Alle myn stath unde werdicheyt
Wert nu tho hantes nedder gheleyt.
Dat maket de alder gresslikeste doet,
Syn both is starck, syne macht is groth.
Wo hog ik sy, ick kant nicht keren.
Gnade my, God, eyn here aller heren.
Ich, wo rechte wunder- lyk is my to synne.
Al byn ick eyne ryke eddele keyserynne,
Nicht en kan ik höger in stathe rysen,
Ok kan syk neyne gro- ter forstynne bewysen
In alle desser heelen cristenheyt,
To sterven bin ik noch nenerleyewysz bereyt.
De doet to dem keyser
Her keyser, du werest tho eynem heren
Utherkoren, de cristen- heyt to regeren
Myt dem swerde der rechtferdicheyt,
De hilge kerke to hol den in eyndrechticheyt,
De vyende der cristen myt flyte to haten:
Isset so gescheen, dat mach dy nu baten.
De dot tor keyserynnen
Ja, keyserynne, dat is dat olde leet,
Se spreken alle: Ick byn noch nicht bereyt,
Beyde yo noch eyne lange tyd.
Neyn, de forstinnen unde frouwen, de nu syd,
Dantzen gerne vele nyer trede.
Holth an, dantze vort up eyn ander stede.
Death to the emperor
Mr. Emperor, you were as master
elected, to rule Christianity
with the sword of justice,
to keep the holy churches in concord,
to hate enemies of Christians(1) with diligence:
Has it happened thus, will it help you now.
Death to the empress
Yes, empress, that is the old song,
they all say: "I am not prepared yet,(2)
wait still a long time".
No, the princesses and mistresses, that are now,
willingly dance many new steps.
Hold on! Dance forth to another place.
The emperor
All my rank and worthiness
will now at once be put down.
The most terrible Death makes this,
his command is strong, his power is great.
How high [in state] I might be, I cannot avert this.
Have mercy, God, Lord over all lords.
The empress
Oh,(3) how strange I feel,
Though I am a rich and noble empress.
I cannot rise to a higher station,
and can show no greater princess
in the entire Christendom.
I am not at all prepared to die yet.
Footnotes:
(1)(2)(3)
If you're wondering who "enemies of Christians" may be, look no further
than Des dodes dantz from 1489.
In this version Death tells the emperor
"Alle unchristen to hebben in hate, Se to vorfolgen..." -
so it's the holy duty of the emperor to hate and persecute all non-Christians.
they all say . . .: Death's comment is rather strange - considering that
the empress hasn't spoken yet. Maybe Death has simply forgotten that the reader
is supposed to read the right page first? (8=
The dance of death
Lübeck
