Katrina Attwood (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Heilags anda drápa 13’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 463-4.
(not checked:)
þinn (pron.; °f. þín, n. þitt): your
(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
(not checked:)
1. salr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; dat. sǫlum): hall < salkonungr (noun m.): hall-king
[1, 3, 4] hreinn fingr hægri handar sólar salkonungs ‘pure finger of the right hand of the king of the hall of the sun [SKY/HEAVEN > = God]’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends to salkonungr ‘hall-king’ (nom. sg.) (l. 1), taking the st. as an apostrophe to the first person of the Trinity. He construes Sólar salkonungr, þinn hreinn fingr hægri handar er frami gipta sjauskiptr ‘King of the hall of the sun, the pure finger of your right hand is the sevenfold distinction of good fortunes’. The Lat. here, as elsewhere, is vocative, and B’s text can be retained as a straightforward calque on dextrae Dei tu digitus. The God-kenning salkonungr sólar ‘king of the hall of the sun’ recurs in Leið 25/7, and is probably modelled on salkonungr himna ‘king of the hall of the heavens’ in Geisl 66/6 (see Note on Leið 13/5-8).
(not checked:)
1. salr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -; dat. sǫlum): hall < salkonungr (noun m.): hall-king
[1, 3, 4] hreinn fingr hægri handar sólar salkonungs ‘pure finger of the right hand of the king of the hall of the sun [SKY/HEAVEN > = God]’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends to salkonungr ‘hall-king’ (nom. sg.) (l. 1), taking the st. as an apostrophe to the first person of the Trinity. He construes Sólar salkonungr, þinn hreinn fingr hægri handar er frami gipta sjauskiptr ‘King of the hall of the sun, the pure finger of your right hand is the sevenfold distinction of good fortunes’. The Lat. here, as elsewhere, is vocative, and B’s text can be retained as a straightforward calque on dextrae Dei tu digitus. The God-kenning salkonungr sólar ‘king of the hall of the sun’ recurs in Leið 25/7, and is probably modelled on salkonungr himna ‘king of the hall of the heavens’ in Geisl 66/6 (see Note on Leið 13/5-8).
(not checked:)
konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king < salkonungr (noun m.): hall-king
[1, 3, 4] hreinn fingr hægri handar sólar salkonungs ‘pure finger of the right hand of the king of the hall of the sun [SKY/HEAVEN > = God]’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends to salkonungr ‘hall-king’ (nom. sg.) (l. 1), taking the st. as an apostrophe to the first person of the Trinity. He construes Sólar salkonungr, þinn hreinn fingr hægri handar er frami gipta sjauskiptr ‘King of the hall of the sun, the pure finger of your right hand is the sevenfold distinction of good fortunes’. The Lat. here, as elsewhere, is vocative, and B’s text can be retained as a straightforward calque on dextrae Dei tu digitus. The God-kenning salkonungr sólar ‘king of the hall of the sun’ recurs in Leið 25/7, and is probably modelled on salkonungr himna ‘king of the hall of the heavens’ in Geisl 66/6 (see Note on Leið 13/5-8).
(not checked:)
sól (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): sun
[1, 3, 4] hreinn fingr hægri handar sólar salkonungs ‘pure finger of the right hand of the king of the hall of the sun [SKY/HEAVEN > = God]’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends to salkonungr ‘hall-king’ (nom. sg.) (l. 1), taking the st. as an apostrophe to the first person of the Trinity. He construes Sólar salkonungr, þinn hreinn fingr hægri handar er frami gipta sjauskiptr ‘King of the hall of the sun, the pure finger of your right hand is the sevenfold distinction of good fortunes’. The Lat. here, as elsewhere, is vocative, and B’s text can be retained as a straightforward calque on dextrae Dei tu digitus. The God-kenning salkonungr sólar ‘king of the hall of the sun’ recurs in Leið 25/7, and is probably modelled on salkonungr himna ‘king of the hall of the heavens’ in Geisl 66/6 (see Note on Leið 13/5-8).
(not checked:)
sól (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): sun
[1, 3, 4] hreinn fingr hægri handar sólar salkonungs ‘pure finger of the right hand of the king of the hall of the sun [SKY/HEAVEN > = God]’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends to salkonungr ‘hall-king’ (nom. sg.) (l. 1), taking the st. as an apostrophe to the first person of the Trinity. He construes Sólar salkonungr, þinn hreinn fingr hægri handar er frami gipta sjauskiptr ‘King of the hall of the sun, the pure finger of your right hand is the sevenfold distinction of good fortunes’. The Lat. here, as elsewhere, is vocative, and B’s text can be retained as a straightforward calque on dextrae Dei tu digitus. The God-kenning salkonungr sólar ‘king of the hall of the sun’ recurs in Leið 25/7, and is probably modelled on salkonungr himna ‘king of the hall of the heavens’ in Geisl 66/6 (see Note on Leið 13/5-8).
