Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Brúðkaupsvísur 31’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 551-2.
Máría, styrktu mig, dýr,
— mundu það göfugt sprund —
— mildi lýstu margföld
merki — til góðs verks,
svá að hreinsun hugar míns
hljóti eg með yfirbót
lasta; eru laun mest
ljóða fyrir kveðinn óð.
Dýr Máría, styrktu mig til góðs verks — mundu það, göfugt sprund; lýstu margföld merki mildi —, svá að eg hljóti hreinsun hugar míns með yfirbót lasta; laun ljóða eru mest fyrir kveðinn óð.
‘Precious Mary, assist me to [do] a good deed — remember that, noble woman; reveal the manifold signs of mercy —, so that I may get purification of my mind through atonement for sins; rewards for poems are greatest for a poem [that has been] recited.’
[7-8]: It is hard to make good sense of these ll. They seem to mean that a poet gets greater rewards for a composition that has actually been recited, rather than one that has been composed but not performed. In 32/3 the poet indicates that ‘the comfort of poems’ is a medium through which Mary helps him. There are two possible ways to construe the last couplet, and both have much the same meaning; either as presented in the Translation and Prose order above or: mest laun eru fyrir kveðinn ljóða óð ‘the greatest rewards are for a recited poetic song’.
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.
María styrktv mik dyr · mundu þat gaufvgt sprvnd · mílldi lystv margfavlld · merki tíl | gods verks · svo at hreinsvnn hvgar míns · hlíoti ek med yfir bot · lasta eru laun mest · lioda fyrir kvedínn ⸝⸝ȯd · |
(VEÞ)
Maria styrktv mig dyr | mvndv þat gavfvgt sprvnd | mílldi lystv margfavlld | merki til gods verks | svo at hreinsunn hvgar míns | hlíotí ek med yferbot | lasta erv lavn mest | lioda fyrir kvedr.. ȯd. |
(VEÞ)
Máría styrktu mik dýr | mundu þat go᷎fugt sprund | mildi lýstu margfo᷎ld | merki til góðs verks | svá at hreinsun hugar míns | hljóti ek með yfirbót | lasta eru laun mest | ljóða fyrir kvdr..óð |
(VEÞ)
Máría styrktu mik dýr, | mundu þat go᷎fugt sprund, | mildi lýstu margfo᷎ld | merki til góðs verks, | svá at hreinsun hugar míns | hljóti ek með yfirbót, | lasta eru laun mest | ljóða fyrir kvdi.. óð.
(VEÞ)
ÍM II, 135.
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