The grave digger

Götz: Grave digger
Götz, Digger

Kruspe does not have a drawing of this scene.

    Der Todtengräber:
Ich Todtengräber dieser Stadt,
Denk hier bei meinen tausend Leichen,
Ich füttere den Tod recht satt;
Vielleicht kann ich durchschleichen !

    The Grave Digger
I, the gravedigger of this city.
Think here of my thousand corpses.
I feed Death quite full;
Perhaps I can sneak through!

 

    Der Tod zum Todtengräber:
Mein Freund, du irrst, sieh! was nur lebt,
Muss meine Beute sein.
Wer andern eine Grube gräbt,
Fällt endlich selbst hinein.

    Death to the Grave Digger
My friend, you are mistaken, see! Whatever is alive,
must be my prey.
He who digs a pit for others,
will ultimately fall into it himself.

This dialogue is unusual in that the human speaks first, and Death replies. The verses are also shorter that the usual six-footed alexandrines.

Erfurt's dance of death Dances of death Erfurt Grave digger