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COPYRIGHT 2004 Modern Humanities Research Association
In his survey of approaches to Walther von der Vogelweide's most celebrated love-lyric, Manfred Gunter Scholz calls for a moratorium: 'Es gibt Gedichte, die eine Ruhepause verdient hatten, damit sie nicht tot interpretiert werden, "Wanderers Nachtlied" etwa oder dieses Lindenlied Walthers.' (1) Scholz's concise survey of recent scholarship has the merit of refocusing attention upon the line of the lyric that has attracted most deliberation, not least because it proved central to the ill-fated 'wip-frowe-Diskussion', the controversy concerning the 'Madchenlied' which had its base in the equation of the maget in Walther's lyrics with the puella in the Latin pastourelle. Summarizing the consensus on this debate, Scholz aptly adduces Ingrid Bennewitz's view 'dass der historische Ballast, der dieser Terminologie anhaftet, grosser ist als der tatsachliche Nutzen im philologischen Gebrauch'. (2) Nevertheless, there are some textual cruces which, far from meriting an embargo, seem philologically inexhaustible. Let us look at the crux in context:
'Under der linden I an der heide, da unser zweier bette was, da mugent ir vinden schone beide 5 gebrochen bluomen unde gras. Vor dem walde in einem tal, tandaradei, schone sanc diu nahtegal. Ich kam gegangen II zuo der ouwe, do was min friedel komen e. da wart ich enpfangen, here frowe, 5 daz ich bin soelic iemer me. Kuster mich? wol tusentstunt, tandaradei, seht wie rot mir ist der munt. Do hat er gemachet III also riche von bluomen eine bettestat. des wirt noch gelachet innecliche, 5 kumt iemen an daz selbe plat. Bi den rosen er wol mac, tandaradei, merken, wa mirz houbet lac. Daz er bi mir loege, wessez iemen, IV nun welle got, so schamt ich mich. wes er mit mir pflaege, niemer niemen 5 bevinde daz, wan er und ich, Und ein kleinez vogellin, tandaradei, daz mac wol getriuwe sin.' (3)
The short, two-beat lines in Walther's lyric tend to enforce syntactical unconventionality, and perhaps this metrical constraint also applies to the most controversial line, here frowe (II, 5). Basing himself upon David McLintock's seminal article on the 'Madchenlieder', Joachim Heinzle summarizes the approaches to here frowe systematically, finding rive possible interpretations. (4) They may be paraphrased as follows:
(1) here frowe is an interjection, referring to the Virgin: 'Holy Lady!' Heinzle finds no parallel in Middle High German, but there is one in an anonymous Old French pastourelle, in which the girl cries: 'par sainte Marie, | tenez vo main coie!' (5)
(2) here frowe is a vocative, the words addressed to the lady by the lover: 'There I was welcomed [with the words] "Noble Lady!", and so I shall be happy for ever!' Such flattery is common in the pastourelle, as for example when Guy d'Ussel's seducer calls the girl 'Toza de bon aire'. (6)
(3) here frowe is a predicative clause expressing a comparison, 'as a great lady'. As Carl von Kraus pointed out, a comparative particle such as...
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