Døde-Dands, Death to the Old Man

Saa snart et Menneske er kommen til din Alder,
Den meeste Leve=Lyst da af sig selv bortfalder.
En Mand, som Folk forhen af hurtig Styrke saae,
Som Krøbling maae tilsidst paa tvende Krykker gaae.
Jeg veed, du altsaa vil mig følge vel fornøyet,
Da du til Graven har i lang Tid været bøyet.
Din Pibe Røg=Tobak har vel fornøyet dig,
At see, hvor Verdens Lyst, som Røg, forandrer sig.
Mod Døde=Dandsen du har intet at indvende,
Saafremt du kun attraaer en god og salig Ende.
Har du med troelig Flid her sørget for din Siel,
Saa vil det hisset dig hos GUd gaae ævig vel.

As soon as a human comes to your age,
most lust for life lapses by itself.
A man who was formerly seen having speedy strength,
in the end has to walk with two crutches as a cripple.
I know thus that you will follow me with pleasure,
since you have been bent towards the grave for a long time.
Your pipe of tobacco has given you pleasure,(1)
to see how the desires of the world - like smoke -changes.
You have no objection to the dance of death,
if you only desire a good and blessed end.
Have - with pious diligence - taken care of your soul here,
then you will do well with GOd forever.

The Old Man to Death

Min Broder! du har Ret, at jeg er kied af Jorden,
Og gaaer med Glæde bort udi de Dødes Orden.
Naar man paa Bagen har faaet mine Leve=Aar,
Da Lysten rigtig nok til længer Liv bortgaaer.
Vel nogle findes kand, som, naar de bliver gamle,
Sig blant de Unges Flok endda har Lyst at samle;
Men disse ingen Smag har i den Salighed,
Som GUd igiennem Kors for sine har bered.
Jeg derimod har havt en hiertelig Forlængsel,
At see min arme Siel giort frie fra Kroppens Fængsel.
Jeg uden Angest døer. Min Ende bliver god;
Thi jeg har Troe og Haab til GUds Forsonings Blod.

My Brother! you are right, that I'm tired of the Earth,
and will gladly join the order of the dead.
When you have lived as long as I have,
then the lust for a longer life truly goes away.
There might be some who, when they grow old,
still want to gather in the crowd of young;
but they have no taste for the salvation
that GOd has prepared with his cross.
I, on the other hand, have had a hearty longing,
To see my poor soul freed from the jail of the body.
I die without fear. My end will be good;
because I have faith and hope in GOd's blood of redemption.

* * * *

At see en gammel Mand mod Dødens Magt at stride,
Og ey det mindste Ord om Skilsmisse kand lide,
Det er et sikkert Tegn, at det staaer usselt til
Imellem GUd og ham, naar døe han nødig vil.

To see an old man fight the power of Death,
and not liking the slightest word about divorce(2),
that's a sure sign, that things are not good
between GOd and him when he doesn't want to die.

Divorce: The physical death is called a divorce between man's soul and body. (as opposed to the spiritual death: divorce between man's spirit and God's spirit).