ESk Geisl 9VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 9’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 14-15.
Yfirmanni ‘the superior’
(not checked:)
yfirmaðr (noun m.): superior
kennings
yfirmanni allrar alþýðu lærðra —‘the superior of the whole multitude of learned men — ’
= BISHOP
the whole multitude of learned men — → CLERICS
the superior of CLERICS → BISHOP
býð ‘I’
(not checked:)
bjóða (verb; °býðr; bauð, buðu; boðinn (buð- Thom¹ 5²n.)): offer, order, invite
k ‘ask’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
unnin ‘the finished’
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2. vinna (verb): perform, work
upp ‘up’
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upp (adv.): up
kominn ‘’
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koma (verb; kem, kom/kvam, kominn): come
s ‘is’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
mærð ‘poem’
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mærð (noun f.): praise
kominn ‘’
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koma (verb; kem, kom/kvam, kominn): come
borin ‘offered’
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3. bera (verb; °berr; bar, báru; borinn): bear, carry
[2] borin: kominn Bb
kalla ‘call’
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kalla (verb): call
kennings
yfirmanni allrar alþýðu lærðra —‘the superior of the whole multitude of learned men — ’
= BISHOP
the whole multitude of learned men — → CLERICS
the superior of CLERICS → BISHOP
kennings
yfirmanni allrar alþýðu lærðra —‘the superior of the whole multitude of learned men — ’
= BISHOP
the whole multitude of learned men — → CLERICS
the superior of CLERICS → BISHOP
ek ‘I’
(not checked:)
ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
Jóan ‘Jón’
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Jón (noun m.): John, Jón
notes
[3] svá kǫllum Jóan ‘thus we [I] call Jón’: The svá refers back to the elaborate kenning for bishop in ll. 1, 2, 3, 4, a compliment to the listening and recently consecrated first archbishop of Trondheim, Jón Birgisson.
notes
[3] svá kǫllum Jóan ‘thus we [I] call Jón’: The svá refers back to the elaborate kenning for bishop in ll. 1, 2, 3, 4, a compliment to the listening and recently consecrated first archbishop of Trondheim, Jón Birgisson.
ek ‘’
(not checked:)
ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
notes
[3] svá kǫllum Jóan ‘thus we [I] call Jón’: The svá refers back to the elaborate kenning for bishop in ll. 1, 2, 3, 4, a compliment to the listening and recently consecrated first archbishop of Trondheim, Jón Birgisson.
allrar ‘of the whole’
(not checked:)
allr (adj.): all
kennings
yfirmanni allrar alþýðu lærðra —‘the superior of the whole multitude of learned men — ’
= BISHOP
the whole multitude of learned men — → CLERICS
the superior of CLERICS → BISHOP
allrar ‘of the whole’
(not checked:)
allr (adj.): all
kennings
yfirmanni allrar alþýðu lærðra —‘the superior of the whole multitude of learned men — ’
= BISHOP
the whole multitude of learned men — → CLERICS
the superior of CLERICS → BISHOP
alþýðu ‘multitude’
(not checked:)
1. alþýða (noun f.; °-u): all the people
kennings
yfirmanni allrar alþýðu lærðra —‘the superior of the whole multitude of learned men — ’
= BISHOP
the whole multitude of learned men — → CLERICS
the superior of CLERICS → BISHOP
alþýðu ‘multitude’
(not checked:)
1. alþýða (noun f.; °-u): all the people
kennings
yfirmanni allrar alþýðu lærðra —‘the superior of the whole multitude of learned men — ’
= BISHOP
the whole multitude of learned men — → CLERICS
the superior of CLERICS → BISHOP
Hófum ‘’
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hefja (verb): lift, start
brag ‘the poetry’
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bragr (noun m.; °-ar): poem, poetry
hróðr ‘’
