Anonymous Poems, Lilja 23

Martin Chase

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Anon Lil 23^VII

Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Lilja 23’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 589-90.

Anonymous Poems Lilja

22 23 24

[1] tala: talar 720a VIII, 622, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892

með ‘with’

(not checked:)
með (prep.): with

snilli ‘skill’

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snilli (noun f.): eloquence

tunga ‘tongue’

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tunga (noun f.; °-u; -ur): tongue, language

[2] tunga: tungan 720a VIII, 99a, 705ˣ

mín ‘My’

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minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my

af ‘of’

(not checked:)
af (prep.): from

herra ‘Lord’

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1. herra (noun m.; °herra; herrar): lord

þínum ‘your’

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þinn (pron.; °f. þín, n. þitt): your

[2] þínum: sínum 99a, 622, 713, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892, fínum Vb

Um ‘about’

(not checked:)
1. um (prep.): about, around

stór ‘’

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stórr (adj.): large, great < stórmerki (noun n.): great feat

merkin ‘the miracles’

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1. merki (noun n.; °-s: -): banner, sign < stórmerki (noun n.): great feat

áttu ‘You must’

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2. eiga (verb; °á/eigr (præs. pl. 3. pers. eigu/eiga); átti, áttu; átt): own, have

[3] áttu: á hun 99a, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, á eg 622, 4892

að ‘’

(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)

yrkja ‘compose poetry’

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yrkja (verb): compose

yfirspennanda ‘of the over-spanner’

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yfirspennandi (noun m.)

[4] yfirspennanda: yfirspennandi 720a VIII, 99a, 622, 705ˣ, yfirspennandans Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892

kennings

yfirspennanda þrennra heima.
‘of the over-spanner of three worlds. ’
= God
the over-spanner of three worlds. → God

notes

[4] yfirspennanda þrennra heima ‘over-spanner of three worlds [= God]’: The kenning recalls biblical texts like Isa. XL.12 (quis mensus est pugillo aquas et caelos palmo ponderavit ‘who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and weighed the heavens with his palm?’) and Ps. XCIV.4 (in cuius manu fundamenta terrae ‘In his hand are all the ends of the earth’). Cf. the following God-kennings: frónspennir fagrtjalda ‘clasper of the fair tents of the land’ (Has 44/5-6); heimspennir ‘world-spanner’ (Has 64/6); skríngeypnandi skýstalls ‘holder of the shrine of the cloud-platform’ (Has 29/7-8), umgeypnandi alls heims ‘holding the whole world in his hands’ (Geisl 16/7-8), umgaupnandi allrar skepnu ‘holding all creation’ (Anon Mgr 2), and umgeypnandi allrar skepnu ‘the holder [in his hands] of all creation’ (Kálf Kátr 36/3). The ‘three worlds’ could be either heaven, hell, and earth, or the three heavens mentioned elsewhere in the poem (11/3, 27/4, 40/2). This is the only recorded occurrence of the cpd yfirspennandi.

heima ‘worlds’

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heimr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): home, abode; world

[4] heima: heim að 720a VIII

kennings

yfirspennanda þrennra heima.
‘of the over-spanner of three worlds. ’
= God
the over-spanner of three worlds. → God

notes

þrennra ‘of three’

(not checked:)
þrennr (adj.): three(fold)

[4] þrennra: þrenna 622, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ

kennings

yfirspennanda þrennra heima.
‘of the over-spanner of three worlds. ’
= God
the over-spanner of three worlds. → God

notes

Bjúg ‘bent’

(not checked:)
bjúgr (adj.; °compar. -ari): bent

[5] Bjúg: bjúgr 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892

og ‘and’

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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also

sár ‘bound’

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sárr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): sore, painful; wounded

í ‘in’

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í (prep.): in, into

bandi ‘a fetter’

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band (noun n.; °-s; *-): band, bond

[5] bandi: banni Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892

værir ‘You would be’

(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am

[5] værir: væri 720a VIII, 99a, 622, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892

bandi ‘in the fetter’

(not checked:)
band (noun n.; °-s; *-): band, bond

[6] bandi: og bandi Vb, 705ˣ, 4892

riett ‘right’

(not checked:)
3. réttr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): right, straight, direct

