Anon Lil 15VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Lilja 15’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 580-1.
Þrumar ‘’
(not checked:)
3. þruma (verb): ? - used this one
og ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
unir ‘is displeased’
(not checked:)
1. unna (verb): love
við ‘’
(not checked:)
2. við (prep.): with, against
illa ‘’
(not checked:)
illr (adj.): bad, evil, unwell
eingill ‘The angel’
(not checked:)
1. engill (noun m.; °engils; englar): angel
[2] eingill: eingils 622
bann ‘ban’
(not checked:)
bann (noun n.; °-s; *-): ban
notes
[2] það bann ‘that ban, curse, excommunication’: There are overtones of the more precise, juridical meaning of the word. Cf. 64/7, 80/6, and 83/2. Other mss have sá where Bb has það; in that case, one must construe it with eingill (so Skj B and Skald), eingill sá er hafði feingið bann ‘the angel, who had received the ban’.
það ‘that’
[2] það: sá 720a VIII, Vb, 705ˣ, om. 41 8°ˣ
notes
[2] það bann ‘that ban, curse, excommunication’: There are overtones of the more precise, juridical meaning of the word. Cf. 64/7, 80/6, and 83/2. Other mss have sá where Bb has það; in that case, one must construe it with eingill (so Skj B and Skald), eingill sá er hafði feingið bann ‘the angel, who had received the ban’.
feingið ‘received’
(not checked:)
2. fá (verb; °fǽr; fekk, fengu; fenginn): get, receive
fyrða ‘of men’
(not checked:)
2. fyrðr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -): man
[3] fyrða: að fyrða 99a, 705ˣ, ef fyrða Vb, 41 8°ˣ
sveitin ‘the company’
(not checked:)
sveit (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): host, company
[3] sveitin: sveit er 720a VIII, 99a, 622, 705ˣ, sveitin er 713, 4892, sveit sem Vb, 41 8°ˣ
fædd ‘born’
(not checked:)
2. fœða (verb): to feed, give food to, bring up, bear, give birth to
[3] fædd: fædd er Vb, 41 8°ˣ
á ‘on’
(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at
jörðu ‘earth’
(not checked:)
jǫrð (noun f.; °jarðar, dat. -u; jarðir/jarðar(DN I (1367) 304)): ground, earth
fekk ‘’
(not checked:)
2. fá (verb; °fǽr; fekk, fengu; fenginn): get, receive
og ‘’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
fái ‘should receive’
(not checked:)
2. fá (verb; °fǽr; fekk, fengu; fenginn): get, receive
[4] fái: og fekk 99a, fær Vb, 41 8°ˣ, og fær 705ˣ
vist ‘a dwelling’
(not checked:)
vist (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): abode, lodging, provisions
er ‘where’
(not checked:)
2. er (conj.): who, which, when
sjálfr ‘himself’
(not checked:)
sjalfr (adj.): self
hann ‘he’
(not checked:)
hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
[4] hann: om. 720a VIII
misti ‘lost one’
(not checked:)
mista (verb): lose
senn ‘’
(not checked:)
senn (adv.): at once
og ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
[5] og: om. 720a VIII, svá 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, og svá 705ˣ, senn 4892
notes
[5] og bruggandi dauðans dreggjar ‘and brewing the dregs of death’: The image has many associations. Dregg, a relatively uncommon word in ON, can mean ‘yeast, lees, dregs’ or possibly ‘vinegar’ (see ONP: dregg). Here the pres. part. bruggandi ‘brewing’ makes it clear that the reference is to a drink. The image of the poculum mortis ‘cup of death, deadly cup’ is a commonplace of medieval Germanic (as well as Lat.) literature and occurs in a variety of contexts, pagan as well as Christian (see Hall 1993). A widely-circulated text in which the topos is used in a manner similar to here is the Easter hymn Rex aeterne domine: quem diabolus deceperat, / hostis humani generis, / per pomum ligni vetiti / mortis propinans poculum ‘[Adam,] whom the devil, the enemy of humankind, had deceived, giving him the cup of death to drink by means of the fruit of the forbidden tree’ (DH, 175; cf. AH 51, 6).
