George S. Tate (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Líknarbraut 13’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 244-5.
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vilja (verb): want, intend
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
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vitr (adj.): wise
[1-2] gæti* vitra hölda vegs (dat.) ‘guardian of the way of wise men’: The ms. has gen. -gætis for gæti ‘guardian’ (dat. sg.). All eds emend: Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 39 to nom. gætir (speculating in a note that the <s> may derive from misreading an abbreviation stroke in an earlier ms.); all others to dat. gæti. Two strained readings are possible if the ms. gen. were retained. 1) the kenning could modify meinlætum ‘tribulations’ (l. 2) (as the scribe may have assumed), giving ‘I would like to offer a high refrain to that ever-good one who met with the hard torments of the guardian of the way of wise men’ (i.e. redundantly ‘to Christ who suffered Christ’s torments’. 2) The kenning could modify stef ‘refrain’ (l. 4), i.e. ‘I would like to offer the sublime stef of the guardian of the way of wise men who suffered hard torments’. In this case, ‘the guardian of the way of wise men’ might refer to the Cross. Both readings seem unsatisfactory.
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hǫlðr (noun m.; °-s; -ar): man
[1-2] gæti* vitra hölda vegs (dat.) ‘guardian of the way of wise men’: The ms. has gen. -gætis for gæti ‘guardian’ (dat. sg.). All eds emend: Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 39 to nom. gætir (speculating in a note that the <s> may derive from misreading an abbreviation stroke in an earlier ms.); all others to dat. gæti. Two strained readings are possible if the ms. gen. were retained. 1) the kenning could modify meinlætum ‘tribulations’ (l. 2) (as the scribe may have assumed), giving ‘I would like to offer a high refrain to that ever-good one who met with the hard torments of the guardian of the way of wise men’ (i.e. redundantly ‘to Christ who suffered Christ’s torments’. 2) The kenning could modify stef ‘refrain’ (l. 4), i.e. ‘I would like to offer the sublime stef of the guardian of the way of wise men who suffered hard torments’. In this case, ‘the guardian of the way of wise men’ might refer to the Cross. Both readings seem unsatisfactory.
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1. vegr (noun m.; °-s/-ar, dat. -i/-; -ar/-ir, gen. -a/-na, acc. -a/-i/-u): way, path, side
[2] vegs gæti*: ‘vegsge᷎tiss’ B, 399a‑bˣ
[1-2] gæti* vitra hölda vegs (dat.) ‘guardian of the way of wise men’: The ms. has gen. -gætis for gæti ‘guardian’ (dat. sg.). All eds emend: Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 39 to nom. gætir (speculating in a note that the <s> may derive from misreading an abbreviation stroke in an earlier ms.); all others to dat. gæti. Two strained readings are possible if the ms. gen. were retained. 1) the kenning could modify meinlætum ‘tribulations’ (l. 2) (as the scribe may have assumed), giving ‘I would like to offer a high refrain to that ever-good one who met with the hard torments of the guardian of the way of wise men’ (i.e. redundantly ‘to Christ who suffered Christ’s torments’. 2) The kenning could modify stef ‘refrain’ (l. 4), i.e. ‘I would like to offer the sublime stef of the guardian of the way of wise men who suffered hard torments’. In this case, ‘the guardian of the way of wise men’ might refer to the Cross. Both readings seem unsatisfactory.
[1-2] gæti* vitra hölda vegs (dat.) ‘guardian of the way of wise men’: The ms. has gen. -gætis for gæti ‘guardian’ (dat. sg.). All eds emend: Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 39 to nom. gætir (speculating in a note that the <s> may derive from misreading an abbreviation stroke in an earlier ms.); all others to dat. gæti. Two strained readings are possible if the ms. gen. were retained. 1) the kenning could modify meinlætum ‘tribulations’ (l. 2) (as the scribe may have assumed), giving ‘I would like to offer a high refrain to that ever-good one who met with the hard torments of the guardian of the way of wise men’ (i.e. redundantly ‘to Christ who suffered Christ’s torments’. 2) The kenning could modify stef ‘refrain’ (l. 4), i.e. ‘I would like to offer the sublime stef of the guardian of the way of wise men who suffered hard torments’. In this case, ‘the guardian of the way of wise men’ might refer to the Cross. Both readings seem unsatisfactory.
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mein (noun n.; °-s; -): harm, injury < meinlæti (noun n.): suffering
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læti (noun n.; °; -, dat. látum/lǽtum): agony < meinlæti (noun n.): suffering
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3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
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harðr (adj.; °comp. -ari; superl. -astr): hard, harsh
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mega (verb): may, might
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hvar (adv.): where < hvargóðr (adj.)
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góðr (adj.): good < hvargóðr (adj.)
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stef (noun n.; °; -): refrain
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bjóða (verb; °býðr; bauð, buðu; boðinn (buð- Thom¹ 5²n.)): offer, order, invite
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Kristr (noun m.; °-s/-, dat. -i; -ar): Christ
[5] Krists: Kristr B, 399a‑bˣ
[5] Krists: Kristr in ms. B; all eds assume a scribal error (because of vinnr: i.e. Kristr vinnr krapt), repeated in subsequent incipits of the stef (17/5, 21/5, 25/5, 29/5).
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2. vinna (verb): perform, work
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1. kraftr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/- ; -ar): power
[5] krapt ‘power’: The word may have a richer theological connotation, for in the ON Elucidarium Lat. gratia ‘grace’ is sometimes translated as kraptr (Salvesen 1968, 42; cf. Walter 1976, 43).
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2. inn (art.): the
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hœgri (adj. comp.): higher, highest
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kross (noun m.; °-, dat. -i; -ar): cross, crucifix < krossmark (noun n.): sign of the cross
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mark (noun n.; °-s; *-): sign < krossmark (noun n.): sign of the cross
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1. viðr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-; -ir, acc. -u/-i): wood, tree
[6] viðum hnossa ‘trees of hammered ornament’: Hnoss (< hnjóða ‘to hammer’) as also used as determinant in 42/6 (hnossa brjótr ‘breaker of hammered ornament [GENEROUS MAN]’). On the theme of hammering see commentary to 16/7.
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1. hnoss (noun f.; °; -ir): treasure
[6] viðum hnossa ‘trees of hammered ornament’: Hnoss (< hnjóða ‘to hammer’) as also used as determinant in 42/6 (hnossa brjótr ‘breaker of hammered ornament [GENEROUS MAN]’). On the theme of hammering see commentary to 16/7.
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allr (adj.): all
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betri (adj. comp.; °superl. beztr/baztr; pos. góðr adj.): better, best
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lofa (verb): praise, permit
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œðri (adj. comp.): nobler, higher
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allr (adj.): all
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dýrð (noun f.; °-ar/-a(NoDipl(1279) 44²); -ir): glory
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
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2. fyrðr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -): man
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Having alluded to the Nativity in st. 12, the poet, as if present, now offers Christ a hátt stef ‘sublime refrain’ as a gift as he begins the refrain section (stefjabálkr). — [5]: A marginal ms. obelos (†) indicates occurrence of the stef here and at later occurrences.
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