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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Anon Lil 21VII

Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Lilja 21’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 587-8.

Anonymous PoemsLilja
202122

Heimr er dauðr, en hvað er til ráða?
Hvar gietr þann, er sier megi bjarga?
Hvergi, því að í synda saurgan
sannliga, hverr að þyngir annan.
Eitt er til, það er eg skal vátta,
— á eg grátandi frammi að standa —
attú sjálfr, inn dýri drottinn,
dugir nú ferð, svá lífguð verði.

Heimr er dauðr, en hvað er til ráða? Hvar gietr þann, er megi bjarga sier? Hvergi, því að í saurgan synda sannliga, að hverr þyngir annan. Eitt er til, það er eg skal vátta — á eg að standa frammi grátandi — attú sjálfr, inn dýri drottinn, dugir nú ferð, svá lífguð verði.

The world is dead, and what remedy is there? Where is to be found the one who can save himself? Nowhere, because in the defilement of sins truly [it is] that each weighs down the other. There is one thing to be done, that which I shall attest — I must stand forth weeping —, that you yourself, the dear Lord, will now help mankind, so that it may be revived.

Mss: Bb(114ra), 720a VIII(2r-v), 99a(5r), 622(26-27), 713(7), Vb(248), 41 8°ˣ(111), 705ˣ(6v), 4892(27v)

Readings: [1] Heimr: Heinr 720a VIII;    dauðr: dauði 720a VIII;    en: om. 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892;    til: so 720a VIII, 99a, 622, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892, om. Bb    [2] er: at 99a;    megi: má Vb, 41 8°ˣ    [3] í: om. Vb    [4] sannliga: so 99a, 622, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892, sannar það að Bb, sannar 720a VIII;    hverr: hvern 720a VIII;    að: so 99a, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892, om. Bb, en 720a VIII, 622;    þyngir: þvingar Vb, 41 8°ˣ;    annan: annar 4892    [5] er: om. 720a VIII, 99a, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892;    skal: vil 99a, 622, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892;    vátta: víta 720a VIII    [6] á: ave 720a VIII, að 99a, 622;    að: om. 622, Vb;    standa: standi 622    [8] dugir: so 99a, 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892, dugi Bb;    svá: svá að 622, 705ˣ

Editions: Skj AII, 370, Skj BII, 396, Skald II, 215.

Notes: [All]: The theme and diction of this st. (dauðr ‘dead’, bjarga ‘save’, saurgan synda ‘defilement of sins’) are reminiscent of st. 76. — [2]: Cf. Ps. LXXXVIII.49: quis est vir qui vivat et non videat mortem salvans animam suam de manu inferi semper ‘who is the man that shall live, and not see death: that shall deliver his soul from the hand of hell?’ — [2] gietr ‘is to be found’: Gieta is impers. here (see Eiríkur Magnússon 1870, 109). — [4] að hverr þyngir annan ‘that each weighs down the other’: The idea here is that each of Adam’s and Eve’s progeny compels the one who comes after to sin or necessitates that he or she will sin. — [6] að standa frammi ‘to stand forth’: That is, to step forward in a court of law to receive a sentence (JH). — [8] dugi ‘will help’: Bb has the verb in the 3rd pers. pres. subj., but the indic. is preferable from the point of view of context (so Skj B and Skald): the poet will testify that God will help people.

References

  1. Bibliography
  2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
  3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
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