Heinrich von Veldeke: Eneit

The Eneit by Heinrich von Veldeke is a late twelfth-century adaptation into German verses of Virgil's epic Aeneid. Heinrich von Veldeke (born c. 1140–50, near Maastricht, Lower Lorraine [now in the Netherlands]—died c. 1190), was a Middle High German poet of noble birth whose Eneit, telling the story of Aeneas, was the first German court epic to attain an artistic mastery worthy of its elevated subject matter. He was the first writer in the Low Countries that we know by name who wrote in a European language other than Latin.

The richly illustrated manuscript containing the Eneit was made in the region of Regensburg about 1230. The illustration on folio 19r, shown here, represents the suicide and burial of Dido, queen of Carthage.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 9 minutes): Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas, Dido's Farewell