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Selection from the Heidelbeerger Liderhandschrift.
Rogier Vander Weyden
This voluminous manuscript was first discovered by the Romanic poet and journalist Joseph Görres in 1817. It comprises 179 pages with 205 songs, probably written down by two scribes. All songs were originally comprised prior to 1550, which we can confirm with the help of other songbooks written at a later date and which contain copies of songs borrowed from the Heidelberg manuscript. Not much further information about this songbook is available.
Heidelberg No. 83: Ach Gott, ich klag dir meine nott
1. Oh God, I lament about my misery to you:
I am so badly hurt that I almost die
And I have given up [all my hopes]
I thought I had chosen a dear lover,
But now he has abandoned me.
2. He loved me, he cherished me,
I did whatever his heart desired
In virtue and with honour—
[Now] he loves another [woman] much more than me,
He has left me behind, left me behind.
3. What good will your false trickery do to you, lad,
As you are so disloyal!
You need no longer wait for me!
I have known your betrayal for a long time,
Which hurt my heart, my mind, and senses.
4. If I had known your disloyalty before,
I would not have desired your love,
You have lied so often,
Go away, go away…
You are expelled from my heart, yes, from my heart.
5. She who sits on a thistle tree
And trusts young lads
Is unfortunately blinded:
You men are always true to your kind,
Weeds do not disappear from the garden.
6. Once I had an apple—it was delightful and red,
It has hurt me fatally,
There was a worm inside;
Forget about this red apple,
I must pluck it from my mind.
(Classen , 2004, pp. 31-32)

Classen , A. (2004). Late-Medieval German Women's Poetry: Secular and Religious Songs. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer.

What do you think the author of this poem meant when she said "She who sits on a thistle tree"? Also what is a thistle tree?