Katrina Attwood (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Leiðarvísan 34’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 170-1.
Slœm skalk upp af aumu
— eru stef liðin — hefja,
mætr ef mér vil láta
málfinni goð vinnask.
Styrk ávalt til verka,
vegs gnóttar, mik, dróttinn;
verðk at engu orði
einhlítr, nema goð beini.
Skalk hefja upp slœm af aumu, ef mætr goð vil láta málfinni vinnask mér; stef eru liðin. {Dróttinn gnóttar vegs}, styrk mik ávalt til verka; verðk einhlítr at engu orði, nema goð beini.
‘I will begin a conclusion from a state of wretchedness, if glorious God will grant that eloquence be achieved for me; the refrains are complete. Lord of the abundance of glory [= God], assist me always in [the composition of] poems; I will be fully sufficient for not one word, unless God helps [me].’
St. 34 begins the slœmr or concluding section of the poem, as the poet says. As befits a Christian skald whose inspiration comes from God alone, the Leið poet introduces a modesty topos disclaiming poetic proficiency, unless God helps him. Cf. Mgr 3/5-6 with ll. 7-8.
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
Slœm skalk upp af aumu
— eru stef liðin — †[...]fia†,
mætr ef mér vil láta
málfinni goð vinnask.
Styrk ávalt til verka,
†[...]e[...]s[...]ottar† , mik, dróttinn;
verðk at engu orði
einhlítr, nema goð beini.
Slęm skal ek upp af aumu eru | stef liden …fia mętr ef mer vill láta malfinne gud vínnaz stýrktu auallt til uerka | …e…s…ottar mik drottinn …erd ek at o᷎nngu orde eín hlítr nema gud beíne.
(TW)
Slœm skalk upp af aumu
— eru stef liðin — †hefur†,
mætr ef mér vil láta
málfinni goð vinnask.
Styrk ávalt til verka,
vegs gnóttar, mik, dróttinn;
verðk at engu orði
einhlítr, nema goð beini.
Slœm skalk upp af aumu
— eru stef liðin — hefja,
mætr ef mér vil láta
málfinni goð vinnask.
Styrk ávalt til verka,
vegsnóttar , mik, dróttinn;
verðk at engu orði
einhlítr, nema goð beini.
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XII], G [2]. Leiðarvísan 34: AI, 624, BI, 630-1, Skald I, 306; Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 67, Rydberg 1907, 9, Attwood 1996a, 69, 179.
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