Copenhagen's Dance of Death, Part 17, Abbot and German Knight Templar

Copenhagen's Dance of Death, Part 17

Men nu haffue wi saa fundet paa
ath hellighed skulle paa klosterleffnit staa
Der met haffue wi bedragit mange
som i den mening haffue værit forlange
Motte ieg faa bedre aff denne siugdom

Ieg ville gaa paa min fod til Rom
Men døden vil icke staa aff til side
O Gud hielp mig aff sorg oc quide

Døden Suarer

Paa saadant skulle du haffue giffuit act
der du vor karsk, och i velmact
Vær nu rede, ath følge mig bort
du skalt icke selff vide huort

Døden til Tydske Ordens herre

Herre Mester aff Tydske orden
paa dig bruser ieg met min torden
Til gerighed oc verdens ære
haffde du altid din største begære
Nu gack met mig och ver ey seen
Dette herredom for du aldrig igen

Herren aff Tydske orden suarer

Nu tyckis mig ieg haffuer onde kaar
dog haffuer ieg verit her femten aar
Een Guds Ridder, oc en Mester viss
och hafft der fore stort loff och priss
Nu kand icke mit store naffn
komme mig til salighed eller gaffn

… but now we have invented
that holiness should depend on monastic life.
In this way we have deceived many
who long have been under this delusion.
Might I get better from this disease …

… [then] I would walk by foot to Rome.
But Death will not step aside.
Oh God, help me from sorrow and anguish.

Death Answers

You should have paid heed to such
when you were healthy and in your prime.
Be ready now, to follow me away;
you shall not yourself know whither.

Death to the master of the German Order(1)

Lord Master of the German order
I'm rushing at you with my thunder.
For avarice and worldly honour
you always had your greatest desire.
Now, go with me and be not tardy.
You will never get this dominion again.

The Master of the German order answers

Now I think I have hard circumstances
yet I've been here fifteen years.
A God's templar and a wise master
and I have had great credit and praise for this.
Now my great name cannot
help me to salvation or benefit …

Click the little pictures to see the original pages.

Footnotes: (1)

German order . . .: Teutonic Knights of St. Mary's Hospital at Jerusalem. Order of knights founded by German crusaders in 1190 and abolished 1809 by Napoleon. Scandinavians and Germans were crusading in the "heathen" Balticum. The German order had bought Denmark's part of Estonia from the Danish King Valdemar Atterdag.