Anon Lil 25VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Lilja 25’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 591.
Móðir oss er Máría þessi,
mektarblóm en full af sóma,
glæsilig sem roðnuð rósa
runnin upp við lifandi brunna,
rót ilmandi lítillætis,
logandi öll með skírleiks anda,
guði unnandi og góðum mönnum,
guði líkjandi í dygðum slíkum.
Þessi Máría, mektarblóm en full af sóma, er móðir oss, glæsilig sem roðnuð rósa runnin upp við lifandi brunna, ilmandi rót lítillætis, öll logandi með anda skírleiks, unnandi guði og góðum mönnum, líkjandi guði í slíkum dygðum.
This Mary, flower of might and full of honour, is a mother to us, magnificent as a reddened rose sprung up beside living springs, the fragrant root of humility, all aflame with the spirit of purity, loving God and good people, like God in such virtues.
Mss: Bb(114rb), 720a VIII(2v), 99a(5v-6r), 622(27), 713(8), Vb(249), 41 8°ˣ(112), 705ˣ(7v), 4892(28v)
Readings: [1] oss: vár 622, svá Vb, 41 8°ˣ [2] mektarblóm: mektug blóm 720a VIII; en: og 99a, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892 [3] glæsilig: gleðilig 41 8°ˣ; roðnuð: roðnust Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, rjóðust 4892 [4] við: með 720a VIII, til 713; lifandi: lifanda 720a VIII [5] lítillætis: lítillæti 41 8°ˣ [6] logandi: lifandi Vb, 41 8°ˣ; öll: ást Vb, 41 8°ˣ; með: í 622; skírleiks: skírlífs 99a, skærligs 622, skærleiks 713, syni og Vb, 41 8°ˣ, skærleik 4892 [8] líkjandi: líkuz 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892; í: af 720a VIII, 622, að 99a, om. 713
Editions: Skj AII, 371, Skj BII, 397, Skald II, 216.
Notes: [2] mektarblóm ‘flower of might’: The cpd is hap. leg.; cf. mektarfullr ‘full of might’ (of Lucifer) 7/1. — [3] roðnuð ‘reddened’: So Bb. and several other mss. Skj B and Skald prefer the alternative ms. reading roðnust ‘reddest’. — [3] rósa ‘rose’: The rose, like the lily, is a traditional emblem of Mary. See Kirschbaum et al. 1968-76, III, 563-8; Schottmann 1973, 24-5. — [4] lifandi brunna ‘living springs’: The image is biblical: cf. Gen. XXVI.19; Lev. XIV.52, 53, XV.13; Num. XX.6; Jer. II.13; John IV.10, 11, VII.38; Rev. XXI.6. — [5] lítillætis ‘humility’: cf. 90/2. — [8] guði líkjandi ‘like God’: Mary is implicitly contrasted with Eve, who disobeyed and fell from grace in her misguided and futile attempt to become like God (Gen. III.5). Mary, obedient and full of grace, is like God.
References
- Bibliography
- Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- Schottmann, Hans. 1973. Die isländische Mariendichtung. Untersuchungen zur volkssprachigen Mariendichtung des Mittelalters. Münchner germanistische Beiträge 9. Munich: Fink.
- Kirschbaum, Engelbert et al., eds. 1968-76. Lexikon der christlichen Ikonographie. 8 vols. Rpt. 1990-8. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder.
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