Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Lilja 38’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 607-8.
Finn eg, alt að manvit manna
mæðiz, þegar er um skal ræða
máttrinn þinn, inn mikli drottinn;
meiri er hann en gjörvalt annað.
Sie þier dýrð með sannri prýði,
sunginn heiðr af öllum tungum
eilífliga með sigri og sælu;
sæmd og vald það minkaz aldri.
Eg finn, að alt manvit manna mæðiz, þegar er um skal ræða máttrinn þinn, inn mikli drottinn; hann er meiri en gjörvalt annað. Sie þier dýrð með sannri prýði, heiðr sunginn af öllum tungum, eilífliga með sigri og sælu; sæmd og það vald minkaz aldri.
I find that all the understanding of men becomes exhausted as soon as your might shall be spoken about, great Lord; it is greater than all else. Let there be to you glory with true beauty, honour sung from all tongues, eternally with victory and blessing; honour and that power will never be diminished.
Mss: Bb(114vb), 99a(8r), 622(30), 713(9), Vb(250), 41 8°ˣ(117-118), 705ˣ(10v), 4892(30v-31r)
Readings: [1] alt að: að alt Vb, 41 8°ˣ [2] er: að 99a, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, eð 622, om. 4892 [3] máttrinn: máttinn 99a, Vb, 705ˣ, 4892; mikli: mildi 99a, 622, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892; drottinn: drottins Vb, 41 8°ˣ [4] meiri: því meiri 99a, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, meir 4892; hann: gann 4892; en: so all others, om. Bb; gjörvalt: örvallt 4892 [5-8] abbrev. as ‘Se þer dyrd med sannri prydi;’ Bb, ‘Sie þier dyrd med sannri:’ 99a, ‘Sie þier dyrd med sannrj prydi:’ 622, ‘Se þier’ 713, ‘sie þier dyrd med sannri prydi.’ 705ˣ [7] eilífliga: æfinliga 41 8°ˣ, ælífliga 4892; sigri: sigr Vb, 41 8°ˣ [8] það: þitt Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892; minkaz: minkiz Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892
Editions: Skj AII, 376, Skj BII, 400, Skald II, 218.
Notes: [1-2] að alt manvit manna mæðiz ‘that all the understanding of men becomes exhausted’: A topic of inexpressibility: see Curtius 1953, 159-62. — [2] skal ræða ‘it must speak’: The subject of the verb is taken to be manvit ‘understanding’ (l. 1), although it could be taken as impersonal ‘one must speak’ (so Skj B). — [5-8]: The second repeat of the refrain; see sts 26/5-8 and 32/5-8. Vb, 41ˣ and 4892 write the ll. in full.
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