Copenhagen's Dance of Death, Part 35

	Eya, Zounds(1), am I to die now I still intend to harvest both corn and hay and then make something useful of it, which I will sell in Copenhagen I have at home so lovely a daughter. She is as white as any gipsy(3). Her wedding I would like to arrange before they should carry me dead from my door. My wife is so honest a woman with perfection she can weave and spin. Am I to leave her so soon? It bites very hard in my heart. I have much pain in my guts my fish are already hot(4) Death answers. Think now neither of wife nor child you must immediately go into my net Death to the rider(5) Du Rytter woldest gerne iuncker heten(6) Dantze vort, laet di nicht vordreten On this day I will fight with you you will be made a knight if you beat me.		I will no longer spare your haughtiness your proud words shall not save you. The rider answers. Vol vmme, wolheer mit lichten sinnen. de nicht enuogen, de kan nicht winnen(7)

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(1) Eya...: Exclamation of surprise.
Zounds...: You might check the page about God's wounds.

(3) as white as any gipsy: Irony. By the way: Life was very hard for gipsies in those days. The first rule of banishment was introduced in 1536. In 1554 it was made unlawful to give shelter to gipsies and they became outlawed so that anybody had a right to kill them and keep their possessions (according to an article in the Danish newspaper, Politiken).

(4) Hot fish: strange expression, but it must mean "it's no use, I'm finished". The Swedes still have a similar expression, "få sina fiskar varma", which means "get a beating" or "get into trouble".

(5) rider...: In Des dodes dantz he is called "hoveruter". Baethcke explains the word as a rider working at a prince's court or as a mounted warrior.

(6) These Low German lines are taken literally from Dodendantz and mean:

You rider would like to be called nobleman,
dance forth - don't let yourself be depressed.

(7) These Low German lines are taken literally from Dodendantz and mean:

Well then, well then, with an easy mind.
He, who doesn't dare, cannot win.

Lübeck's dance of death Manuscripts Copenhagen's Dance of Death Part 35