EMBLEMS AND SYMBOLS 15 



birds, for the grass. His song was taken up 

 by the troubadours, who also sang of the fair 

 things of the fields, though their hit motif was 

 earthly, rather than heavenly, love. 



The minnesingers of Germany sang of roses, 

 spring-tide, love and chivalry, and three of the 

 sweetest-throated, Walther von der Vogelweide, 

 Godfried von Strassburg and Conrad von Wiirtz- 

 burg, each before he died, composed a song in 

 honour of the Virgin. 



In Provence the Lady Clemence Isaure in- 

 stituted the Jeux Floraux, and for those who 

 excelled in song there were three awards, a 

 violet, an eglantine and a marigold, all wrought 

 in gold. Later a silver lily was added as the 

 prize for the best sonnet celebrating the per- 

 fections of the Virgin. The rules of this May- 

 day tournament of song proclaimed that 

 ' these games are for the amusement of the 

 people, for the honour of God as the giver of 

 good gifts of trees and flowers, and to praise 

 Him, because nature, which had been dead, now 

 lives again.' 



The world was now beginning to see the 

 value of these ' good gifts.' Chaucer could 



