Anon Mv III 8VII/7 — dug* ‘help’
Kvíðir við kvalanauð
klerkr fyrir mein sterk;
treysti hann á tígn Krists
trúandi ok biðr nú:
‘Nær vertu, mær, mier,
Máría, svá að liniz fár;
lát mig eigi — dug* drótt —
deyja hier, guðs mey.’
Klerkr kvíðir við kvalanauð fyrir sterk mein; trúandi treysti hann á tígn Krists ok biðr nú: ‘Vertu nær mier, mær Máría, svá að fár liniz; lát mig eigi deyja hier, mey guðs; dug* drótt.’
The cleric worries about torment-distress because of grievous sins; believing, he trusted in the honour of Christ and now prays: ‘Be near me, Virgin Mary, so that the danger subsides; do not let me die here, Virgin of God [= Mary]; help your followers.’
readings
[7] dug*: dugar 721
notes
[7] dug* drótt (imp.; f. dat. sg.) ‘help your followers’: The ms. has dugar (m. gen. sg.) ‘of courage, strength’. Drótt dugar ‘retinue, people, followers of courage, strength’ does not make any sense. Skj B emends to er dugar drótt, which is translated as som hjælper menneskene ‘who helps people’. However, the verb duga ‘help’ is a weak verb of class 4, and the 3rd pers. sg. pres. form is dugir (so Skald). See also st. 28/3-4 below (muntu duga dýru fólki ‘you will help precious people’). Wrightson retains dugar and notes that it is an unusual form of the pres. indic. She translates the phrase drótt dugar as ‘the company (of angels) will help’, which, aside from the problematic form dugar, makes little sense in the present context. For the imp. dug ‘help’ see ANG §538.4. Cf. Mar (1871, 605): þik bid ek hialpa mier ‘I ask you to help me’.