"'Brightly gleams the firmament, In silvery splendor gay; Rejoicing that the night is spent, The lark salutes the day; Then fly, ye lovers, and be gone! Take leave before the night is done, And jealous eyes appear.' "That watchman's call did wound my heart, And banish my delight; Alas, the envious sun will part Our loves, my lady bright On me she looked with downcast eyes, Despairing at my mournful cry, 'We tarry here too long.' "Straight to the wicket did she speed; 'Good watchman, spare thy joke! Warn not my love, till o'er the mead The morning sun has broke: Too short, alas! the time, since here I tarried with my leman dear, In love and converse sweet.' "'Lady, be warn'd! on roof and mead The dew drops glitter gay; Then quickly bid thy leman speed, Nor linger till the day; For by the twilight did I mark Wolves hying to their covert dark, And stags to covert fly.' "Now by the rising sun I view'd In tears my lady's face; She gave me many a token good, And many a soft embrace. Our parting bitterly we mourn'd; The hearts which erst with rapture burn'd, Were cold with woe and care. "A ring with glittering ruby red, Gave me that lady sheen, And with me from the castle sped Along the meadow green: And whilst I saw my leman bright, She waved on high her kerchief white: 'Courage! to arms!' she cried. "In the raging fight each pennon white Reminds me of her love; In the field of blood, with mournful mood, I see her kerchief move; Through foes I hew, whene'er I view Her ruby ring, and blithely sing, 'Lady, I fight for thee.'" The end of wooing is thus always understood to be the gratification of passion. But many ladies of the era of chivalry were extremely exacting, and imposed heavy tasks for the attainments of the prize which they alone could bestow. They allowed very slight favors at first, a glance, a trifle, otherwise they let the lover long and languish, as, for instance, in the case of the knight Ulrich von Lichtenstein, whom we shall soon consider more closely. Sometimes, however, favors which by modern standards would appear very improper were readily granted with a charming naïveté! The lover was allowed to accompany the lady of his heart to her bed chamber, and wait upon her and help her undress, a rather crucial service, as the mediæval custom was to sleep without any garments at all.