ruler, but Walther does not have to take direct responsibility for it, as the complaint is made by the humanised court. The personification here is therefore a stylistic device with a political intention.
