Table Of ContentAue/book 4/30/01 2:08 PM Page i
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF HARTMANN VON AUE
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Arthurian Romances, Tales, and Lyric Poetry
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF HARTMANN VON AUE
translated with commentary by
FRANK TOBIN KIM VIVIAN RICHARD H. LAWSON
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
UNIVERSITY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hartmann, von Aue, 12th cent.
[Works. English. 2001]
Arthurian romances, tales, and lyric poetry : the complete works of
Hartmann von Aue / translated with commentary by
Frank Tobin, Kim Vivian, Richard H. Lawson.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
Contents: The lament—Lyric poetry—Erec—Gregorious—
Poor Henirich—Iwein.
ISBN 0-271-02111-X (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN 0-271-02112-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Hartmann, von Aue, 12th cent.—Translations into English.
I. Tobin, Frank J. II. Vivian, Kim. III. Lawson, Richard H. IV. Title.
PT1534.A3 A14 2001
831'.21—dc21
2001021481
Copyright © 2001 The Pennsylvania State University
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Published by The Pennsylvania State University Press,
University Park, PA 16802-1003
It is the policy of The Pennsylvania State University Press to use acid-free paper for the
first printing of all clothbound books. Publications on uncoated stock satisfy the
minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—
Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1992.
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C O N T E N T S
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction ix
The Lament 1
translated with an introduction by Frank Tobin
Lyric Poetry 29
translated with an introduction by Frank Tobin
1. “Because I have endured” 30
2. “If a man takes his delight” 32
3. “I said I wanted to live always for her” 33
4. “My service to my lady” 35
5. “Taking the cross” 35
6. “If a woman sends off her beloved” 38
7. “He who is sad in good times” 38
8. “Mighty God” 39
9. “If one can save one’s soul by lying” 40
10. “I have little reason to complain” 41
11. “No one in this world is a happy man” 42
12. “Noble lady” 42
13. “By rights I must ever hold dear the day” 44
14. “Those who reap joy from summer’s flowers” 45
15. “Many a person hails me” 46
16. “These would be wonderful days” 47
17. “By your leave I depart” 48
18. “Alas, why are we so sad?” 49
Erec 51
translated with an introduction by Kim Vivian
Gregorius 165
translated with an introduction by Kim Vivian
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CONTENTS
vi
Poor Heinrich 215
translated with an introduction by Frank Tobin
Iwein 235
translated with an introduction by Richard H. Lawson
Bibliography 323
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A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
The editors wish to express their deep gratitude to the following persons: Ed
Haymes, Jim Walter, and Frank Gentry, for their readings of the manuscript and
for their insightful commentary; Dr. Armin Schlechter, director of the Department
of Manuscripts at the University of Heidelberg, for his help in obtaining a repro-
duction of the portrait of Hartmann von Aue in the Manesse manuscript; Stefanie
Bluemle, for assistance with the bibliography; Christine Vivian, for her assistance
with every stage of the manuscript; and Peter J. Potter of Penn State University
Press, for his support of the project.
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I N T R OD U C T IO N
One of the most enduring legacies of the Middle Ages is the storybook world of
bold knights and incomparably fair ladies, a world first and best described by the
poets of the age. Their greathearted heroes ride off fearlessly in search of adven-
ture and, though severely tried in the process, nevertheless show their mettle and
emerge ultimately victorious, whether the enemy be an evil knight, a wild beast,
or a monstrous and magical creature. Yet these same knights, who display great
virility in such encounters and on the jousting fields at their tournaments, have
hearts and minds enthralled by love. They strive in all they do to attain the love of
a woman so fair and virtuous that she embodies all one could hope for in a soul
mate. How did this idealized world come into being? What were the social and
cultural conditions that gave rise to it?
For a variety of reasons—among others, innovations in farming methods, rela-
tive peace, and possibly a change in climate—living conditions improved in most
of Europe from about the year 1000 onward. As basic survival became less and less
a major concern, people, at least many of those who were above the class of the
unfree serf, began to devote much of their attention to what we generally term cul-
ture. In the church this led to an increase in intellectual activity and artistic expres-
sion. Scholasticism, the pursuit of philosophical and theological knowledge through
rational inquiry, replaced the earlier monastic theology with its greater reliance on
church authorities, such as Augustine (354–430). The movement culminated in
the founding and flourishing of universities. In art we owe to these times the mar-
vels of high Romanesque and early Gothic architecture and sculpture which we
find embodied in the medieval cathedral.
During this same period, the lay nobility consolidated itself into a class with its
own self-awareness and self-confidence. Though throughout the Middle Ages all
segments of society remained permeated with religious values and were greatly
influenced by theological points of view, here was an island of secular culture with
its own values and viewpoints that could not simply be reduced to seeing things
sub specie aeternitatis(in the light of eternity). This knightly-courtly culture often
allied itself with religious goals and ideals, as happened, for example, in the