(not checked:)
sjau (num. cardinal): seven < sjauskiptr (adj./verb p.p.)
(not checked:)
-skiptr (adj.): [fold] < sjauskiptr (adj./verb p.p.)
(not checked:)
frami (noun m.): success
(not checked:)
gift (noun f.): gift
(not checked:)
vanda (verb): fashion, execute
[3, 4] bragar greinir vandask ‘the poem’s branches are elaborately crafted’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) interprets this cl. in a negative sense, as a reflection of the poet’s concern about the difficulties of reconciling the skaldic medium to complex latinate poetic figures. Finnur glosses digtet bliver nu vanskeligt ‘now the poem is becoming difficult’. This involves taking vandask as 3rd pers. pl. pres. sg. m.v. of vanda, used reflexively, meaning ‘to become difficult, precarious’ (Fritzner: vandast 5). Vanda can also mean ‘to work elaborately, to take pains over’ (Fritzner: vanda 3), however, so it is also possible to interpret the phrase as a boast about the poet’s craftsmanship, and that is the sense adopted here.
(not checked:)
hœgri (adj. comp.): higher, highest
[1, 3, 4] hreinn fingr hægri handar sólar salkonungs ‘pure finger of the right hand of the king of the hall of the sun [SKY/HEAVEN > = God]’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends to salkonungr ‘hall-king’ (nom. sg.) (l. 1), taking the st. as an apostrophe to the first person of the Trinity. He construes Sólar salkonungr, þinn hreinn fingr hægri handar er frami gipta sjauskiptr ‘King of the hall of the sun, the pure finger of your right hand is the sevenfold distinction of good fortunes’. The Lat. here, as elsewhere, is vocative, and B’s text can be retained as a straightforward calque on dextrae Dei tu digitus. The God-kenning salkonungr sólar ‘king of the hall of the sun’ recurs in Leið 25/7, and is probably modelled on salkonungr himna ‘king of the hall of the heavens’ in Geisl 66/6 (see Note on Leið 13/5-8).
(not checked:)
hǫnd (noun f.; °handar, dat. hendi; hendr (hendir StatPáll³ 752¹²)): hand
[1, 3, 4] hreinn fingr hægri handar sólar salkonungs ‘pure finger of the right hand of the king of the hall of the sun [SKY/HEAVEN > = God]’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends to salkonungr ‘hall-king’ (nom. sg.) (l. 1), taking the st. as an apostrophe to the first person of the Trinity. He construes Sólar salkonungr, þinn hreinn fingr hægri handar er frami gipta sjauskiptr ‘King of the hall of the sun, the pure finger of your right hand is the sevenfold distinction of good fortunes’. The Lat. here, as elsewhere, is vocative, and B’s text can be retained as a straightforward calque on dextrae Dei tu digitus. The God-kenning salkonungr sólar ‘king of the hall of the sun’ recurs in Leið 25/7, and is probably modelled on salkonungr himna ‘king of the hall of the heavens’ in Geisl 66/6 (see Note on Leið 13/5-8).
(not checked:)
2. hreinn (adj.; °compar. hreinari/hreinni, superl. hreinastr/hreinstr): pure
[1, 3, 4] hreinn fingr hægri handar sólar salkonungs ‘pure finger of the right hand of the king of the hall of the sun [SKY/HEAVEN > = God]’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends to salkonungr ‘hall-king’ (nom. sg.) (l. 1), taking the st. as an apostrophe to the first person of the Trinity. He construes Sólar salkonungr, þinn hreinn fingr hægri handar er frami gipta sjauskiptr ‘King of the hall of the sun, the pure finger of your right hand is the sevenfold distinction of good fortunes’. The Lat. here, as elsewhere, is vocative, and B’s text can be retained as a straightforward calque on dextrae Dei tu digitus. The God-kenning salkonungr sólar ‘king of the hall of the sun’ recurs in Leið 25/7, and is probably modelled on salkonungr himna ‘king of the hall of the heavens’ in Geisl 66/6 (see Note on Leið 13/5-8).
(not checked:)
1. fingr (noun m.; °fingrs/fingrar, dat. fingri; fingr, acc. fingr): finger
[1, 3, 4] hreinn fingr hægri handar sólar salkonungs ‘pure finger of the right hand of the king of the hall of the sun [SKY/HEAVEN > = God]’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends to salkonungr ‘hall-king’ (nom. sg.) (l. 1), taking the st. as an apostrophe to the first person of the Trinity. He construes Sólar salkonungr, þinn hreinn fingr hægri handar er frami gipta sjauskiptr ‘King of the hall of the sun, the pure finger of your right hand is the sevenfold distinction of good fortunes’. The Lat. here, as elsewhere, is vocative, and B’s text can be retained as a straightforward calque on dextrae Dei tu digitus. The God-kenning salkonungr sólar ‘king of the hall of the sun’ recurs in Leið 25/7, and is probably modelled on salkonungr himna ‘king of the hall of the heavens’ in Geisl 66/6 (see Note on Leið 13/5-8).
