Cite as: Katrina Attwood (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Leiðarvísan 40’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 174.

Kostum allir æsta oss at helgum krossi kœnir menn, sem kunnum, Krist eilífrar vistar.

Staðr es ǫllum œðri — óttalaus með dróttni þjóð lifir glǫð, sús gœði* getr — munligri ok betri.

Allir kœnir menn, sem kunnum, kostum æsta Krist oss eilífrar vistar at helgum krossi. Staðr es ǫllum œðri, munligri ok betri; glǫð þjóð, sús getr gœði*, lifir óttalaus með dróttni.

Let all wise men, as we are able, strive to ask Christ for an eternal abode for ourselves beside the holy Cross. That place is higher, more desirable and better than all; the happy [group of] people that obtains good things will live fearlessly with the Lord.

Mss: B(11r), 399a-bˣ

Readings: [7] gœði*: ‘gędir’ B, 399a‑bˣ

Editions: Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XII], G [2]. Leiðarvísan 40: AI, 625, BI, 632, Skald I, 307, NN §1269; Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 68-9, Rydberg 1907, 10, Attwood 1996a, 70, 180.

Notes: [5-8]: Several interpretations of this helmingr are possible. The one favoured here assumes l. 5 staðr es ǫllum œðri ‘the place is higher than all’ to refer back to the first helmingr, in which the poet advocates that humans seek a place in heaven beside the holy Cross; munligri ok betri ‘more desirable and better’ (l. 8) qualify staðr (l. 5). The remainder of the helmingr may then be understood as an intercalary sentence. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) takes með dróttni ‘with the Lord’ (l. 6) as qualifying staðr ‘place’ (l. 5) and óttalauss ‘fearless’ (l. 6) as part of the intercalary cl., qualifying þjóð lifir ‘the people live’ (l. 7). He construes staðr með dróttni es ǫllum æðri, munnligri ok betri; glǫð þjóð … lifir óttalaus ‘A place with the Lord is higher, more pleasant and better than all others; the happy people … lives without fear’. Kock (NN §1269) agrees with Finnur’s understanding of með dróttni and promotes óttalaus, emended to óttalauss to agree with staðr, to the main cl., construing staðr óttalauss með dróttni ‘a fearless place with the Lord’. — [6] óttalaus með dróttni: The identical l. occurs at 41/8, while 13/6 reads óttalaust ok lið dróttni. Cf. the strikingly similar óttalaus fyr dróttni in Has 32/4. — [7] gœði* ‘good things’: Sveinbjörn’s emendation (1844, 69 n. 23) has been adopted by all subsequent eds.