BENEATH the LINDEN TREE
Unter der linden

BENEATH the Linden Tree

Upon the heather,

There we made our double bed,

There you may yet find,

Lovely together,

Flowers crushed beneath the grass.

Beside the forest in a vale,

Unter der linden

an der heide,

dâ unser zweier bette was,

dâ muget ir vinden

schône beide

gebrochen bluomen unde gras.

Vor dem walde in einem tal,

  Tandaradei,

      Sweetly sang the nightingale.

tandaradei,

schône sanc diu nahtegal.

I came to meet him

At the green:

There was my truelove come before.

Such was I greeted —

([as] a heavenly lady! —

That I am glad for evermore.

Did he kiss me?

Oh, a thousand times:

Ich kam gegangen

zuo der ouwe:

dô was mîn friedel komen ê.

Dâ wart ich empfangen

(hêre frouwe!)

daz ich bin sælic iemer mê.

Kust er mich?

Wol tûsentstunt:

  Tandaradei,

      See how red my mouth’s become.

tandaradei,

seht wie rôt mir ist der munt.

There he had made

- so very rich -

A bed from every kind of flower.

It makes one laugh

Delightedly

[For] whoever follows the same path;

Will by the [imprint] on the roses,

Dô hete er gemachet

alsô rîche

von bluomen eine bettestat.

Des wirt noch gelachet

inneclîche,

kumt iemen an daz selbe pfat:

bî den rôsen er wol mac,

  Tandaradei,

      Behold where my head once lay.

tandaradei,

merken wâ mir’z houbet lac.

That he lay with me -

If any were to know it,

 (God forbid!), I would be ashamed.

How he was with me -

May no one know

Save only he and I,

And one very tiny bird,

Daz er bî mir læge,

wesse’z iemen

(nu enwelle got!), so schamte ich mich.

Wes er mit mir pflæge,

niemer niemen

bevinde daz, wan er und ich,

und ein kleinez vogellîn:

tandaradei,

  Tandaradei,

      Who will, indeed, be discreet.

tandaradei,

daz mac wol getriuwe sîn.

 Nemt, frouwe, disen kranz/Take Lady This Wreath

TAKE, LADY, THIS WREATH
Nemt, frouwe, disen kranz

“TAKE Lady, this wreath,”

Thus spoke I to a shapely maiden,

“then you will grace the dance

with the beautiful flowers as you wear them.

Had I many precious stones

They would then be on your head,

if you choose to believe me.

See my loyalty; know I mean it.

“Nemt, frouwe, disen kranz”,

alsô sprach ich zeiner wol getânen maget,

“sô zieret ir den tanz

mit den schœnen bluomen als irs ûfe traget.

het ich vil edele gesteine,

daz müest ûf iuwer houbet,

ob ir mirs geloubet.

seht mîne triuwe, daz ich ez meine.

You are so beautiful

That I would offer you my coronet,

the best that I have.

I know of many white and red flowers

that stand far away on the heath,

where they sprout beautifully

and the little birds sing

There we will both wish to pick them.”

Ir sît sô wol getân,

daz ich iu mîn schapel gerne geben wil,

daz beste, daz ich hân.

wîzer unde rôter bluomen weiz ich vil,

die stênt sô verre in jener heide,

dâ si schône entspringent

und die kleinen vogele singent,

dâ suln wir si brechen beide.”

She took what I offered her,

Like a child of noble lineage.

Her cheeks turned red

like the rose, standing among the lilies.

Her shining eyes filled with shame

She bowed to me deeply, gracefully,

That was my reward.

Beyond that I must keep silent.

Si nam daz ich ir bôt,

einem kinde vil gelîch, daz êre hât.

ir wangen wurden rôt

sam diu rôse, dâ si bî den lilien stât.

des erschamten sich ir liehten ougen.

dô neic si mir vil schône.

daz wart mir ze lône.

wirt mirs iht mêr, daz trage ich tougen.

Something happened to me through her

So that this summer I must, with every maiden

Look deeply into her eyes:

Perhaps this is the one to soothe my grief

What if she steps in this dance?

“Ladies, if you would be so kind

as to raise your hats!”

Woe to me if I see one with a wreath!

Mir ist von ir geschehen,

daz ich disen sumer allen meiden muoz

vaste under diu ougen sehen:

lîhte wirt mir einiu, sô ist mir sorgen buoz.

waz, ob si gêt an disem tanze?

“frouwe, dur iuwer güete,

rucket ûf die hüete!”

owê, gesæhe ichs under kranze!

I doubt whether I was ever

More loving than I was then.

The flowers kept falling down

from the tree onto us below in the grass.

Behold, I had to laugh with joy

that I was so amazingly

rich while dreaming.

But dawn breaks, and I must awaken!

Mich dûhte daz mir nie

lieber wurde, danne mir ze muote was.

die bluomen vielen ie

von dem boume bî uns nider an daz gras.

seht, dô muoste ich von fröiden lachen,

dô ich sô wünneclîche

was in troume rîche.

dô taget ez und muoz ich wachen!