Come forthe maister / that loken vp so ferre
With instrumentis / of astronomy
To take the grees / & hight of eueri sterre
What mai a-vaile / al ȝowre astrologie
Sith [of] Adam / alle the genelegye
Made firste of god / to walke vp-on the grounde
Dethe dothe a-reste / thus seieth theologie
And al schal dye / for an appil rounde.
Døden til astronomen
ferre: far
grees: degrees, sterre: star a-vaile: avail, ȝowre: your sith: since
seieth: says appil rounde: rundt æble(1)
The Astronomere answereth
For al my crafte / cunnynge or science
I can not fynde / no provisioun
Ne yn the sterres / serche owte no defence
Be domefyinge / nor calculacioun
Saue finyalli / in conclusioun
For to discryue / owre cunnynge euery dele
Ther is no more / be sentence of resoun
Who lyueth a-right / mote nedes dye wele.
Astronomen svarer
Be domefyinge: med astrologi(2)
discryue: describe
den, der lever ret, må dø vel
Dethe to the Burgeys
Sire Burgeys / what do ȝe lenger tarie
For al ȝowre aver / & ȝowre grete richesse
Thowgh ȝe be straunge / deynous & contrarie
To this daunce / ȝe mote ȝow nedes dresse
For ȝowre tresoure / plente & largesse
From other hit came / & shal vn-to straungeres
He is a fole / that yn soche besynesse
Wote not for hom / he stuffeth his garneres.
Døden til borgeren
aver: ejendom deynous: ringeagtende, hånlig
mote: must
hit: it fole: fool, besynesse: business ved ikke hvem, han fylder sit kornloft for
The Burgeys answereth
Certes to me / hit is grete displesauns
To leue al this / & mai hit not assure
Howses rentes / tresoure & substauns
Dethe al fordothe / suche is his nature
There-fore / wise is no creature
That sette [h]is herte / on gode that mote disseuere
The worlde hit lente / & he wille hit recure
And w[h]o moste hathe / [l]othest dieth euer.
Borgeren svarer
fordothe: ødelægger
mote disseuere: må skilles fra verden har lånt det [bort] og vil tage det tilbage og den, der har mest, dør altid nødigst.
Fodnoter:
(1)(2)
Og alle skal dø for et rundt æble...: Se siden om arvesynden.
domefying...: Astrologi - kunsten at dele stjernehimlen ind i 12 "huse" (Latin: domus).
Døden fra Lübeck
St. Pauls i London