, 1872-12-25
1.-THE MtNNEsINGER OF GERMANY"
What Lives They Led-What They
Sang How They Loved Their

What Lives They Led-What They
Sang - How They Loved Their
Loves.
Eostoa. Correspondence Of the Nep York Tribune.
There are few moro fascinating epocha III the
history Of literature than that when German po-
etry was in the hands Of the mlnnesinger. The
days OF English minstrelsy were far less roman
tic. There WAS in the German character Gu
pacity for self-forgetful enthusiasm for devo-
tion to love or to art, which made the pursuit Of
poetry OF Of music it's own reward, in sense
which the less ideal and more practical English
mind can hardly understand. To read OF those
! thing like fairy tale for grown people. Hurd
IL Houghton, Of the Riverside Press, are about to
publish a book by 4. E. Kroeger entitled The
A1inne-singer Of Germany" which Is the best
introduction to that fascinating epoch, for the or
binary reader, that We have yet seen.
Long before Chaucer had fathered English
poetry, or Spain aud Italy had developed their
language to that purity which alone makes grent
iiterary achievements possible, Germany bad
passed through period Of splendor in the art
Of poetry which even the lust century has
scarcely surpassed. 1t WAS in the twelfth and
! thirteenth centuries. amid tho turmoil of the
| Crusades, and while the sublime cathedtals OF
Strssburg and Cologne we're being wrought by
patient hands, that there sprang up in Germany,
as il by magic, that wonderful craft of mime
singer which lasted throughout century aud
then gradually expired-the grace and beauty Of
their singing appearing no more in German
and thus heralded the dawn OF the second bril-
liant period Of German poetry. English
readers are somewhat familiar with
tnca the ty9 T1ten great np naoR he5 were German m
called the Dark Ages-the N1ebelungen and the
kud,tn-but Of the German lyrical poetry Of
| those ages, scarcely anything is known outside
| of Germany. Yet the perfection OF form of
these lyric works makes them of perennial value.
| Neither Goethe or Schiller attained that utmost
| perfection Of rhyme which characterized Gott-
| fried von strassburg and Walther Won der Vogel-
weide; while their invention of meters and their
ear for the flow of rhythm finds parallel only in
| German musicians. Yet strange to tell, these
| minne-singers we're, for the most part, unable
| to read or write; and Ulrich Won Lichtenstoin
| had to carry q letter from his sweetheart for
| weeks in his pocket, before he found some one
| to read it for him. We owe, accordingly,
| almost all our knowledge OF their songs to
| tradition; and yet songs from over one hundred
! and sixty mlnne-singers in single century have
| been presented to us.
Most strange and romantic WAS the life which
| these singers led. With little OF nothing beside
their sword, fiddle, or harp, and some bit of rib
/ bon or other token from their sweetheart, they
wandered from village to village and from castle
| to castle, everywhere welcomed with gladness,
and receiving with proud indifference tho re-
muneration offered for their singing. They
mover mentioned the names of their lady
| loves, unless it we're, each one, to his own es-
| pecial Sancho Panza of page, whose business
1t NAa TO commit 10 memory IQo bouE6 WHICH, uls
master sang, then go, sort Of living epistle, to
| the beloved lady, and sing them III her ear.
| The life of Ulrich Won 1ichtenstein is good
| illustration of the tricks and manners Of these
| wandering bards. Tho date Of his birth is not
precisely known, but it was probably between
1900 and 1905. When he was E little 5-year-old
| boy, riding his hobby-horso in the castle court
yard, Ulrich listened to the talk OF his elders,
and grew to believe that true honor and happi-
ness could only bo acquired by faithfully serv-
| ing noble and beautiful woman, and loving her
| "a ones own life. At u he thought it high time
to enter upon this career Of knightly service.
He chose for his 1ady-love Princess Of Meraa,
| whose page he became. 4 marvel Of beauty
and virtue, but of rather too high rank to be
| the legitimate object OF Ulrich's aspirations,
this paragon Of all earthly women hence
forth exercised wonderful influence upon
his life. He served her silently for five years,
| with the zeal OF boyiah lover /; profoundly
happy it her hand but touched the flowers he
had gathered, or if he could carry away the
water in which at dinner-time ehe had dipped
her fair fingers, and drink it with passionate
five years OF silent alteration be WAS placed with
one Mergrave Henry, of Austria, to learn the &c
cornplishments of q true knight-fghting,
riding, composing sweet poems, singing. and
to hnighthood, at the festival wherewith Leo.
pold Of Austria celebrated the wedding of hia
daughter Agnes with q Duke OF Sax,
ony: At this festival Ulrich san
again the -, sovereign En- al lady a+ d.,- Of III u
her, vowed more fervently than ever that hence
forth all his knighthood should be devoted tc
her, and 30 he sailed forth in quest of adyen
lures, and bore himself vaiantly for her sake.
At last he began to think it hard that he shonll
remain in ignorance of his love. He found {
mediator, accordingly, in the person of meet
of his own He taught his niece song, in the
lady's honor; and at the same time that ehe
| 4oI &1,n o7,a {- 4l.<
lady's heart, as to her sentiments for Ulrich
Ulrich went of for five weeks in search Of op
portuni.ies to display his knightly prowess; ane
returned to be crushed with the nows that tht
but his love too high flown; and had sug
gested that even it she could forget her Owl
rank she could not forget the ugliness Of he1
Euitors lips. 1t seems that poor Ulrich had {
difficulty to a true knightly loger3 He went tt
surgeon st Gretz, and had the third lip Gu
off. He lay for Six, weeks On . sick bed befor'
he was completely cured, and then sent word t.
his chasmer that be would gladly cut of hi
hand also, if she should wish. This sacrifice
she WEB so gracions al not to require; and Iii
courage and new song he had composed in he
honor 80 far softened her stony heart that sh
consented to see him, the prete1
being TINT oasd 5Rs would LIZ Tbo to meetiD
took place at q riding party of noble knight
and ladies'. Here the Princess gave Ulrich fai
opportunity to speak to her, but with such NJ
air Of coquetry that he was silenced by it, ant
could not open his lips. Whereupon the gentl
Princess pulled out lock Of the poor Knight
| hair, while he was helping her to dismount from
her horse, whispering that she found in hin
great lack OF that boldness for which he hat
been unjustly celebrated. OF course U1rich va
in despair, and wanted to die; but the next da.
he saw her again, and found himself able to ex
press his devotion. From this time she playet
at fast and loose with him-.c1aiming oil th'
glory Of his service, but granting him no favo
in return.
AT a great festival in 1925, Ulrich surpassed
himself in knightly deeds, and Of course he sen
J his messenger, with song, to lay at hi
lady's feet. She received the messenger coolly
) and poor Ulrich began to break again rumcrab
laEces in her honor, and lad one of lis finger
nearly cut OF. In this wound the obdurate fai
| one did not believe. whereupon Ulrich had th
finger struck off entirely with sharp knife. IL
. then composed most artistic poem, and had
green velvet case made, with two golden covers
aud clasps in the shape OF two small hands, AMI
in it he deposited the poem and the finger She