The pope

Götz: Pope

Kruspe: Pope

The pope appears to have been caught by surprise in an antechamber. In the ceiling hangs an incense bowl in three chains.

Bellermann, Arnold and Pohle believes that Death comes in a liturgical vestment ("Meßgewande"), while Naumann thinks that Death comes as a beggar. None of this explains why the pope carries a pennant, or why Death uses a telescope.

Der Tod zum Papste:
Komm, Vater Papst, mit mir, verlasse Stuhl und Welt,
Ich habe dir die Gruft zur Residenz gestellt,
Man hat dir bis hieher die Füsse küssen müssen,
Die Reihe trifft nun dich, du sollst die Erde küssen.

Death to the Pope:
Come with me, Father Pope, leave the chair and the world,
I have made the tomb your residence,
Up to this point, people have had to kiss your feet,
Now it is your turn, you shall kiss the earth.

Der Papst:
Was hör ich! trägt der Tod auch für mich keinen Scheu?
Ist nicht mein Vatikan für seinen Anlauf frei?
Ich muss! drum lass ich dich, o Gold von dreien Kronen,
Und gehe nun dahin, wo ich soll enger wohnen.

The Pope:
What do I hear! Does Death not fear me either?
Is not my Vatican free for his attack?
I must! Therefore I leave you, oh gold of three crowns,(1)
and now go where I am to live more cramped.(2)

There are echoes from Lübeck's "new" text.

The pope's surprise that he is not protected from Death recalls the pope in Lübeck: »Wie? Scheut der Tod den Blitz von meinem Banne nicht«, while the rhyming couplet itself, "keine Scheu / frey", stems from the equally surprised emperor: »Was hör ich? trägt der Tod für Göttern keine Scheu / Sind Kayser=Kronen nicht vor seiner Sichel frey«.

The pope's second rhyming couplet "Gold von dreien Kronen / enger wohnen" are from Death to the pope: »Hier trägt dein Scheitel nicht das Gold von dreyen Kronen / Der Hut ist viel zu hoch, du must itzt enger wohnen«.

Götz and Pohle have a minor variant in that the pope's »dreien Kronen« have become »dreien Thronen«. This sounds like a mistake, but in fact the Pope does not wear a triple crown in the picture.

Footnotes: (1) (2)

The pope has a triple crown (this trivia is useful when identifying dancers in a dance of death). The three crowns symbolize the papal power over Heaven, Earth and Hell.

live more cramped . . .: in colloquial Danish a coffin is known as "a one-room apartment with a lid".