bruggandi ‘brewing’
(not checked:)
brugga (verb; °-að-): [brewing]
[5] bruggandi: ‘obruggandi’ 720a VIII
notes
[5] og bruggandi dauðans dreggjar ‘and brewing the dregs of death’: The image has many associations. Dregg, a relatively uncommon word in ON, can mean ‘yeast, lees, dregs’ or possibly ‘vinegar’ (see ONP: dregg). Here the pres. part. bruggandi ‘brewing’ makes it clear that the reference is to a drink. The image of the poculum mortis ‘cup of death, deadly cup’ is a commonplace of medieval Germanic (as well as Lat.) literature and occurs in a variety of contexts, pagan as well as Christian (see Hall 1993). A widely-circulated text in which the topos is used in a manner similar to here is the Easter hymn Rex aeterne domine: quem diabolus deceperat, / hostis humani generis, / per pomum ligni vetiti / mortis propinans poculum ‘[Adam,] whom the devil, the enemy of humankind, had deceived, giving him the cup of death to drink by means of the fruit of the forbidden tree’ (DH, 175; cf. AH 51, 6).
dauðans ‘of death’
(not checked:)
dauði (noun m.; °-a; -ar): death
notes
[5] og bruggandi dauðans dreggjar ‘and brewing the dregs of death’: The image has many associations. Dregg, a relatively uncommon word in ON, can mean ‘yeast, lees, dregs’ or possibly ‘vinegar’ (see ONP: dregg). Here the pres. part. bruggandi ‘brewing’ makes it clear that the reference is to a drink. The image of the poculum mortis ‘cup of death, deadly cup’ is a commonplace of medieval Germanic (as well as Lat.) literature and occurs in a variety of contexts, pagan as well as Christian (see Hall 1993). A widely-circulated text in which the topos is used in a manner similar to here is the Easter hymn Rex aeterne domine: quem diabolus deceperat, / hostis humani generis, / per pomum ligni vetiti / mortis propinans poculum ‘[Adam,] whom the devil, the enemy of humankind, had deceived, giving him the cup of death to drink by means of the fruit of the forbidden tree’ (DH, 175; cf. AH 51, 6).
dreggjar ‘the dregs’
(not checked:)
dregg (noun f.; °-jar): dregs
notes
[5] og bruggandi dauðans dreggjar ‘and brewing the dregs of death’: The image has many associations. Dregg, a relatively uncommon word in ON, can mean ‘yeast, lees, dregs’ or possibly ‘vinegar’ (see ONP: dregg). Here the pres. part. bruggandi ‘brewing’ makes it clear that the reference is to a drink. The image of the poculum mortis ‘cup of death, deadly cup’ is a commonplace of medieval Germanic (as well as Lat.) literature and occurs in a variety of contexts, pagan as well as Christian (see Hall 1993). A widely-circulated text in which the topos is used in a manner similar to here is the Easter hymn Rex aeterne domine: quem diabolus deceperat, / hostis humani generis, / per pomum ligni vetiti / mortis propinans poculum ‘[Adam,] whom the devil, the enemy of humankind, had deceived, giving him the cup of death to drink by means of the fruit of the forbidden tree’ (DH, 175; cf. AH 51, 6).
duldiz ‘concealed himself’
(not checked:)
dylja (verb; °dulði; dulðr/duliðr/dulinn (præs. sg. 3. pers. dyll Hirð 401²³, etc., dyl FrostKrᴵ 152¹⁹, etc.)): conceal
hann ‘he’
(not checked:)
hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
fyrir ‘from’
(not checked:)
fyrir (prep.): for, before, because of
ásján ‘’
(not checked:)
ásján (noun f.): °form, guise; face; sight, presence
augsyn ‘’
(not checked:)
augsýn (noun f.): °sight, presence; extent of a person’s vision (up to a certain point)
sjón ‘’
(not checked:)
sjón (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): eyes, sight
augum ‘’
(not checked:)
auga (noun n.; °auga; augu/augun, gen. augna): eye
augsjón ‘the sight’
(not checked:)
augsjón (noun f.): [sight]
[6] augsjón: so 622, augum sjón Bb, augsyn 720a VIII, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892, ásján 99a
notes
[6] augsjón ‘eyesight’: Bb’s reading, augum sjón, may be due to a scribal lapse: the word augum comes at the end of a fol., and sjón begins the verso. Fyrir augum, fyrir sjón, and fyrir augsjón would all convey more or less the same meaning, but fyrir augum sjón is ungrammatical, redundant, and spoils the metre with an extra syllable.