[6] riett: þess 4892

ins ‘of the’

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2. inn (art.): the

nezta ‘lowest’

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neðri (adj. comp.; °superl. neztr): lower, lowest

fjanda ‘devil’

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fjándi (noun m.; °-a; fjándr/fjándar/fjándir): enemy, devil

nema ‘except’

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2. nema (conj.): unless

[7] nema: útan 4892

hjálpræði ‘salvation’

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hjalpræði (noun n.): [salvation]

[7] hjálpræði: hjálpræðið 720a VIII, 99a, 713, Vb, 705ˣ, hjálpinn 4892

notes

[7] hjálpræði ‘salvation’: The word originally meant ‘help’ or ‘assistance’, but in religious literature it took on grander connotations. Cf. HómÍsl, where it is used in reference to the promise of paradise to the good thief of Luke XXIII.43 (HómÍsl 1993, 32v), to the salvation people sought from John the Baptist (6r) and to God’s redemption of the fallen world (103r).

guðs ‘of God’

(not checked:)
1. guð (noun m.; °***guðrs, guðis, gus): (Christian) God

ið ‘that’

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2. inn (art.): the

[7] ið: ins 720a VIII, 99a, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892

góða ‘the good’

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góðr (adj.): good

giefið ‘given’

(not checked:)
gefa (verb): give

[8] giefið: hann giefi 720a VIII, giefur 713, giefi Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, giefinn 4892

á ‘on’

(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at

jörð ‘earth’

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jǫrð (noun f.; °jarðar, dat. -u; jarðir/jarðar(DN I (1367) 304)): ground, earth

mig ‘me’

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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me

[8] mig: eg Vb, 41 8°ˣ

leystan ‘released’

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leysa (verb): release, loosen, redeem

hefði ‘had’

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hafa (verb): have

[8] hefði: verði Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892

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verse
prose

The order of sts 22 and 23 is reversed in Bb. — [1-5]: The various mss treat these ll. as either the poet’s direct address to his tongue and poetic faculty (so Bb, Skald, NN §3312 and this edn), or (much less likely) as a 3rd-pers. statement about the same subject (so Skj B and various mss, though not consistently). This difference affects the following words: tala ‘speak’ (talar ‘it speaks’) (l. 1); þínum ‘your’ (sínum ‘its’) (l. 2); áttu ‘you must’ (á hon ‘it [the tongue] must’) (l. 3); værir ‘you would be’ (væri ‘it would be’) (l. 5). The apostrophe to the tongue is reminiscent of the many Lat. passion hymns beginning with the topos pange, lingua ‘sing, tongue’, e.g. the passion hymn Pange lingua, gloriosi / proelium certaminis ‘Sing, tongue, the strife of the glorious battle’ (AH 2, 44) and the Nordic hymn to S. Óláfr, Pange lingua, gloriose / Diei solemnia / Regum jubar pretiose / Rex Olave … ‘Sing, tongue, the solemnity of the glorious day, the precious splendour of kings, King Óláfr …’ (AH 11, 206). — [8]: The rhyme is between gef- and hef- . Cf. Ok þ- : teygð- 18/3.

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Anon Lil 23VII

Tendraz ‘kindled’

öll ‘all’

og ‘and’

tala ‘speak’

með ‘with’

snilli ‘skill’

tunga ‘tongue’

mín ‘My’

af ‘of’

herra ‘Lord’

þínum ‘your’

Um ‘about’

stór ‘’

merkin ‘the miracles’

áttu ‘You must’

að ‘’

yrkja ‘compose poetry’

yfirspennanda ‘of the over-spanner’

kennings

notes

heima ‘worlds’

kennings

notes

þrennra ‘of three’

kennings

notes

Bjúg ‘bent’

og ‘and’

sár ‘bound’

í ‘in’

bandi ‘a fetter’

værir ‘You would be’

bandi ‘in the fetter’

riett ‘right’

ins ‘of the’

nezta ‘lowest’

fjanda ‘devil’

nema ‘except’

hjálpræði ‘salvation’

notes

guðs ‘of God’

ið ‘that’

góða ‘the good’

giefið ‘given’

á ‘on’

jörð ‘earth’

mig ‘me’

leystan ‘released’

hefði ‘had’

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Anon Lil 23^VII