Den Lybekske Dødning=Dantz

Den Lybekske Dødning=Dantz

The
Lübeckian
Dead=Dance,
which can be seen
painted
in St. Mary's Church in Lübeck
to the
delight of aficionados
and
for the sake of its peculiarity
upon request
translated
into
Danish rhymes
translated
by
Lydert Höyer

This is straightforward Danish translation from 1738 of Nathanael Schlott's High German text from 1701 retaining the Alexandrian meter.

After the proper dance of death comes a thesis: "Death is not a dance", followed by its antithesis: "Death is a dance". This shows that the text is not based on the painting in the Marienkirche of Lübeck but rather on the books subsequently published by Schlott, e.g.: Eine Hand-voll Poetischer Blätter from 1702.

The booklet can be downloaded from the Royal Danish Library. The text has also been transcribed on the present site, but only in the Danish section, so you'll have to click the Danish flag in the top, right corner (use your browser's navigational arrows to return).

Resources

• The Royal Danish Library were kind enough to digitize the booklet for free at my request: Den Lybekske Dødning-dantz, som er at see afmalet udi St. Mariæ Kirke i Lybek, de Lysthavende til Fornøyelse og for sin Merkværdigheds skyld efter Begiæring udi Danske Riim oversatt af Lydert Høyer

Further information

• Photos of the painting and the original Low German text
• The new text from 1701
• Nathaniel Schlott, who wrote the new text
• St. Mary's Church

The dance of death ⇒ Lübeck ⇒ The new text ⇒ Den Lybekske Dødning=Dantz