HISTORIE-LIED, Des getrouwigheyd van eenen Hond;

HISTORIE-LIED, Des getrouwigheyd van eenen Hond;

ten opzichte van eenen Soldaet den welken met eenen Randsel met geld uyt Spagnien kwam, en hoe ongelukkig hy aen zyne dood gekomen is

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Den Haag KB: 11 A 47. Nederlandse Liederenbank 

Van den bekeerden Zondaer

When the disasters are at their worst,
And the run of pain and pressure,
May a person comfort himself,
With forthcoming happiness
But when a person could live,
In happiness and great prosperity,
He may reasonably fear,
For misfortune or for death.
  A soldier of many battalions
(so the Gazette reports)
Came from Spain on his leave
With a soldier’s pack full of money,
Saved and gathered well,
By martial prowess, courage or sense,
Came this man in joy approaching
His beloved fatherland.
  He had taken a dog with him,
An animal loyal but very
Large of body, and [they] came
To an inn at nightfall
Where he was happy in his heart
To the people it pertained,
Without evil suspicion said,
That he brought with him a great treasure.
  The owner[1] brought him to silence,
And made the soldier understand,
That many a thief are
Nowadays along road and track,
Who could attack him,
The soldier said instantly,
I would defend myself,
With my loyal dog.
  Herewith he went onwards
About a quarter hour outside the city
He, by three murderers,
Was treacherously seized
They stabbed him in his heart,
That he fell dead upon the ground
Remark, this has now been proven,
The loyalty of a dog.
  Because the beast ripped one apart
Ferociously bit him in the throat
Dragging his body back and forth,
That he was choking on his blood,
That dog made a great tumult,
Threatened the other one with death too
Who instantly fled up a tree
Full of fear and greatly scared.
  [The dog] held on, howled, cried, and clawed,
Against the tree’s bark,
He frightened the murderers in their hearts,
He brought them into the highest diffidence
 

 
Whilst they were sitting upon that tree,
The dog howled with all its might,
The beast was rampageous
Which lasted all of the night.
   In the morning, four gendarmes came,
Saw the blood upon the ground,
When the murderers saw them,
Called kill that evil dog,
The gendarmes were a little tardy,
With attentive minds,
Saw the dog caressed them,
And showed them love and care.
   They followed this wondrous beast twenty steps,
Whereupon they discovered
The two dead bodies[2]
The blood was lying in puddles and places
They, astonished beyond measure,
Saw the dog lick the wounds,
Of his master, the soldier.
   They came to bind the murderers
Climbed down from the tree,
The dog wanted to devour them,
They brought them full of fright and diffidence
To Toulouse, what sad matters,
Spectators so many times,
Saw what people befell,
By the honourable tribunal.
   The dog delighted and flattered,
All the people, small and big,
If they led him to the murderers,
He became crazy and threatened death,
To those two villains, barbarians,
Disrupters of road and street,
The deterrent murderers
Of that native soldier.
   The judges were praised,
With a verdict rightly grounded,
Have sentenced them to death
By the proof of the dog
When they heard of their deaths
These two murderers, full of misery,
Before dying both
Confessed their evil deed.
   Remark here, angry, evil minded-people,
Remark here servant, maid, woman and man,
How God through the mute beasts,
Can uncover the murderers.
So too all other misdeeds,
Which are done in secret.
Let us from now on fear that evil
So that the virtue in us lasts.                         End.

murder

Translation notes:
1. ‘bazin’ is the female version of ‘owner’
2. In Dutch the word ‘ontgeest’ is used which literally means ‘de-spirited’ or ‘de-souled.’