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Todt zum Graffen: |
Death to The Count Mr. Count, give me the messenger's bread.(1) The bitter Death pulls you away. Don't mourn over wife and child., You must dance with these servants. |
Der Graff: |
The Count. In this world I was [well] known, and also called a noble Count. Now I'm felled by Death, and placed here in this dance. |
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In Kleinbasel a year was painted above the count. Our only witness to this painting, Emanuel Büchel, read the year as 1312.
Unfortunately, this misinformation has spread to much of the literature on dances of death, because that would clearly make this mural the oldest dance of death in the whole world — even older than the very wall it was painted on. Thus it was this dance that had inspired, not just the more famous dance in Basel, but every dance of death in the whole world.
Later, Büchel tried to moisten the wall with a damp cloth and could now read the year as "1512". This was apparently not the year of the creation of the mural, but of a renovation of the west wing.
English translation from Beck, 1852 | |
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Death to the Earl. | The Earl's reply. |
Sir Earl, give me the runner's fee; |
Throughout the world I was well famed |
Translation from Hess, 1841 | |
Death to the Count. | Answer of the Count. |
Lord count give me the messengers fee, |
In this world I was well renoun'd, |
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Footnotes: (1)