Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Brúðkaupsvísur 26’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 548.
‘Haltu, sem hefir mælt,
hvert orð, meðan lífs ert,
hirðir’, kvað happ-Njörðr,
‘hringa, við dróttning.
Betri mun þier vera vitr
— víst hyggjum það — Krist
— ástin hennar má mest —
móðir en hvert fljóð.’
‘Haltu hvert orð, sem hefir mælt við dróttning, meðan ert lífs, {hirðir hringa}’, kvað {happ-Njörðr}. ‘{Vitr móðir Krist} mun vera þier betri en hvert fljóð; ástin hennar má mest; hyggjum það víst.’
‘‘Keep every word that you have said to the queen while you are alive, keeper of rings [MAN]’ said the luck-Njörðr <god> [MAN]. ‘The wise mother of Christ [= Mary] will be kinder towards you than any woman; her love may achieve the most; we think that for certain.’’
Although the young man’s wedding party were presumably expecting the bishop to support them (st. 24), he evidently supports the young man’s devotion to the Virgin, even though he has denounced him as fickle (st. 25/3-4). The reason is not clear from the poem, but the D-version of the prose text explains that the young man is able to demonstrate to the bishop that he had betrothed himself to the Virgin Mary before he was betrothed to his human fiancée, even though his family did not know of his secret vow (Mar 1871, 120). The bishop then agrees that he should keep his original promise (heit) to Mary and live a chaste life.
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.
‘Haltu, sem hafði mælt,
†hvt† orð, meðan lífs ert,
hirðir’, kvað happ-Njörðr,
‘hringa, við dróttning.
Betri mun þier vera vitr
— víst hyggjum það — Krist
— ástin hennar má mest —
móðir en hvert fljóð.’
Halltv sem hafdi mællt hvt ord medan lífs ertt · hírdir kvad happ niordur · hringa vid drottning · | betri mvn þier vera vítur · víst hyggivm þat crist · astínn hennar ma̋ mest · modir en hvert flíod · |
(VEÞ)
‘Haltu, sem hafði mælt,
†hvt† orð, meðan lífs ert,
hirðir’, kvað happ-Njörðr,
‘hringa, við dróttning.
Betri mun þier vera vitr
— víst hyggjum það — Krist
— ástin hennar má mest —
móðir en hvert fljóð.’
Halltv sem hafdi mælt | hvt ord medan lífs ertt | hírder kvad happ niordvr | hringa vid drottning || betri mvn þier vera vítvr | víst hyggivm þat crist | astínn hennar ma̋ mest | mȯdir en hvert flíod. |
(VEÞ)
‘Haltu, sem hafðir mælt,
hvert orð, meðan lífs ert,
hirðir’, kvað happ-Njörðr,
‘hringa, við dróttning.
Betri mun þier vera vitr
— víst hyggjum það — Krist
— ástin hennar má mest —
móðir en hvert fljóð.’
Haltu sem hafði(r) mælt | hv(er)t orð meðan lífs ert | hirðir, kvað happnjo᷎rðr, | hrínga, við drottníng; | betri mun þꜵr vera vitr | víst hyggjum þat Krist, | ástin hennar má mest | móðir, en hvert fljóð. |
(VEÞ)
‘Haltu, sem hafðir mælt,
hvert orð, meðan lífs ert,
hirðir’, kvað happ-Njörðr,
‘hringa, við dróttning.
Betri mun þier vera vitr
— víst hyggjum það — Krist
— ástin hennar má mest —
móðir en hvert fljóð.’
Haltu sem hafðir mælt | hv(er)t orð meðan lífs ert, | hirðir, kvað happnjo᷎rðr, | hringa, við drottning; | betri mun þér vera vitr | víst hyggjum þat Krist, | ástin hennar má mest | móðir en hvert fljóð. |
(VEÞ)
ÍM II, 134.
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