Walther von der Vogelweide: Waz êren hât vro Bône (L 17,25)
Waz êren hât vro Bône,
daz man von ir singen sol,
si rehtiu vastenkiuwe!
si ist vor und nâch der nône
vûl und ist der wibel vol
wan êrst in der niuwe.
Ein halm ist creftec unde guot,
waz ers uns allen liebes tuot!
er fröit vil manigem sînen muot.
wie danne umbe sînen sâmen?
von grase wirdet halm ze strô,
er machet manic herze vrô,
er ist guot nider unde hô.
frowe Bône, set liberâ nos â mâlô, âmen.
Translation
What honour does Lady Bean have
that we should sing about her.
She is only proper food for Lent!
Before and after Ascension Day,
she is already rotten and full of worms
while she is still unripe.
But a stalk is full of strength and useful,
how good it is for all of us!
It cheers the spirits of many.
What about its seed?
It turns from grass to straw
and makes many hearts happy.
It is useful both above and below.
Lady Bean, deliver us from evil, Amen.
Audio sample
(No) ode to the bean?
A useful plant under criticism: Walther von der Vogelweide personifies the Bean as a fasting food, which stands for abstinence and penance.
He takes on the personified Lady Bean and questions why she should be praised. He argues that she spoils quickly and is full of worms, which is why she can hardly serve as a fasting food. In contrast, the stalk is to be preferred, which is extremely useful. Lady Bean does not represent a figure who acts or speaks herself. Only her being addressed as ‘Lady Bean’ suggests that she is a personification. It therefore unsurprising that the personified bean repeatedly fluctuates between human traits (Lady Bean as the addressee) and concrete tactility as a plant (lazy, full of worms).
Contents
The stanza is connected to other sayings that have a more admonishing tone and call for legitimate generosity (milte) from patrons. Bean and stalk are contrasted: In the narrator’s opinion, the bean, which serves as a fasting food, is reprehensible because it spoils early, while the stalk is strong and useful. The enigmatic saying fluctuates between a serious complaint about the hardships of Lent and a parodic-ironic tone.
What else?
The saying ends with the Latin Lord’s Prayer (libera nos...). One of the many interpretations associates the bean with the Latin word for income: bona. The bean is seen as rather fickle (often lazy) and therefore associated with the fickle reward from patrons. In contrast, the promised stalk is to be understood as a reward or rather a fief with which one can lead an independent life.
