Copenhagen's Dance of Death, Part 19

   
 
Physician

FlowerDøden til Cannicken

Her Canon, Proficiat, Bona dies.
bliffuer det forglemt her vorder nogit nyes(2)
Fem Sogne kircker haffde du
De skulle ille bekomme dig nu

   Death with scythe

Du holt stor Grauiteet offuer dit bord
du ville icke Predicke ith Guds ord
De fattige ville du inthet giffue
der fore vil ieg hart met dig kiffue
Din graaskinde kappe skalt du aff legge

  
   

Death to the Canon(1)

Mr Canon, Proficiat, Bona dies.
If it becomes forgotten - here will be something new(2)
You had five parish churches
because of them it will go hard with you now.

You held great decorum over your table;
you wouldn't preach a [single] God's word;
you wouldn't give anything to the poor;
therefore I will fight hard with you.
You shall lay off your grey fur cloak …(3)

The Physician Death with scythe Click the little pictures to see the original pages.

Holbein, The Canon
Holbein's dance of death. The canon's cape is made of square pieces of fur laced with animals' tails.

(1) Canon . . .: a priest attached to a cathedral. The canons are so called because they lead a rule bound life, "vita canonica".

(2) nyes / new . . .: Low German rhyme that the Danish author has copied directly from Dodendantz.

The strange statement is explained here.

(3) grey fur cloak . . .: Presumably a cloak that's furred with grey fur. In particular the Siberian squirrel fur was called grey fur.

Apparently canons often wore fur cloaks. Look at Holbein's canon (picture to the right).

The German Knight Templar and the Physician The Canon and the Vicar Up to Copenhagen's Dance of Death

The dance of death → Books → Copenhagen's Dance of Death → Part 19