Cite as: Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Vitnisvísur af Máríu 9’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 746.

Leið um langar tíðir; lundr fór burt frá sprundi auðs, því að arfrinn fríði, alsæmdr, honum tæmdiz.

Burgeis var hann í borgum brátt og nógligt átti gull, en guðvefs þellu gleymdi hann nú með eymdum.

Leið um langar tíðir; {alsæmdr lundr auðs} fór burt frá sprundi, því að arfrinn fríði tæmdiz honum. Hann var brátt burgeis í borgum og átti nógligt gull, en {þellu guðvefs} gleymdi hann nú með eymdum.

Long times passed; {the very honourable tree of wealth} [MAN] went away from the woman because a [lit. the] fair inheritance was allotted him. He was soon a citizen in the cities and owned plenty of gold, but {the fir of precious cloth} [WOMAN] he now forgot miserably [lit. with miseries].

Mss: 713(84), 721(12r)

Readings: [1] Leið: ‘[...]eið’ 721    [8] nú: þá 721

Editions: Skj: [Anonyme digte og vers XIV], [B. 3]. Vitnisvísur af Maríu 9: AII, 484, BII, 521-2, Skald II, 286; Kahle 1898, 51, Sperber 1911, 25, Wrightson 2001, 31.

Notes: [1] leið (3rd pers. sg. pret. indic.) ‘passed’: The verb is used impersonally with langar tíðir ‘long times’ in the acc. Cf. Mar (1871, 299): Liða nv timar ‘Now times pass’. — [4] alsæmdr (m. nom. sg.) ‘the very honourable’: This adj. could technically also modify arfrinn fríði ‘a fair inheritance’, but it is better applied to the man (lundr auðs ‘the tree of wealth’, ll. 2, 3) as an honorific attributive used in an ironic manner (cf. his less than honourable behaviour described in the second helmingr). — [5] burgeis ‘citizen’: This is a late loanword from ME burgeis ‘citizen’ (< OFr bourgeois < MLat burgensis; see AEW: burgeis). Mar (1871, 1053) defines this social status as follows: einn burgeis eda rikazti gardzbondi var hann af ollum kalladr ‘he was called a citizen or the most powerful house-owner by everyone’. See also Fritzner: burgeis. — [5, 8] hann ... hann ‘he ... he’: Both pronouns are extrametrical, but because the metre is so irregular, the ms. readings have been retained here and elsewhere.