as dawn and white as day, and about twelve years old.  All these thousands of charming beings raised their voices together and competed with the birds in song, swaying up and down in charming lines, singing and laughing in the cool shade.  They were dressed in red and white, like the flowers from which they were born; but if sun rays fell on them, they would fade and die.  They were only children of the woodland shade and the summer, and lived no longer than the flowers, which May brings to life and Autumn kills.  In this wood Alexander and his host pitched their tents, and lived through the summer with the little maids.  But their happiness only lasted three months and twelve days: 

When the time came to an end, our joy passed away too; the flowers faded, and the pretty girls died; trees lost their leaves, springs their flow, and the birds their song; all pleasure passed away.  Discomfort began to touch my heart with many sorrows, as day by day I saw the beautiful maidens die, the flowers fade:  with a heavy heart, I departed with my men.

This fairy-like tale, with its blending of human and plant life, is very poetically conceived; but it is only a play of fancy, one of the early steps towards the modern feeling.

The battle scenes, as well as other scenes in this poem, are bold and exaggerated.  Armies meet like roaring seas; missiles fly from both sides as thick as snow; after the dreadful bath of blood, sun and moon veil their light and turn away from the murder committed there.

Hartmann von der Aue, too, did not draw real Nature, but only one of his own invention.

For example, the wild forest with the magic spring in Iwein: 

I turned to the wilds next morning, and found an extensive clearing, hidden in the forest, solitary and without husbandmen.  There, to my distress, I descried a sad delight of the eyes—­beasts of every kind that I know the names of, attacking each other.... this spring is cold and very pure; neither rain, sun, or wind reach it; it is screened by a most beautiful lime tree.  The tree is excessively tall and thick, so that neither sun nor rain can penetrate its foliage, winter does not injure it, nor lessen its beauty by one hair; ’tis green and blossoming the whole year round....  Over the spring there is a wonderfully fine stone ... the tree was so covered with birds that I could scarcely see the branches, and even the foliage almost disappeared.  The sweet songs were pleasant and resounded through the forest, which re-echoed them....

As I poured water upon the ruby, the sun, which had just come out, disappeared, the birds’ song round about ceased, a black storm approached, dark heavy storm-clouds came from all four quarters of the vault of heaven.  It seemed no longer bright day ... soon a thousand flashes of lightning played round me in the forest ... there came storm, rain, and hail ... the storm became so great that the forest broke down.

He never shews a real love for Nature even in his lyrics, for the wish for flowers in Winter Complaint can hardly be said to imply that: