Magdeburg brennt [original spelling] [English translation]

What’s the use of walls and bastions,

citadels and cannons to the damsel1

While the rapist is pushing with sword and pike

because she let him wait for too long?

Pappenheim2 is digging trenches

and Wallenstein3 staring at the stars.

Lord, don’t be far

when Magdeburg burns.

A bloody wedding4 is being held

with more than twenty thousand men under arms.

Far away stays the Lion From The North5

now the damsel is made a whore!

Tilly6 is aproaching

and Wallenstein staring at the stars.

Lord, don’t be far

when Magdeburg burns.

The damsel is shuddering from black rain

made of hard iron with thousand strikes.

The Emperor’s7 servants are devastating the land,

setting her dress and hair on fire.

Soon the air is fiery, soon murky over and over

(s)he who does not scream now will stay silent forever.

The army is charging

and Wallenstein staring at the stars.

Lord have mercy on us!

Magdeburg is burning!

Certainly, since the massacre8 of Jerusalem there

has no more dreadful work and punishment of God been seen.

All our soldiers have become rich. God be with us.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdeburg2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Heinrich_Graf_zu_Pappenheim3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_von_Wallenstein4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Magdeburg5. literally: Lion from Midnight (meaning the cardinal direction, where the sun stands at midnight), referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustavus_Adolphus_of_Sweden6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Tserclaes,_Count_of_Tilly7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_II,_Holy_Roman_Emperor8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade#Siege_of_Jerusalem

• Artist:Helrunar
• Album:Niederkunfft (2015)