Dr. Ludwig | Eens meien morgens vroe [Medieval German-Dutch song][+English translation] @dr.ludwig | Uploaded May 2024 | Updated October 2024, 4 days ago.
Credits to Paula Bär-Giese and Hans Meijer for the music.

The Codex Manesse is a manuscript from ~1305, it features songs of ~140 poets, who are presented in images depicting them in certain symbolic situations. Their order is not dictated by their fame as an artist or by the number of songs, but by social rank.
The author of this song occupies the 9th spot, his name was Johann/Jan, Duke of Brabant (1252-1294, on May 3). Brabant is now in the Netherlands and Belgium. His reign is often seen as the most glorious era for Brabant, so it's no wonder he enjoyed a very good reputation during and after his life.
Jan/Johann was also Margrave of Antwerp and - after the War of Limburg Succession (1283-1289) - Duke of Limburg, and he was made Imperial Advocate of the Lower Rhine region in 1292, signifying his status as a powerful and respected ruler within the Holy Roman Empire. He was called "the Victorious".
The duke enjoyed and promoted the fine arts, but he also was a fierce warrior, killing many rivals in battle while still being hailed as an example of chivalry.
No wonder he is depicted as a mighty knight in the manuscript! However, he was gravely injured during a knightly tournament, leading to his death. He remains a beloved and celebrated figure, especially in Brabant. A beer brand is named after him as well!

Johann/Jan wrote nine songs in total, the great Codex Manesse is the only source we have. This audio here does not exactly follow the text in the manuscript: the lyrics of this audio are "reverse-engineered" into a medieval stage of what would later be seen as Dutch. I found an article from 1858 in the German academic newspaper "Germania" where August Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798-1874), a scholar and the man who wrote the German national anthem, attempts this "Dutchification" himself, citing a fellow scholar named Willems to have tried this before him in 1848. The text of the Codex Manesse is not exactly what Johann/Jan wrote, as there are a few decades between his death and the compilation of the Codex (which also happened elsewhere, probably in Zürich, now Switzerland). Von Fallersleben talked about "bringing the text back to his original form", and it's quite likely that he and Willems came very close. This is the result.
Dutch and German form a dialect continuum, meaning that - apart from the standard versions of these languages, which obviously differ despite being closely related - there are many dialects that transcend borders and exhibit similarities and shared features. As you move from the north of the Netherlands to the south of Germany/Austria/Switzerland, the dialects gradually change and eventually end up very different, but there is no clear point where one language ends and the other begins. The people of the Middle Ages also spoke in many, many variations, depending on where exactly they came from. There was no "official" spelling either, but everything still belonged together somehow.
All of this shows how much people in Germany and the Low Countries share: culture, language, history. They all were part of the "Teuton" part of the HRE for centuries, and "Dutch" and "Deutsch" are not coincidentally similar words.

For reference, here's the first stanza in the Codex Manesse (slightly standardized):

Eins meien morgens fruo·
Was ich ûf gestân·
In ein schœns bôngartegin·
Do solde ich spiln gân·
Da vant ich drî iuncfrôwen stân·
Si waren so wolgetân·
Diu eine sang fur du ander sang nâ·
Harba lori fa· harba harba lori fa· harba lori fa·

Oh, one more thing: You might be wondering what "Harba lori fa" means. It's probably of Occitan/Provencal origin. The most popular hypothesis is that it means "The herb flourishes/grows!", which could be understood as something erotic. I also struggled with the "let it stand" at the end of the 3rd stanza. It's a strange way to phrase things, perhaps it means "don't do it", or perhaps it's a positive response and also erotic. I think it is supposed to be double-edged, and I went with the word-by-word translation to let you decide.

Disclaimer: All videos are apolitical and this channel is against any form of extremism or hatespeech!
●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬✠❈ SUPPORT ❈✠▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬●
❖ Patreon: patreon.com/arminius1871
●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬♬❈ LYRICS ❈♬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬●
Eens meien morgens vroe·
Was ic opghestaan·
In een scoen boemgerdekine·
Do soudic spelen gaen·
Daar vant ic drie joncfrouwen staen·
Si waren so wale ghedaen·
Dene sanc voor dander sanc na·
Harba lori fa· harba harba lori fa·

Doe ic versach dat scone cruut·
In den boemgardekijn·
Ende ic verhoorde dat suete gheluut·
Van den magheden fijn·
Doe verblide dat herte mijn·
Dat ic moeste singhen na·
Harba lori fa· harba harba lori fa·

Doe groette ic die alrescoenste·
Die daer onder stont·
Ic liet mine arme al omme gaen·
Doe ter selver stont·
Ic woudese cussen an haren mont·
Si sprac laet staen laet staen laet staen·
Harba lori fa· harba harba lori fa·