Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 119’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 431.
Blót né fórnir þarf eigi til batnaðar at hafa
fyrir afgerðir ýta;
heimskr er sá, er ætlar sér til hjálpar,
þótt hann sæfi smala,
þvít eins guðs elska ok aldyggvir siðir
bæta um gervan glæp.
Þarf eigi at hafa blót né fórnir til batnaðar fyrir afgerðir ýta; sá er heimskr, er ætlar sér til hjálpar, þótt hann sæfi smala, þvít eins guðs elska ok aldyggvir siðir bæta um gervan glæp.
‘It is not necessary to have sacrifices nor offerings as atonement for men’s transgressions; he is foolish who thinks it is a help for him when he sacrifices [small] livestock, because the one God’s love and very trustworthy morals compensate for a misdeed performed.’
Lat. parallel: (Dist. IV, 14) Cum sis ipse nocens, moritur cur victima pro te? / stultitia est morte alterius sperare salutem ‘When you yourself are a killer, why should the victim die for you? It is foolishness to hope for salvation from the death of another’. — [7-9]: The extra 3 ll. have perhaps been added from a lost st. or from a commentary in a schoolbook. It is also possible that the redactor’s intention was to give the st. a more Christian touch, since the first six ll. deal with heathen sacrifices. The reading eins ‘the one’ in l. 7 is added from 720 a IV, 723aˣ to make the l. metrical.
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
Blót né fórnir
þarf eigi til batnaðar at hafa
fyrir afgerðir ýta;
heimskr er sá,
er ætlar sér til hjálpar,
þótt hann sæfi smala,
þvít guðs elska
ok aldyggvir siðir
bæta um gervan grun.
Blot nie forner þarf ei til batnadar ad hafa fyrer afgiorder ita. Heimskur er sa er | ætlar sier til hiälpar þo hann sæfi smala. þuiad ɢuds Elska og aldigguer sider | bæta um giórvann grun.
(VEÞ)
Blót né fórnir
þarf eigi til batnaðar at hafa
fyrir ýta afgerðir ;
heimskr er sá,
er ætlar sér til sálubótar,
þótt hann sæfi smala,
þvít eins guðs elska
ok aldyggvir siðir
bæta um gervan glæp.
Blot níe forner þarf ey thil batnadar ath hafa | firir yta af giorder. heímskuur er sꜳ er ættllar ser | thil sꜳlubőtar þő hann Sæfi smala· þuiath | eins Gudz elska ok alldygguer sider bæta wmm // gioruan glæp
(TW)
Blót ok fórnir
þarf eigi til batnaðar at hafa
fyrir ýta afgerðir ;
sá er ofheimskr ,
sem ætlar †[...]† †[...]älu böt†,
þótt hann sæfi smala,
þvít eins guðs elska
ok aldyggvir †[...]ta[...]†
gervan glæp.
Blöt og förner þarf ei til batnadar (ad hafa) | fyrer yta afgiórder, sä er ofheimskur sem ætlar | [...]älu böt, þö hann sæfe smala.|| þui eins Guds elska og aldyggver [...]ta[...]| giórvann glæp.
(TW)
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 118: AII, 191, BII, 205, Skald II, 107; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 28, 34, Gering 1907, 32, Tuvestrand 1977, 137, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 111.
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