"He was out of tune with what a younger generation of poets were writing, and railed against the shallowness and commercialisation of the modern world, from his fastness: a farmhouse surrounded by orchards in Middleton, Suffolk."

"Translation came naturally to me because as a child I was translated from Germany to Britain."

"I suppose that I am a very serious poet – except for satirical verse, which I have also been compelled to write, though much of it may be inferior to my more serious poems – perhaps because I am not playful enough by nature, and even my satirical or polemical verse is not entertaining."

"I was invited to Romania at least once, but was warned that I should not be free to travel where I pleased in the country, but should be more or less confined to the Writers' Union. Because I ceased long ago to be an urban poet and feel claustrophobic in literary conferences, I could not accept such an invitation."

"The ploughman ploughs, the fisherman dreams of fish; Aloft, the sailor, through a world of ropes Guides tangled meditations, feverish With memories of girls forsaken, hopes Of brief reunions, new discoveries, Past rum consumed, rum promised, rum potential."

"Being pre-eminently a moralist, he needed a medium that enabled him to illustrate a moral insight as briefly and vividly as possible. Being an artist and sensualist, he needed a medium that was epigrammatic or aphoristic, but allowed him scope for fantasy and for that element of suggestiveness which he considered essential to beauty."

"It is impossible for a poet to characterize his own work. From other people I gather that I am a gloomy poet, if not a tragic one."

"Take, O boatman, thrice thy fee,— Take, I give it willingly; For, invisible to thee, Spirits twain have crossed with me."

"By common consent, Wolfram is the greatest medieval poet before Dante."

"By the miracle of genius he created a masterpiece [Parzival], epic in scope, noble in purpose, humorous, humane, tender, and rational."

"Although German writers may sometimes have mispraised or overpraised their greatest mediaeval poet, it is certain that we find in Wolfram von Eschenbach qualities, which, in the thousand years between the Fall and the Renaissance of classical literature, can be found to anything like the same extent in only two known writers, the Italian Dante and the Englishman Langland; while if he is immensely Dante's inferior in poetical quality, he has at least one gift, humour, which Dante had not, and is far Langland's superior in variety and in romantic charm."

"Hie hânt zwei herzen einvalt Mit hazze erzeiget ir gewalt."

"Der getriwe ist friundes êren vrô: der ungetriwe wâfenô rüefet, swenne ein liep geschiht sînem friunde und er daz siht."

"Mîn bruodr und ich daz ist ein lîp, als ist guot man unt des guot wîp."

"Frou minne, ir habt ein êre, und wênc decheine mêre. frou liebe iu gît geselleschaft: anders wær vil dürkel iwer kraft."

"Du hôrtst och vor dir sprechen ie, swer dem andern half daz er genas, daz er sîn vîent dâ nâch was."

"Von wazzer boume sint gesaft. wazzer früht al die geschaft, der man für crêatiure giht. mit dem wazzere man gesiht. wazzer gît maneger sêle schîn, daz die engl niht liehter dorften sîn."

"Der schadehafte erwarp ie spot: sælden pflihtær dem half got."

"Ôwê daz er niht vrâgte dô! des pin ich für in noch unvrô. wan do erz enpfienc in sîne hant, dô was er vrâgens mit ermant."

"Ûf einem grüenen achmardî truoc si den wunsch von pardîs, bêde wurzeln unde rîs. daz was ein dinc, daz hiez der Grâl, erden wunsches überwal. Repanse de schoy si hiez, die sich der grâl tragen liez. der grâl was von sölher art: wol muoser kiusche sîn bewart, die sîn ze rehte solde pflegn: die muose valsches sich bewegn."

"Weindiu ougn hânt süezen munt."

"Man sol hunde umb ebers houbet gebn."

"Ir sult niemer iuch verschemn. verschamter lîp, waz touc der mêr? der wont in der mûze rêr, dâ im werdekeit entrîset."

"Ir sult bescheidenlîche sîn arm unde rîche. wan swâ der hêrre gar vertuot, daz ist niht hêrlîcher muot: sament er ab schaz ze sere, daz sint och unêre."

"Artûs der meienbære man, swaz man ie von dem gesprach, zeinen pfinxten daz geschach, odr in des meien bluomenzît."

"Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival…was where love and marriage were brought together. It was an apple of a story. That's my favorite love story."

"Der tac mit kraft al durh diu venster dranc. vil slôze sie besluzzen. daz half niht: des wart in sorge kunt. diu vriundîn den vriunt vast an sich twanc. ir ougen diu beguzzen ir beider wangel. sus sprach zim ir munt: "zwei herze und einen lîp hân wir.""

"Ist zwîvel herzen nâchgebûr, das muoz der sêle warden sûr."

"Daz schuof iedoch ein wîse man, daz alter guot solde hân. jugent hât vil werdekeit, daz alter siuften unde leit. ez enwart nie niht als unfruot, sô alter unde armuot."

"Die sint tœrscher denne beiersch her, unt doch bî manlîcher wer. swer in den zwein landen wirt, gefuoge ein wunder an im birt."

"Ôwî wan wær dîn schœne mîn! dir hete got den wunsch gegebn, ob du mit witzen soldest lebn."

"Swa du guotes wîbes vingerlîn mügest erwerben unt ir gruoz, daz nim: ez tuot dir kumbers buoz. du solt zir kusse gâhen und ir lîp vast umbevâhen: daz gît gelücke und hôhen muot, op si kiusche ist unde guot."

"Truth is Thy primal word; at thy behest The generations pass - O aid our quest For Thee, and set my host of songs on high, And let my psalmody come very nigh. My praises as a coronal account, And let my prayers as Thine incense mount. Deem precious unto Thee the poor man's song, As those that to thine altar did belong. Rise, O my blessing, to the lord of birth, The breeding, quickening, righteous force of earth. Do Thou receive it with acceptant nod, My choicest incense offered to my God. And let my meditation grateful be, For all my being is athirst for Thee. from Millgram, A. E., Anthology of Medieval Hebrew Literature, Abelard, 1961."

"Sweet hymns shall be my chant and woven songs, For Thou art all for which my spirit longs-- To be within the shadow of Thy hand And all Thy mystery to understand. The while Thy glory is upon my tongue, My inmost heart with love of thee is wrung, So though Thy mighty marvels I proclaim, 'Tis songs of love wherewith I greet Thy name."

"I have not seen Thee, yet I tell Thy praise, Nor known Thee, yet I image forth Thy ways. For by Thy seers' and servants' mystic speech Thou didst Thy sov'ran splendour darkly teach, And from the grandeur of Thy work they drew The measure of Thy inner greatness, too. They told of Thee, but not as Thou must be, Since from Thy work they tried to body Thee. To countless visions did their pictures run, Behold through all the visions Thou art one."

"Isot ma drüe, Isot m'amie En vus ma mort, en vus ma vie."

"Ine weiz, wie jener werden sol; dirre tôt der tuot mir wol. solte diu wunneclîche Isôt iemer alsus sî mîn tôt, sô wolte ich gerne werben umbe ein êweclîchez sterben."

"Ez ist ein armer trügesite, der vriunden alsô liuget, daz er sich selben triuget."

"Swem nie von liebe leit geschach, dem geschach ouch liep von liebe nie."

"Swer keinen schaden vertragen kan, dâ wahsent dicke schaden an. und ist ein veiclîcher site."

"Liebe ist ein also saelic dinc, ein also saeleclich gerinc, daz nieman ane ir lere noch tugende hat noch ere."