The civil servant

Götz: Civil servant

Kruspe: Civil servant

A crumpled old peasant delivers his petition to the civil servant, who is dressed in office suit with lots of buttons and powdered wig. In Götz's watercolour (above), Death points to the paper; in Kruspe's drawing (right), he grabs the civil servant's wrist.

Der Tod zum Amtmann:
Du zeigest nach Gebrauch ein saures Amtsgesichte;
Allein was acht ich das, vor mir gilt kein Gerichte,
Muss Mancher sonst dein Amt mit tiefer Scheu verehren,
So ruf' ich, Amtmann fort! du musst den Reigen mehren!

Death to the Civil Servant:
You show as is usual a sour official face,
but what do I care, no judgment is valid before me.
If many others must revere your office with deep awe,
then I shout, bailiff, begone! You must increase the row!

Der Amtmann:
Den Bauern schafft ich Recht, den Obern war ich treu,
So blieb mein Wandel rein, und mein Gewissen frei.
Nun merk' ich, dass der Tod die Tugend wenig schätzet,
Er rufet: fort mit dir! man hat dich abgesetzet.

The Civil Servant:
I did justice to the peasants, I was loyal to my superiors,
so my conduct remained pure and my conscience free.
Now I notice that Death has little regard for virtue.
He calls: "Away with you! You have been deposed".

The entire dialogue was copied after Lübeck's "new" text: Death to the civil servant.