Ihr Nymphen, die ihr hier den frischen Jüngling schaut,
Wünscht ihr vieleicht durch ihn zu heißen Jungfer Braut?
Umsonst; die Rechnung wird euch mit einander trügen,
Ich werd ihn in der That, ihr in Gedanken, kriegen.
XLIV. Death to the Young Man.
Ye maids, that lov'd this sprightly youth,
Are disappointed, that's the truth;
Your wishes, fair, were all in vain;
He's mine, and I'll my right maintain.
Der Jüngling zum Tode.
So soll ich an den Tanz? Wer hätte das gedacht?
Ich, der ich manches Schloß doch in die Luft gemacht?
Nun wird mein Hoffnungsbau frühzeitig eingerissen,
Ich wollte bald die Braut, und muß die Mutter küssen.
XLV. The Young Man's answer.
Pray, Mr. Death, I'm young and gay,
The time of life for sport and play;
Indeed, I think you're full too soon,
To stop me in my course at noon;
My pleasing hopes and lofty schemes
Must all dissolve in idle dreams;
No bride to clasp within my arms,
And softly soothe me with her charms.
Grim Death commands, I must obey,
And mingle quick with parent clay.
Ich halte wie die Welt, von Complimenten nicht.
Muß heißt mein hartes Wort, das Stahl und Eisen bricht.
Und warum wollt ihr mir den letzten Gang versagen?
Die Jungfern pflegen sonst kein Tänzchen abzuschlagen.
XLVI. Death to the Maiden.
Come, pretty maid, and dance with me,
I use no compliments, you see;
I say, I hate your complaisance,
So once more come with me and dance;
I've chose you for my partner, miss;
Nay, be not so surpriz'd at this,
I do not always love old age,
You'll make some figure on my stage.
Die Jungfrau zum Tode.
Ich folge weil ich muß, und tanze wie ich kann.
Ihr Schwestern wählet euch bey Zeiten einen Mann,
So reichet ihr die Faust dem Bräutigam im Leben,
Die ich dem Tode muß, doch halbgezwungen, geben.
XLVII: The Maiden's answer.
Since I must go, O sisters dear,
Choose you a partner, for fear
This grim-ey'd monster, when I die,
Should like more of our family:
For sure I think it much amiss,
To give to him my virgin kiss.
Nimm, zarter Säugling, an den frühen Sensenschlag,
Und schlaf hernach vergnügt, bis an den jüngsten Tag.
Wohl dem, der zeitig fällt in meine dürren Hände;
So krönt den Anfang schon ein hochbeglücktes Ende.
XLVIII. Death to the Infant:
Thus, tender suckling, I must give
The untimely stroke, no longer live;
Sleep undisturb'd till the last day,
When Christ shall change thy mass of clay,
Like his most glorious body dear,
Give thee a heavenly crown to wear:
Ah ! happy they beyond expression,
Who've paradise for their possession.
Das Wiegenkind
Weinen ist meine erste Stimme
Mit Weinen war ich gebohren.
Mit Weinen trägt man mich wieder dahin,
Den Würmern zur Speis erkohren.
XLIX. The Infant's answer.
Crying, indeed, was my first voice,
But now I've cause for to rejoice;
Bear me, ye angels, to my God,
I've 'scap'd both sin, death, hell, and rod.(1)
Anno 1701 im May
The English translations are those of Thomas Nugent.
Nugent adds to more dancers: the dancing-master and the fencing-master.
The maid by Milde. Death holds up the false sleeve.
The maid by Suhl. The false sleeve floats in the air
On this last engraving, Suhl deviates in several ways from the painting.
Firstly because Death to left of the young man has his arm behind the young man's arm,
and secondly because the cradle doesn't have any rockers.
Compare with Milde's version.
For the longest time I thought the maid wore a long stick on her head with
some sort of red pompon at the end (picture to the left).
Ludewig Suhl shows clearly that the hair is adorned by some sort of feather,
which in no way touches the false sleeve that Death is holding up.
As the picture shows, false sleeves (German: Zierärmel / Scheinärmel)
can be quite long and attached to the back.
On the other hand, Suhl forgets to draw Death's arm, so
the false sleeve is hanging suspended in the air for no obvious reason.
Suhl lets the child have the last word.
The child didn't have any speech on the painting.
The books add a short verse to the baby:
"Weinen ist meine erste Stimme […]",
which is a quote from The Wisdom of Solomon 7:3,
"And when I was born, I drew in the common air, and
fell upon the earth,
which is of like nature, and the first voice which I uttered was crying, as
all others do".
The verse must have been invented by Suhl,
because the silent infant didn't have any reply
on the painting (picture to the right).
Footnotes:
(1)
sin, death, hell, and rod.....: Smart kid! It seems like he's
quoting Proverbs 23:13-14,
"Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
".
The dance of death
Lübeck