(not checked:)
bragr (noun m.; °-ar): poem, poetry
[3, 4] bragar greinir vandask ‘the poem’s branches are elaborately crafted’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) interprets this cl. in a negative sense, as a reflection of the poet’s concern about the difficulties of reconciling the skaldic medium to complex latinate poetic figures. Finnur glosses digtet bliver nu vanskeligt ‘now the poem is becoming difficult’. This involves taking vandask as 3rd pers. pl. pres. sg. m.v. of vanda, used reflexively, meaning ‘to become difficult, precarious’ (Fritzner: vandast 5). Vanda can also mean ‘to work elaborately, to take pains over’ (Fritzner: vanda 3), however, so it is also possible to interpret the phrase as a boast about the poet’s craftsmanship, and that is the sense adopted here.
(not checked:)
grein (noun f.): reason, period, branch
[3, 4] bragar greinir vandask ‘the poem’s branches are elaborately crafted’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) interprets this cl. in a negative sense, as a reflection of the poet’s concern about the difficulties of reconciling the skaldic medium to complex latinate poetic figures. Finnur glosses digtet bliver nu vanskeligt ‘now the poem is becoming difficult’. This involves taking vandask as 3rd pers. pl. pres. sg. m.v. of vanda, used reflexively, meaning ‘to become difficult, precarious’ (Fritzner: vandast 5). Vanda can also mean ‘to work elaborately, to take pains over’ (Fritzner: vanda 3), however, so it is also possible to interpret the phrase as a boast about the poet’s craftsmanship, and that is the sense adopted here.
(not checked:)
prýða (verb): adorn
(not checked:)
1. rausn (noun f.): magnificence
(not checked:)
1. rœða (noun f.; °-u; -ur): story, tale, speech
(not checked:)
ríkr (adj.): mighty, powerful, rich
(not checked:)
andi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): spirit, soul
(not checked:)
þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
(not checked:)
4. líka (verb): please
(not checked:)
fyrir (prep.): for, before, because of < (unknown) (unclassified)
(not checked:)
tígna (verb): honour < (unknown) (unclassified)
(not checked:)
2. feginn (adj.; °compar. fegnari, superl. fegnastr): glad, happy
(not checked:)
faðir (noun m.): father
(not checked:)
kverk (noun f.; °; kverkr/-ar): throat
(not checked:)
meginn (adj.; °megnan; compar. megnari, superl. megnastr): strength < meginverk (noun n.)
(not checked:)
verk (noun n.; °-s; -): deed < meginverk (noun n.)
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Þinn er, salkonungs sólar, |
Pure finger of the right hand of the king of the hall of the sun [(lit. ‘the sun’s hall-king’) SKY/HEAVEN > = God], your distinction of grace [lit. good fortunes] is sevenfold; the poem’s branches are elaborately crafted. Powerful spirit, you adorn speeches of magnificence; proclaiming messenger of the Father, it pleases you to beautify throats with mighty works.
The Lat. text, of which this st. is a rendition, reads as follows: Tu septiformis munere, / dextrae Dei tu digitus, / tu rite promisso patris / sermone ditans guttura ‘You, with your sevenfold gift, you, finger of the right hand of God, you, duly according to the promise of the Father, enriching throats with speech’. — [5-8]: This helmingr is difficult. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B), while indicating his uncertainty, interpreted the four ll. thus.: rausnar-ríkr andi, fyrirtígnari fǫður kverkr, prýðir líkast ræður, fegnar þér, meginverkum ‘spirit powerful in magnificence, honourer of the Father’s throat (speech), ornaments in the best way the speeches, you rejoice in, with mighty works’. Aside from the considerable syntactic fragmentation this involves, there are problems of sense. Taking kverkr, gen. sg. of kverk, f. ‘throat’ with fǫður gen., to form the epithet fyrirtígnari fǫður kverkr ‘honourer of the father’s throat’ i.e. ‘honourer of the father’s word’ for the Holy Spirit runs contrary to the Lat. text, which indicates that the helmingr should refer to the Holy Spirit’s endowing the throats of human beings with speech. A reading that is much simpler syntactically, but which involves emending B’s ‘likaz’ (l. 6) to líkastr, sup. adj. m. nom. sg., to agree with andi, is provided by Kock (NN §2340 and Skald): here ll. 5-6 and 7-8 form two separate main clauses. The present edn retains B’s líkaz and emends fegnar (l. 7) to fegra* ‘to embellish, beautify’. This gives a close parallel to the Lat. sermone ditans guttura ‘enriching throats with speech’.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.