Der arme Heinrich: A Poem by Hartman von Ouwe

The critical text of Erich Gierach with introduction, notes and vocabulary by J. Knight Bostock, Sometime Reader in German in the University of Oxford. Originally published in German Medieval Series, edited by H. G. Fiedler, 1942. "Der arme Heinrich" ("Poor Heinrich") is a Middle High German narrative poem by Hartmann von Aue. It was probably written in the 1190s and was the second to last of Hartmann's four epic works. Combining courtly and religious narrative patterns, it tells the story of a noble knight who has been stricken by God with leprosy and can be cured only by the heart's blood of a virgin who willingly sacrifices herself for his salvation. This edition of "Der arme Heinrich" is intended for students who have a good knowledge of modern German, but are yet beginners in Middle High German. Consequently detailed explanations of the language have been given in the Notes and in the Vocabulary with references to the standard grammars and quotations from other authors to illustrate the meanings of Middle High German words.