Come into the garden, Blog, (with no apologies whatsoever to Alfred, Lord Tennyson) Lada Monguligin approached me to write a scroll inspired by the Codex Manesse, also known as the "Great Heidelberg Book of Songs." I decided to match the codex with the Minnesang, Middle High German Love Songs found therein. I quickly found the basics of the minnesang, the stanzas, the metrics and the rhyme schemes, but I couldn’t find a standard syllable count for each line. In desperation I found an actual excerpt in German and asked my husband - who studied high school German - to break down the syllables for me. From there I chose to go with 6/8888/12. The 8888 appears to be variable judging by different poems in the codex, but the 6 syllables in the beginning and doubled to 12 at the end of the stanza seemed to be fairly regular. I used a stanza of 6 lines with an ABABCC rhyming scheme, a standard alternative to iambic pentameter used in the minnesang. Syllable Count/Rhyme Scheme: 6 A 8 B 8 A 8 B 8 C 12 C Once I had the meter down, I took my inspiration from the gorgeous garden the recipient made and displayed at Pennsic, which I had the opportunity to view in person. This made the scroll a joy to write. I tried to convey the point of view of the populace, as if they and HRM were enjoying the garden. I also took great inspiration from Under der linden by Walther von der Vogelweide that is found in the Codex Manesse itself. Under gabled arches This is directly inspired by the first line of the poem: “Under der linden.” I tried to write the scroll from the top down, starting with the arches and ending with the grass under the feet of attendees. Breathing the scent of lemon balm In reading Ellice de Valles' write up of the garden, I saw she had included lemon balm, an herb not found in medieval gardens, but an important herb to her. So I made sure to include it by name in the scroll. Tired ones from the line of march Find rest in the sun dappled calm This is an allusion to the fighters at Pennsic coming off the field and seeing the beautiful garden before them. Flowers blooming and grass down-pressed This references a line from Under die Linden, “Flowers crushed and grass down-pressed.” While this did clutter my top to bottom scheme for the flow of the composition, I liked the imagery of down-pressed grass in a garden. Creating succor and comfort for those much stressed The conclusion of the opening stanza summed up what I felt was the recipient's goal in making the garden. Our Ellice de Valles, Spends her days building small havens Modest gardens with vined trellis Homes for nightingales and ravens With beds for multiple flowers Herbs and climbing ivy decorated bowers I hope the strong rhymes of Havens/Ravens and flowers/bowers outweighs the weakness of Valles/Trellis. I used nightingale here as it was mentioned by name in Under der Linden. Ravens, while not necessarily known for their beautiful singing voices, did fit the rhyme scheme perfectly. Margarita the Queen An Eastern bloom in the sun I couldn’t resist the opportunity to reference that the Queen’s name means daisy, by calling her an “Eastern bloom.” Has walked the tiles of the green. The raised grass bed she sits upon To better hear the tinkling brook Peacefully situated, tucked off in this nook The rest of this verse mentions features found in the garden. Under bower florals Her garden pleasing Our senses We heed the call of Our Laurels With no fear of consequences We welcome Ellice de Valles therein Our Order of the Laurel, her role to begin This verse introduced the Order and the award. Furthermore, as We name Ellice de Valles a member of the Order of the Laurel with letters patent, to wit: Per pale azure and argent, an owl and in chief a heart counterchanged. Concluded this day of November 16th, AS 54 At the St. Eligius Arts and Science Competition In the Barony of Dragonship Haven Here’s where I abandoned the poetic structure entirely to get the information required for the scroll, including the heraldic latin of her arms. I always feel when I tackle an uncommon rhyme scheme that I should put a note on the scroll for the herald. I've even warned heralds in person at events. Scrolls are a collaborative art form, and the voice herald who reads a scroll is an often forgotten member of that team, as important as the calligrapher or illuminator. At this particular event, St. Eligius, I was involved in the competition all day and couldn't get to the herald in time, so as I recall the herald stumbled a bit over the words. But I was fortunate enough to watch the scroll being read, and I treasure that special moment.
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