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hróðr (noun m.): encomium, praise
hlýða ‘to listen to’
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2. hlýða (verb): hear, listen; be able
notes
[5] hefjum hendr ‘we lift up hands’: The gesture was associated with prayer and would have been familiar from Scripture (Ps. XXVII.2, LXII.5, CXXXIII.3; Lam. III.41; 1 Tim. II.8). The psalmist’s formula appears in a l. from the widely-used matins hymn Rerum creator optime (AH 51, 28; Ordo Nidr., 185, 195, 198): Mentes manusque tollimus ‘We lift up our minds and our hands’. Liturgical books commonly use the rubric manus elevans. The Bb reading hróðr is adopted in Skj B and Skald, hence hefjum hróðr ... fagran ‘I begin my fine poem’ (ll. 5, 8)
hróðr ‘’
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hróðr (noun m.): encomium, praise
hendr ‘hands’
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hǫnd (noun f.; °handar, dat. hendi; hendr (hendir StatPáll³ 752¹²)): hand
[5] hendr: hróðr Bb
notes
[5] hefjum hendr ‘we lift up hands’: The gesture was associated with prayer and would have been familiar from Scripture (Ps. XXVII.2, LXII.5, CXXXIII.3; Lam. III.41; 1 Tim. II.8). The psalmist’s formula appears in a l. from the widely-used matins hymn Rerum creator optime (AH 51, 28; Ordo Nidr., 185, 195, 198): Mentes manusque tollimus ‘We lift up our minds and our hands’. Liturgical books commonly use the rubric manus elevans. The Bb reading hróðr is adopted in Skj B and Skald, hence hefjum hróðr ... fagran ‘I begin my fine poem’ (ll. 5, 8)
en ‘and’
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2. en (conj.): but, and
leyfa ‘to praise’
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leyfa (verb): permit; praise
hygg ‘I’
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2. hyggja (verb): think, consider
k ‘intend’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
vin ‘friend’
(not checked:)
vinr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -/(-i OsvReyk 92.17); -ir): friend
kennings
fagran vin tyggja rǫðuls;‘the beautiful friend of the king of the sun; ’
= Óláfr
the king of the sun; → God
the beautiful friend of GOD → Óláfr
notes
[6] vin tyggja rǫðuls ‘friend of the king of the sun [= God > = Óláfr]’: The kenning for Óláfr has associations with both the skaldic and Lat. traditions. The Scriptural amicus Dei ‘friend of God’ (Judith VIII.22; Wisd. VII.27; Jas. II.23), translated as guðs vinr ‘God’s friend’ in ON, became a commonplace in hagiography. In skaldic poetry it was customary to praise a jarl or lesser chieftain by calling him the close friend or confidant of a more powerful man (see Meissner, 362); here Einarr emphasises Óláfr’s closeness to God. Cf. spjalli lausnara ‘confidant of the Saviour’ (30/2) and vinr lausnara ‘friend of the Saviour’ (62/5, 7). The God-kenning tyggi rǫðuls ‘king of the sun’ echoes the sun-imagery of the preceding sts.
rǫðuls ‘of the sun’
(not checked:)
rǫðull (noun m.; °dat. rǫðli): heavenly body
kennings
fagran vin tyggja rǫðuls;‘the beautiful friend of the king of the sun; ’
= Óláfr
the king of the sun; → God
the beautiful friend of GOD → Óláfr
notes
[6] vin tyggja rǫðuls ‘friend of the king of the sun [= God > = Óláfr]’: The kenning for Óláfr has associations with both the skaldic and Lat. traditions. The Scriptural amicus Dei ‘friend of God’ (Judith VIII.22; Wisd. VII.27; Jas. II.23), translated as guðs vinr ‘God’s friend’ in ON, became a commonplace in hagiography. In skaldic poetry it was customary to praise a jarl or lesser chieftain by calling him the close friend or confidant of a more powerful man (see Meissner, 362); here Einarr emphasises Óláfr’s closeness to God. Cf. spjalli lausnara ‘confidant of the Saviour’ (30/2) and vinr lausnara ‘friend of the Saviour’ (62/5, 7). The God-kenning tyggi rǫðuls ‘king of the sun’ echoes the sun-imagery of the preceding sts.
