Copenhagen's Dance of Death, Part 34

The Student

Døden Suarer.

Læg nu aff din Baccalaurie(1) hette
I min borg vil ieg dig sette

Døden til Bonen

Tidicke Bonne, kom met en hast

huem ieg for fat dem holder ieg fast
haffuer du fryctit Gud, oc hafft ham kær
Oc elsket(2) din Ieffnchristen fiern oc nær
Da kand dig icke skade ith stycke
Aff denne Verden wil ieg dig rycke

Bonden Suarer

The peasant

Death Answers.

Now lay off your Baccalaurie(1) hood
I will seat you in my castle.

Death to the Peasant

Tidicke, Peasant, come along in a haste

whom I catch, those I hold fast.
Have you feared God, and held him dear,
and loved(2) your fellow Chrisitian far and near
then can [nothing] hurt you a bit.
I will snatch you from this world.

The Peasant Answers

The Student The Peasant Click the little pictures to see the original pages. Notice, that the student is the only one who hasn't got a hilly landscape behind the wall.

Tytke Druckeworst
Henselyn

The name of the peasant is Tidicke — In Des Dodes Dantz and Dodendantz he is called Tytke. The name is a diminutive of the same name as German Dietrich and Tidemann.

The same woodcut was also used in the book Henselyns boek from ca. 1498, where the peasant was called "Tytke drucke worst", »Tytke Druckeworst is myn name / Der olden kledynge ik my nicht enscame«, presumably as a reference to the comical figure Hanswurst.

Footnotes: (1) (2)

Baccalaurie . . .: See the note about students on the previous page.
elsket / loved . . .: The text says "elske" in present tense, but Meyer regards this as a typo. In Dødedantz it says "elskt".

Copenhagen's Dance of Death Dances of death Lübeck Books Copenhagen's Dance of Death Part 34