The Apothecary

Götz: Apothecary

Kruspe: Apothecary

The apothecary of the Löwen-Apotheke has paid for this painting of his predecessor.

Kruspe's drawing (right) has far more details. Death wears an apron, as if he were an assistant helping with manufacturing the medicine.

The apothecary studies an object in his hand, which might be a prescription — as the text says, "Can you show me a prescription that can drive me away?"

The shelves are filled with jars and cans, as the text says: "The pharmacy, of cans is rather full". From the ceiling hangs a turtle, perhaps as a form of natural medicine.

Götz' watercolour (above) clearly shows that the object in the apothecary's hand is a small bottle. The apothecary's face and wig are different, Death does not wear an apron, and the walls are bare without any jars or cans. Instead of a turtle, a fish (a sturgeon?) and a horn are hanging.

We will never know if there was a sturgeon or a turtle in the original painting, but the curious thing is that according to Pohle, in the orphanage hall along with the 56 paintings of the dance of death, there was hanging from the ceiling five dried fish, including a sturgeon, three whale-shoulder-blades and one turtle.

Der Tod zum Apotheker:
Die Apotheke ist von Büchsen ziemlich voll
Und du zeigst ein Recept, das mich vertreiben soll.
Lass seh'n! was hat's vor Kraft? es ist gar bald zerrissen!
Verlass die Offizin, wirst mit mir wandern müssen.

Death to the apothecary:
The pharmacy is quite full of cans
and you show me a prescription that is supposed to banish me.
Let's see! What strength does it have? It will soon be torn to pieces!
Leave the pharmacy, you will have to walk with me.

Der Apotheker:
Ich habe meine Kunst oft glücklich angebracht,
Und manches Mutterkind gar bald gesund gemacht;
Jedoch mein Beispiel lehrt, dass wegen unsrer Sünden
Kein Pulver und kein Kraut sei für den Tod zu finden.

The apothecary:
I have often successfully applied my art
and have quickly made many a mother’s child healthy;
But my example teaches, that because of our sins
there is neither powder nor herb to be found against Death.

Death's last line is slightly different by Götz and Pohle. Instead of »wirst mit mir wandern müssen«, Death says: »du wirst nun wandern müssen«.