Of old, men and women fared hardly, and slept cold; and were thankful
to Almighty God for every beam of sunshine which roused them out of
their long hybernation; thankful for every flower and every bird
which reminded them that joy was stronger than sorrow, and life than
death. With the spring came not only labour, but enjoyment:
'In the spring, the young man's fancy lightly turned to thoughts of
love,'
as lads and lasses, who had been pining for each other by their
winter firesides, met again, like Daphnis and Chloe, by shaugh and
lea; and learnt to sing from the songs of birds, and to be faithful
from their faithfulness.
Then went out troops of fair damsels to seek spring garlands in the
forest, as Scheffel has lately sung once more in his 'Frau
Aventiure;' and, while the dead leaves rattled beneath their feet,
hymned 'La Regine Avrillouse' to the music of some Minnesinger, whose
song was as the song of birds; to whom the birds were friends,
fellow-lovers, teachers, mirrors of all which he felt within himself
of joyful and tender, true and pure; friends to be fed hereafter (as
Walther von der Vogelweide had them fed) with crumbs upon his grave.
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