"Liebesprobe" (Proof of Love) is an old German folk song. Already before the 17th century the song appeared in some records in the form of a distich. A number of its versions are found in many later folklore collections, such as Des Knaben Wunderhorn (1806), Deutscher Liederhort (1893).
Commentary in 1868 described the song as one "of the most beautiful and widespread" in German folklore: The significance of the poem's initial setting under a linden tree is emphasised: "The linden tree plays a key role in these songs; at eventide, the lovers caress in its shade, it is their tree of choice, and perhaps for the reason that the linden leaf has the shape of a human heart."
German versions of the song have been known at least from the 15th century. Similar motifs could be discovered in the folklores of its neighbours â in some Dutch, West Slavic, and Danish sources.
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