Middle High German text with a synoptic new translation. Detailed commentary on transmission, form, structure, and difficult passages. This volume presents a rich and representative selection of texts showcasing the two major registers of medieval German lyric poetry: didactic and love poetry. In addition to the traditional themes of court literature, these texts address general moral and social criticism, as well as political and religious issues; however, a particular focus, according to tradition, is on love poetry with its specifically medieval forms of conceptualizing love, which have had such a lasting impact on European culture. The volume documents in text and commentary the fascinating engagement of the Minnesänger, including the classic authors Hartmann von Aue and Walther von der Vogelweide.