Her juncker med jwen haweke fyn
gy wolden alle tied die schoneste syn
mennigen hebbe gy gebracht tho valle
vppe den doeth dachte gy nicht mid alle
wedewerken howiren was jwe art
volget nhu desseme dantze mede der fart
Och liue doeth beide noch eyne stunde
ik wolde gerne lewen wen ik konde
alzo muchte ik myne sunde bichten
vnde my med gades licham borichten
sunder dhu wilt dar leider nicht nha beidin
o criste laeth my van dy nummer scheidin
Mr Nobleman with your fine hawk,(1)
you always wanted to be the prettiest.
Many have you brought to a fall.
You did not think about Death at all.
Hunting and merrymaking was your way.
Follow now this dance speedily.
Oh dear Death - wait yet a moment,
I would like to live - if I could.
Then I could confess my sins
and make an arrangement with God's body.
But you will, sadly, not wait for it.
Oh Christ - let me never separate from you.
Her kopman wat gy ghvmmen nu hastych synt
gy sparet noch reghenweder edder wynt
de market ys doch seker hier all gedan
gy muthen enquantzwys met my dantzen gan
vorueret jw nicht legget aff dy sparen
wente sterven is jw ok an ghebaren
Och gude doet wu kome gy my dus hastich an
wol dat ik byn ghewesen eyn thur kopman
doch is myne rekenschop noch gar unclar
dat klaghe ik dy criste al apenbar
wultu se nu clar maken des hefst du macht
ik hebb seker nicht vele up dy dacht
Mr Merchant, goodman, how hasty you are now.
You don't spare [yourself for] rainy weather nor wind.
Still, the market here is certainly all done.
You must, for the sake of appearances(?) go dancing with me.
Do not terrify; lay off the spurs
because you were also born to die.
Oh good Death, why are you coming so hastily to me?
Though I have been an expensive merchant -
yet my reckoning is still totally unfinished.
This I lament to you, Christ, quite openly.
Will you now finish it - you have the power for that.
I certainly haven't thought much about you.
Her amptman ghut van banstes wol ghebaren
gy synt wesen eyn warkman wol voruaren
dar kunde gy vore behende lyden
gy muthen bet an den dodendantz glyden
sprynghet vp ik wyl jw vore synghen
synt gy wesen ghut so mach jw ghelynghen
Och mechtyghe got wat is myne kunst
synt ik hebbe ghekreghen gades ungunst
den hilghen dach hebbe ik nicht ghevyret
sunder in deme kroghe rvseleret
och criste woldestu my dat vorgheven
so muthe ik myt dy nu ewich leuen
Mr Craftsman good (....?) wellborn,
you have been a very experienced craftsman.
Therefore you could deftly lead [the dance].
You must glide better in the dance of death.
Spring up, I will sing for you.
Have you been good, then you will do well.
Oh mighty God - what is my craft [worth]
since I have obtained God's disfavour.
The Sabbath day have I not kept holy,
but rather celebrated at the inn.
Oh Christ - will you forgive me that,
then I might now live forever with you.
In Lübeck, the merchant and the craftsman has traded places (see the notes).
In Berlin, the sequence is intact, and Kopman
comes before Amptman. There's also a confirmation, that it's
the merchant who's wearing the spurs. Death tells the merchant
"legget aff dy sparen".
Judging from the picture to the right, the merchant has already laid off his spurs.
(1)with your fine hawk...: The nobleman is indeed portrayed with a hawk in his hand, but it's not
certain whether he had this from the start - or whether it was added during a restauration in the 19th Century.
Notice, that the merchant does not have spurs - even though he should have according to the text (see picture above).
In the same manner the landlady doesn't have a
"false measure" in her hand.
The medieval dance of death
Berlin's dance of death