Anon (FoGT) 44III
Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Lausavísur, Stanzas from the Fourth Grammatical Treatise 44’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 622.
text and translation
Trúa lofar Ábráms ævi;
Ísách lofar vísan
ván; lofar Jácób* einum
ástsemd hugarfremdum.
Skýrr lofar Jóséphs ævi
órskurðr fyrirburða;
guðs lofar ætt og ævi
Áróns göfug þjónan.
Trúa lofar ævi Ábráms; ván lofar vísan Ísách; ástsemd lofar Jácób* einum hugarfremdum. Skýrr órskurðr fyrirburða lofar ævi Jóséphs; göfug þjónan guðs lofar ætt og ævi Áróns.
‘Faith praises Abraham’s life; hope praises wise Isaac; love praises Jacob for singular excellences of mind. A clear interpretation of omens praises the life of Joseph; the worthy service of God praises the kin and the life of Aaron.’
notes and context
Stanza 44 continues the theme of st. 43, praise for the virtues of Old Testament characters. Whereas those celebrated in st. 43 all come from the earlier chapters of Genesis, the first four mentioned in st. 44 come from this book’s later chapters: Abraham, his son Isaac, Jacob, son of Isaac, and Joseph, son of Jacob. The story of Aaron, brother of Moses, comes in Exodus, and looks forward to st. 45. Abraham is associated with faith because of his obedience to God, who required him to sacrifice his son Isaac; the latter symbolises hope, as the physical sacrifice was averted. The reference to ástsemd ‘love’ in l. 4 in connection with Jacob may allude to Jacob’s love for Rachel (Gen. XXVIII.15-30) and his working for her father for four years before he was able to obtain her for his wife. The reference to Joseph is clearly to his exile in Egypt and his ability to interpret prophetic dreams, principally those of the Egyptian Pharaoh, while the lines on Aaron allude to his role as the first high priest of the Hebrews, nicely balancing the reference to Shem in st. 43/7-8.
readings
sources
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.
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AM 242 fol (W) — 119/21 - 119/25
Trúa lofar Ábráms ævi;
images
Ísách lofar vísan
ván; lofar Jácóbs einum
ástsemd hugarfremdum.
Skýrr lofar Jóséphs ævi
órskurðr fyrirburða;
guðs lofar ætt og ævi
Áróns göfug þjónan.
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