est
flower, surpassing the others in beauty and sweetness.

"'Wolfframb of Eschinbach, deeply moved by her loveliness and charm,
fell in love with her at first sight, and the other masters, inspired
by her beauty, celebrated her in many a tuneful lay. Reinhardt of
Zweckhstein called her the lady of his thoughts, for whom he was ready
to tilt in the tournay, or perish in the fray. Walther of the Vogelweid
burned with the most chivalrous passion for her, whilst Heinrich
Schreiber and Johannes Bitterolff outvied each other in praising her in
every variety of quaint and ingenious conceit. But Wolfframb's songs
came from the depths of a loving soul, and found their way to
Mathilda's heart like glittering, sharp-pointed arrows. The other
masters knew this well, but they felt that Wolfframb's good fortune and
happiness irradiated them all with a sunny shimmer, and gave even to
their songs a peculiar sweetness and power.

"The first dark shadow that fell upon Wolfframb's radiant life was cast
by Ofterdingen's unlucky secret, when he thought how all the other
masters loved him, although they, too, were deeply impressed by
Mathilda's beauty and grace. As it was only in Ofterdingen's mind that
hostile rancour was associated with affection, driving him away into
dreary and joyless solitude, he could not help feeling bitterly pained.
Often he thought Ofterdingen was only affected by a temporary madness
which would wear itself out. Then again he felt with much vividness
that he himself would not have been able to endure it if he had sued
for Mathilda's favour in vain. "And," he said to himself, "what better
claim to it have I? Am I in any way better than Ofterdingen? Am I wiser
or handsomer? Where is the difference between us? That which presses
him to earth is but the power of a hostile destiny, which might have
been mine just as it is his; and I, his faithful friend, pass
carelessly by on the other side, and never hold out a hand to help
him."

"'Such reflections brought him at last to the conviction that he must
go to Eisenach, and use his utmost efforts to induce Ofterdingen to
come back to the Wartburg; but when he arrived Heinrich was gone, no
one knew where. Sorrowfully Wolfframb returned to the Wartburg, and
told the Landgrave and the masters of Heinrich's disappearance. Then
for the first time it was seen how was their affection for him, in
spite of his disturbed condition, which was sometimes sullen even to
bitterness.