The Wendish Research Exchange

B. 011. Seven Years of Compensation

mersiowsky - 11-28-2014 at 10:37 AM

(From Anton and others of Jessen)
Translated by Joel R. Meador

A boy has served his master seven years,
Has served him seven years,
Through every ache and pain!
And it has even gone into the eighth year.

Then the boy decided to get married,
Then the boy decided to get married,
Through every ache and pain!
Then the master began to get angry with him.

‘Oh, master, do you want to get angry with me,
Oh, master, do you want to get angry with me,
Through every ache and pain!
Really I want to create an opportunity for you.’

‘You pay me for my old wages,
You pay me for my old wages,
Through every ache and pain!
And I’ll truly work off my debt to you.’

“You have faithfully worked off your debt to me,
You have faithfully worked off your debt to me,
Through every ache and pain!
I also want to truly pay it back.”

“I have found four brown horses standing there in the stable,
I have found four brown horses standing there in the stable,
Through every ache and pain!
Choose one of them for yourself, whichever you would like.”

The boy saddled the little horse himself
The boy saddled the little horse himself
Through every ache and pain!
The girl strapped down the load for him.

The boy placed himself on a new horse,
The boy placed himself on a new horse,
Through every ache and pain!
He rode upon it out from the stable.

Look! His sweetheart walks to him,
Look! His sweetheart walks to him,
Through every ache and pain!
Wearing a diamond shaped wreath.

She cries so bitterly, so miserably,
She cries so bitterly, so miserably,
Through every ache and pain!
She proceeded to wring her white hands together.

“’Wait only a moment, my love,
Wait only a moment, my love,
Through every ache and pain!
I want to give you my wreath.’”

“Your wreath, I will wait on it,
Your wreath, I will wait on it,
Through every ache and pain!
But I will not say a word to you.”

“Many people are around us here,
Many people are around us here,
Through every ache and pain!
Fear me before betrayal.”

“The little castle shimmers there in red light,
The little castle shimmers there in red light,
Through every ache and pain!
There we are both brought up.”

“Death is the father, the mother mine,
Death is the father, the mother mine,
Through every ache and pain!
And the feast is past.”



Attachment: Seven Years of Compensation.mp3 (1MB)
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