sanna ‘’
(not checked:)
2. sannr (adj.; °-an; compar. -ari, superl. -astr): true
fjöl ‘knowing’
(not checked:)
2. fjǫl (noun n.): very < fjǫlkunnigr (adj.): knowledgeable in magic
[7] fjölkunnigr: fjölkunnugr Vb
kunnigr ‘magic’
(not checked:)
kunnigr (adj.; °acc. kunngan/kunnigan; compar. -ari; superl. -astr): known < fjǫlkunnigr (adj.): knowledgeable in magic
[7] fjölkunnigr: fjölkunnugr Vb
í ‘’
(not checked:)
í (prep.): in, into
einum ‘a ’
(not checked:)
2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone
innan ‘from inside’
(not checked:)
innan (prep.): inside, within
ormi ‘serpent’
(not checked:)
ormr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): serpent
tók ‘set about’
(not checked:)
2. taka (verb): take
hann ‘he’
(not checked:)
hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
[8] hann: svá Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892
mál ‘speech’
(not checked:)
1. mál (noun n.; °-s; -): speech, matter
að ‘’
(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
forma ‘forming’
(not checked:)
forma (verb): [Perform, forming]
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The angel who had received that ban swells, puffs up, and is displeased that the company of men born on earth should receive a dwelling there where he himself lost one, and, brewing the dregs of death, he concealed himself from the sight of men; knowing magic, he set about forming speech from inside a serpent.
Peter Foote (1982, 119-21) sees sts 15-18 as ‘not so much a translation as a re-creation in the Icelandic’ of a passage from Geoffrey of Vinsauf’s Poetria nova: Quid iste? / Vidit eos, et ad hoc formatos ut repararent / Angelicum numerum qui corruit et fruerentur / Deliciis illis quas perdidit angelus. Inde, / Quid faceret versans, serpentis imagine sumpta, / Rectus et erectus veniens clam venit ad Evam, / Affari non ausus Adam: ‘Cur, inquit, ab esu / Praefati ligni prohiberis?’ Subdidit illa: / ‘Hoc ideo ne forte per hoc moriamur.’ Ad illud / ‘Forte’ minus fortem credentem vidit; et inde / Fortior his illam vicit: ‘Non sic, ait, immo / Vescere, sicque sciens potes esse bonique malique, / Sicut dii.’ Tumefecit eam spes irrita tanti / Polliciti; vititum gustavit; idemque maritus, / Ne turbaret eam, quamvis sit conscius, egit ‘And what of Satan? He saw them, saw them fashioned for this purpose: to make up the number of the angelic host that had fallen, and to enjoy those delights which the angel lost. Then, pondering what he might do, taking the form of a serpent, advancing straight and erect, he came in secret to Eve, not daring to speak to Adam: “Why,” he said, “are you forbidden to eat of that tree which was mentioned?” She replied, “For this reason, indeed: lest perchance through it we die.” At that “perchance” he saw her unstable in faith; and then, gaining assurance, he overcame her with this: “Not so,” he said, “on the contrary, eat; and thus you can be, as the gods are, expert in good and evil.” Vain hope of a promise so great puffed her up; she tasted what was forbidden; and her husband, lest he distress her – although with full knowledge – did likewise’ (Faral 1924, 242; Nims 1967, 68). — [1-4]: Cf. the ON Eluc: hann ovunde þat es þau scvldo koma til þess uegs es hann uas fyr rekenn fyr ofmetnoþ augsjón ‘he resented that they should receive the honor he had lost because of his arrogance’ (Eluc 1992, 20-1). Stjórn (Unger 1862, 34) also tells the story: þiat hann var þegar samdægris fullr af fianda sem hann var skapadr. ok fyrir þann skylld at sua sem Lucifer uar brott rekinn af himneskri paradis. aufunadi hann manninum at uera i iardneskri paradis. uitandi þat at hann mundi þadan brott reckinn. ef hann gengi af guds bodordi ‘because he was thus filled with enmity the same day he was created, because as Lucifer was driven out of the heavenly paradise, he resented that the humans were in the earthly paradise, knowing that he would be driven away from there if he deviated from God’s command’.
Stanza/chapter/text segment
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
Information tab
- text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
- sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
- readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
- editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
- notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant
Interactive tab
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
Full text tab
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
Chapter/text segment
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.