Ludwig Uhland was born April 26, 1787, in TÜbingen, where his father and both his grandfathers had been connected with the University. Uhland took up the profession of law, but his heart's desire led him to the study of the older German poetry and folklore, and from 1830 to 1832 he occupied the chair of German Literature in TÜbingen. He also took an active part in the political life of his time in the interest of liberal tendencies and a united Germany. He died in Tubingen, November 13, 1862. His poetry is for the most part a product of his earlier years. Reserved and retiring to a fault, Uhland in his lyrics but rarely gives us directly his own emotional life, preferring to let the shepherd, the soldier, the mountain lad speak. The type of the simple folksong predominates, and from the VOLKSLIED Uhland introduced into modern verse the modified Nibelungen stanza and the rhymed couplet. In his ballads Uhland prefers older historical subjects, as in Taillefer, that rarest jewel among his ballads; or at least uses an historic setting, as in the more popular Des SÄngers Fluch.

21.—6. Mutterhaus, i.e., source.

18. RUFE ZU, call to them.

22. Notice how the first line, giving the situation, is repeated at the close of the poem and thus frames the picture.

6. Sweet thrills of awe, mysterious stirring.

23.—12. EINMAL, sometime.

24.—7. SICH INS FELD MACHEN, to start out into the field. Compare sich auf den Weg machen, to start out.

25.—67. MIT JEDEM TAG, compare English, with every passing day.

27.—3. IN FREIER HAND, with free, i.e., unsupported, hand.

4. ERFAND = fand.

8. SOLL GEHOLFEN SEIN, it shall be remedied.

29.—1. ZOGEN … WOHL, render did journey.

2. BEI, at the house of; bei einer Frau Wirtin, at the inn of mine hostess.

3. HAT SIE, third person singular as formal direct address (obsolete).

13. DECKTE DEN SCHLEIER ZU, covered her face with the veil.

14. DAZU, while doing this.

17. HUB, archaic for hob.

18. AN, archaic for auf.

30.—2. NIT, dialectal for nicht.

5. IN GLEICHEM SCHRITT UND TRITT, keeping step.

6. KAM GEFLOGEN, came flying; kommen is construed with the past participle.

8. Impersonal construction best rendered by the passive.

31. TAILLEFER, i.e., iron cutter. Duke William of Normandy defeated the English under Harold at Hastings in 1066.

6. SCHWINGT = turns. The water was pulled up by a windlass.

14. DABEI, while doing it.

16. KLINGEN MIT SCHILD UND SCHWERT, make shield and sword resound.

25. FUHR WOHL, did journey.

27. Told by the chronicles. To stumble was an ill omen.

29. ZUM STURME SCHRITT, went to attack.

35. SO LAßT MICH DAS ENTGELTEN, etc., let me receive my dues for that, etc.

40. ROLAND, one of the famous paladins of Charlemagne; his deeds were much celebrated in song. HELD, usually weak.

43. VON, render with.

45. SPRENGT' ER HINEIN, i.e., in den Feind. STOß, thrust (of the spear).

47. SCHLAG, blow (of the sword).

58. IN LIEB UND IN LEID, in joy and in sorrow.

32.—5. REICH AN, rich in.

7. BLICKEN used transitively.

10. GRAU VON HAAR. Compare blue of eyes and fair of hair.

35. BLITZEND, like a flash of lightning.

42. ALLER HARFEN PREIS, the best of all harps.

63. HELDENBUCH, a book telling of heroes and their deeds.