Jim - I'd rather like to tell is a nearly verbal translation, but it seems to me a little bit wooden, too.
Reconsidering the verse and its opponents lie vs. truth I think one could say " The huntsman is my good man should be the truth to tell".
Can it stand so, or must it be should be the truth to be told? In this case I have the next the problem.

MMario - thanks for your work. Italics are a good idea I took over immediately.

To thank you for your help I left a committee last evening prematurely and worked out the tune which you can see now here

Wilfried