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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: |
Der Papst: |
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.