Anon Lil 47VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Lilja 47’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 617-18.
sér ‘sees’
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2. sjá (verb): see
hann ‘The’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
fjandi ‘enemy’
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fjándi (noun m.; °-a; fjándr/fjándar/fjándir): enemy, devil
að ‘that’
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4. at (conj.): that
fækkar ‘’
fættiz ‘grows smaller’
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fæta (verb): diminish
[1] fættiz: fækkar 99a, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892, fætkar 622, 713
notes
[1] fættiz ‘grows smaller’: This form of the verb is necessary for the rhyme with þetta ‘this’. Fætta, fækta, and fækka are alternative forms of the same word (cf. smætta, smætka, smækka ‘to make small’). Christ’s healing miracles involve the driving out of demons, hence the diminution of Lucifer’s legions.
fólkið ‘army’
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folk (noun n.): people
hans ‘his’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
og ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
líz ‘it seems to him’
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líta (verb): look, see; appear
það ‘’
[2] það: að 41 8°ˣ
vansi ‘a shame’
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vansi (noun m.; °-a): disgrace
dæmin ‘examples’
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dœmi (noun n.; °-s; -): judgement, example
[3] dæmin: en dæmin 99a, 705ˣ, að dæmin 41 8°ˣ
góð ‘good’
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góðr (adj.): good
vaxa ‘grow’
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vaxa (verb): grow, increase
víða ‘widely’
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1. víða (adv.): widely
brögð ‘tricks’
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bragð (noun n.; °-s; *-): action, movement, trick
þverra ‘diminish’
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1. þverra (verb): diminish
slægr ‘’
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2. slœgr (adj.): skilful
kvaldr ‘tormented’
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kvelja (verb): torment, torture
[5] kvaldr: slægr 41 8°ˣ, kvaliðr 4892
notes
[5] kvaldr og ‘[is] tormented and’: Skj B deletes the pleonastic og and compensates by adding a svarabhakti vowel to ‘kvaldur’. JH comments that the Bb reading is to be preferred.
notes
[5] kvaldr og ‘[is] tormented and’: Skj B deletes the pleonastic og and compensates by adding a svarabhakti vowel to ‘kvaldur’. JH comments that the Bb reading is to be preferred.
þeygi ‘would accept’
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þiggja (verb): receive, get
þoldi ‘by no means’
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þola (verb): suffer, endure
þenna ‘this’
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1. sjá (pron.; °gen. þessa dat. þessum/þeima, acc. þenna; f. sjá/þessi; n. þetta, dat. þessu/þvísa; pl. þessir): this
[6] þenna: þennan 99a, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892
notes
[6] þenna leik, er kennir hafðan ‘this contest, which he recognises has been held’: Wisén (1886-9, II, 110) defends the reading of Bb and translates hunc lusus, quem peractum sentit ‘this game, which he senses has been completed’. The contest or game has been held or had, and the devil is unhappy with the results. Cf. Heggstad, Hødnebø and Simensen 1997: hafa 9, which cites the analogous idiom hafa þing ‘to hold a meeting’. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) conflates several mss to arrive at the reading þenna leik, er harðan kennir ‘this game, the hardness of which he experiences’. Skald repeats this conflation.
leik ‘contest’
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1. leikr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -/-i; -ar): sport, play
notes
[6] þenna leik, er kennir hafðan ‘this contest, which he recognises has been held’: Wisén (1886-9, II, 110) defends the reading of Bb and translates hunc lusus, quem peractum sentit ‘this game, which he senses has been completed’. The contest or game has been held or had, and the devil is unhappy with the results. Cf. Heggstad, Hødnebø and Simensen 1997: hafa 9, which cites the analogous idiom hafa þing ‘to hold a meeting’. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) conflates several mss to arrive at the reading þenna leik, er harðan kennir ‘this game, the hardness of which he experiences’. Skald repeats this conflation.
notes
[6] þenna leik, er kennir hafðan ‘this contest, which he recognises has been held’: Wisén (1886-9, II, 110) defends the reading of Bb and translates hunc lusus, quem peractum sentit ‘this game, which he senses has been completed’. The contest or game has been held or had, and the devil is unhappy with the results. Cf. Heggstad, Hødnebø and Simensen 1997: hafa 9, which cites the analogous idiom hafa þing ‘to hold a meeting’. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) conflates several mss to arrive at the reading þenna leik, er harðan kennir ‘this game, the hardness of which he experiences’. Skald repeats this conflation.
tók ‘’
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2. taka (verb): take
hafðan ‘has been held’
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hafa (verb): have
[6] hafðan: hafði 99a, höfðu 622, tók að Vb, 41 8°ˣ, harðan 705ˣ, tak að 4892
notes
[6] þenna leik, er kennir hafðan ‘this contest, which he recognises has been held’: Wisén (1886-9, II, 110) defends the reading of Bb and translates hunc lusus, quem peractum sentit ‘this game, which he senses has been completed’. The contest or game has been held or had, and the devil is unhappy with the results. Cf. Heggstad, Hødnebø and Simensen 1997: hafa 9, which cites the analogous idiom hafa þing ‘to hold a meeting’. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) conflates several mss to arrive at the reading þenna leik, er harðan kennir ‘this game, the hardness of which he experiences’. Skald repeats this conflation.
slíkir ‘’
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2. slíkr (adj.): such
kennir ‘he recognises’
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kenna (verb): know, teach
[6] kennir: kenndan 99a, slíkir 622, kenna Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 4892
notes
[6] þenna leik, er kennir hafðan ‘this contest, which he recognises has been held’: Wisén (1886-9, II, 110) defends the reading of Bb and translates hunc lusus, quem peractum sentit ‘this game, which he senses has been completed’. The contest or game has been held or had, and the devil is unhappy with the results. Cf. Heggstad, Hødnebø and Simensen 1997: hafa 9, which cites the analogous idiom hafa þing ‘to hold a meeting’. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) conflates several mss to arrive at the reading þenna leik, er harðan kennir ‘this game, the hardness of which he experiences’. Skald repeats this conflation.
því ‘therefore’
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því (adv.): therefore, because
flýtandi ‘hastens [lit. hastening]’
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flýta (verb): hasten
notes
[7] flýtandi ‘[and] hastens [lit. hastening]’: JH comments that this part. is best understood as a finite verb. Flýta normally takes a dat. object (cf. the variant reading sveitum).
sínar ‘his’
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3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)
[7] sínar: sínum 99a, 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892
sveitir ‘troops’
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sveit (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): host, company
[7] sveitir: sveitum 99a, 622, Vb, 705ˣ, 4892
synda ‘of sins’
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synð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): sin
kennings
brjót synda‘the breaker of sins ’
= God
the breaker of sins → God
brjót ‘the breaker’
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brjótr (noun m.): breaker
kennings
brjót synda‘the breaker of sins ’
= God
the breaker of sins → God
að ‘to’
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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
drepa ‘kill’
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drepa (verb; °drepr; drap, drápu; drepinn): kill, strike
sem ‘as’
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sem (conj.): as, which
fljótast ‘’
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2. fljótr (adj.): quick
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The enemy sees this, that his army grows smaller, and it seems to him a shame that good examples grow widely; worse tricks and sins diminish. The devil [is] tormented and by no means would accept this contest, which he recognises has been held, [and] therefore hastens [lit. hastening] his troops to kill the breaker of sins [= God (= Christ)] as quickly as possible.
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