The Young Man

Young man

Der doit. IUngelyng hart(1) hübsch vnd fyn Spring her tzü den gesellen myn Du kanst gar sußlichen syngen Hofieren dantzen vnd spryngen. Vnd meynst lange tzů leben Goit will dyr nyt lenger tzijll geben Dyn iogent hait dich betrogen Vnd dyn lange hoffen hat dyr gelogen.	Death Youth, tender,(1) pretty and fine, jump here to my friends. You can sing completely sweet courting, dancing and jumping and believe you are going to live long. God will not give you any longer respite Your youth has deceived you And your hope for a long respite has lied to you.

Der iungeling. Ach got mocht myr yemant geben troist Daz ich vom dode würde erlost Vnd mochte noch langer leben Ich wollt mych gode selbes ergeben Sterben ich sost in iüngen dagen Daz müß ich nů vnd vmmer clagen O bose geselschafft o werlde lijst Wie falsch wie arg wye qwadt du bist.	The Young Man. Alas God, may someone give me comfort, that I was saved from Death and might live even longer. [Then] I would devote myself to God. [But if] I instead die young I must complain about that now and forever. Oh, bad company, oh the world's slyness How false, how vile, how bad you are.

The young man is disappointed. His youth has deceived him, which Gert Kaiser interprets to mean that he has been cheated by the fact that he's young, and his "long hope", which probably indicates his hope for a long life, has lied to him. Only later does he intend to turn to God.

It is all reminiscent of the young man from Lübeck:

Der Werlde Lust mi nu smaket,
[…]
De Werlde mi lavet Heil,
Bedrucht se mi, so is se feil.
Wike wech, late mi ruseleren,
Int Older wil ik mi bekeren.

I can taste the temptations of the world now.
[…]
The world has promised me luck,
and if it disappoints me, then it's deceitful.
Go away, let me have fun,
I my older days, I'll convert.

Footnotes: (1)

hart . . .: The word is spelled »zart« in the 1492- and 1520-editions and in Kassel's manuscript.