Anon Lil 29^VII

Heyrði og trúði, en undraz orðin
jungfrú kyrr, því vissi hun fyrri
aldri kvaddan mann á moldu
með þvílíkri tígnarkveðju.
Fyrirbjóðandi henni að hræðaz,
höfuðeingillinn talaði leingra:
‘Guð himnanna fram mun fæðaz,
frúin skínandi, af holdi þínu.’

Kyrr jungfrú heyrði og trúði, en undraz orðin, því hun vissi aldri fyrri mann á moldu kvaddan með þvílíkri tígnarkveðju. Höfuðeingillinn talaði leingra, fyrirbjóðandi henni að hræðaz: ‘Frúin skínandi, {guð himnanna} mun fæðaz fram af holdi þínu.’

The calm virgin listened and believed, but she was amazed at the words, because she knew that never before was anyone on earth addressed with such a majestic greeting. The archangel spoke further, forbidding her to be afraid: ‘Radiant woman, {the God of the heavens} [= God (= Christ)] will be brought forth from your flesh.’

Mss: Bb(114rb), 720a VIII(2v), 99a(6v), 622(28), 713(8), Vb(249), 41 8°ˣ(114), 705ˣ(8v), 4892(29r)

Readings: [1] og: om. Vb, 41 8°ˣ;    en: og 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892    [2] jungfrú: jungfrúin Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892;    kyrr: skýrr 622, kær 4892;    vissi hun: hun vissi ei 720a VIII, ‘eigi [...]ssi hun’ 622    [6] talaði: ætlaði 720a VIII    [8] holdi: lífi Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892

Editions: Skj AII, 373, Skj BII, 398, Skald II, 216-7.

Notes: [All]: A paraphrase of Luke I.29-32: quae cum vidisset turbata est in sermone eius et cogitabat qualis esset ista salutatio et ait angelus ei ne timeas Maria invenisti enim gratiam apud Deum ecce concipies in utero et paries filium et vocabis nomen eius Iesum hic erit magnus et Filius Altissimi vocabitur ‘And when she had heard, she was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the Angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High’. — [6] höfuðeingillinn ‘the archangel’: Cf. the homily for the feast of S. Michael in HómÍsl: Af þui vaſ ɢabriel hǫfuþengell ſendr til mariam… þuiat ꜵ́r vaſ maclegr at boþa hit hǽsta eorende ‘therefore the archangel Gabriel was sent to Mary … because he was fitting to proclaim the most important announcement’ (HómÍsl 1993, 41r, cf. also 18v) and the homily for the same feast in HómNo (137): Hofuð-englar ero þæir englar callaðer er en ſtørſto guðſ ærende reca ſva ſem Gabriel er hingat-cvꜵmo Criſt boðaðe ‘the angels who carry out the most important errands of God, such as Gabriel, who came here to proclaim Christ’s coming, are called archangels’; see also the Note to 6/3-4. — [7-8]: Cf. 24/7-8: minn einkason vill skrýðaz björtu holdi hennar hlýðinnar ‘my only son wants to adorn himself with her, the obedient one’s, bright flesh’.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
3. HómÍsl 1993 = de Leeuw van Weenen, Andrea, ed. 1993. The Icelandic Homily Book: Perg. 15 4° in the Royal Library, Stockholm. Íslensk handrit/Icelandic Manuscripts Series in quarto 3. Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Íslandi.
4. HómNo = Indrebø, Gustav. 1931. Gamal norsk homiliebok, Cod. AM 619, 4°. Det norske historiske Kjeldeskrift Fond, Skrifter 54. Oslo: Dybwad. Rpt. 1966. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
5. HómÍsl = Íslensk hómilíubók (The Icelandic Homily Book).