rǫðuls ‘of the sun’
(not checked:)
rǫðull (noun m.; °dat. rǫðli): heavenly body
kennings
fagran vin tyggja rǫðuls;‘the beautiful friend of the king of the sun; ’
= Óláfr
the king of the sun; → God
the beautiful friend of GOD → Óláfr
notes
[6] vin tyggja rǫðuls ‘friend of the king of the sun [= God > = Óláfr]’: The kenning for Óláfr has associations with both the skaldic and Lat. traditions. The Scriptural amicus Dei ‘friend of God’ (Judith VIII.22; Wisd. VII.27; Jas. II.23), translated as guðs vinr ‘God’s friend’ in ON, became a commonplace in hagiography. In skaldic poetry it was customary to praise a jarl or lesser chieftain by calling him the close friend or confidant of a more powerful man (see Meissner, 362); here Einarr emphasises Óláfr’s closeness to God. Cf. spjalli lausnara ‘confidant of the Saviour’ (30/2) and vinr lausnara ‘friend of the Saviour’ (62/5, 7). The God-kenning tyggi rǫðuls ‘king of the sun’ echoes the sun-imagery of the preceding sts.
tyggja ‘of the king’
(not checked:)
tyggi (noun m.): prince, sovereign
kennings
fagran vin tyggja rǫðuls;‘the beautiful friend of the king of the sun; ’
= Óláfr
the king of the sun; → God
the beautiful friend of GOD → Óláfr
notes
[6] vin tyggja rǫðuls ‘friend of the king of the sun [= God > = Óláfr]’: The kenning for Óláfr has associations with both the skaldic and Lat. traditions. The Scriptural amicus Dei ‘friend of God’ (Judith VIII.22; Wisd. VII.27; Jas. II.23), translated as guðs vinr ‘God’s friend’ in ON, became a commonplace in hagiography. In skaldic poetry it was customary to praise a jarl or lesser chieftain by calling him the close friend or confidant of a more powerful man (see Meissner, 362); here Einarr emphasises Óláfr’s closeness to God. Cf. spjalli lausnara ‘confidant of the Saviour’ (30/2) and vinr lausnara ‘friend of the Saviour’ (62/5, 7). The God-kenning tyggi rǫðuls ‘king of the sun’ echoes the sun-imagery of the preceding sts.
tyggja ‘of the king’
(not checked:)
tyggi (noun m.): prince, sovereign
kennings
fagran vin tyggja rǫðuls;‘the beautiful friend of the king of the sun; ’
= Óláfr
the king of the sun; → God
the beautiful friend of GOD → Óláfr
notes
[6] vin tyggja rǫðuls ‘friend of the king of the sun [= God > = Óláfr]’: The kenning for Óláfr has associations with both the skaldic and Lat. traditions. The Scriptural amicus Dei ‘friend of God’ (Judith VIII.22; Wisd. VII.27; Jas. II.23), translated as guðs vinr ‘God’s friend’ in ON, became a commonplace in hagiography. In skaldic poetry it was customary to praise a jarl or lesser chieftain by calling him the close friend or confidant of a more powerful man (see Meissner, 362); here Einarr emphasises Óláfr’s closeness to God. Cf. spjalli lausnara ‘confidant of the Saviour’ (30/2) and vinr lausnara ‘friend of the Saviour’ (62/5, 7). The God-kenning tyggi rǫðuls ‘king of the sun’ echoes the sun-imagery of the preceding sts.
stóls ‘of the [bishop’s] seat’
(not checked:)
1. stóll (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): seat, throne
vegs ‘’
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2. vegr (noun m.; °-s/-ar, dat. -): honour
hæð ‘the eminence’
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hæð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): height
þars ‘where’
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þar (adv.): there
hvílir ‘rests’
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2. hvíla (verb): rest
heilagr ‘the holy’
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heilagr (adj.; °helgan; compar. -ari, superl. -astr): holy, sacred
[8] heilagr: corrected from ‘heilag’ Flat
konungr ‘king’
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
fagran ‘the beautiful’
(not checked:)
fagr (adj.; °fagran; compar. fegri, superl. fegrstr): fair, beautiful
kennings
fagran vin tyggja rǫðuls;‘the beautiful friend of the king of the sun; ’
= Óláfr
the king of the sun; → God
the beautiful friend of GOD → Óláfr
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Yfirmanni býðk — unnin |
I ask the superior of the whole multitude of learned men [CLERICS > BISHOP] — thus we [I] call Jón — to listen to the poetry; the finished poem is offered up. We lift up our hands, and I intend to praise the beautiful friend of the king of the sun [= God > = Óláfr]; the eminence of the [bishop’s] seat increases, where the holy king rests.
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