Anon Lil 52VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Lilja 52’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 621-2.
Er ‘is’
(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[1] Er: Eru 99a, 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892
notes
[1] er ‘is’: Both Skj B and Skald choose the majority mss’ pl. verb eru ‘are’. Eftirdæmi ‘example’ could be either sg. or pl., but the pl. sense ‘there are/will always be memorable examples’ does not fit the present context, which describes Christ’s unique and supreme example of self-sacrifice.
notes
[1] æ ‘forever’: The adv., omitted in some mss, is necessary for the rhyme scheme (æ m- : -dæm-). Those mss that omit æ all have eru, a combination that also produces correct rhyme.
minnilig ‘memorable’
(not checked:)
minniligr (adj.): memorable
yfirvaldanda ‘of the supreme ruler’
(not checked:)
yfirvaldandi (noun m.)
[2] yfirvaldanda: yfirbjóðandi 99a, 622, 713, 705ˣ, 4892, að yfirbjóðandinn Vb, 41 8°ˣ
kennings
yfirvaldanda himins og landa‘of the supreme ruler of heaven and lands ’
= God
the supreme ruler of heaven and lands → God
notes
[2] yfirvaldanda himins og landa ‘of the supreme ruler of heaven and earth [= God (= Christ)]’: The same formula is used in 58/8. These two instances in Lil are the only attestations of the cpd yfirvaldandi, but see Sigfús Blöndal 1920-4 for the analogous forms yfirvald and yfirvaldsmaður in MIcel.
himins ‘of heaven’
(not checked:)
himinn (noun m.; °himins, dat. himni; himnar): heaven, sky
[2] himins: eingla 99a, 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ
kennings
yfirvaldanda himins og landa‘of the supreme ruler of heaven and lands ’
= God
the supreme ruler of heaven and lands → God
notes
[2] yfirvaldanda himins og landa ‘of the supreme ruler of heaven and earth [= God (= Christ)]’: The same formula is used in 58/8. These two instances in Lil are the only attestations of the cpd yfirvaldandi, but see Sigfús Blöndal 1920-4 for the analogous forms yfirvald and yfirvaldsmaður in MIcel.
og ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
kennings
yfirvaldanda himins og landa‘of the supreme ruler of heaven and lands ’
= God
the supreme ruler of heaven and lands → God
notes
[2] yfirvaldanda himins og landa ‘of the supreme ruler of heaven and earth [= God (= Christ)]’: The same formula is used in 58/8. These two instances in Lil are the only attestations of the cpd yfirvaldandi, but see Sigfús Blöndal 1920-4 for the analogous forms yfirvald and yfirvaldsmaður in MIcel.
landa ‘lands’
(not checked:)
land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land
[2] landa: þjóða 99a, 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ
kennings
yfirvaldanda himins og landa‘of the supreme ruler of heaven and lands ’
= God
the supreme ruler of heaven and lands → God
notes
[2] yfirvaldanda himins og landa ‘of the supreme ruler of heaven and earth [= God (= Christ)]’: The same formula is used in 58/8. These two instances in Lil are the only attestations of the cpd yfirvaldandi, but see Sigfús Blöndal 1920-4 for the analogous forms yfirvald and yfirvaldsmaður in MIcel.
sinn ‘his’
(not checked:)
3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)
háls ‘neck’
(not checked:)
hals (noun m.; °hals, dat. -i; -ar): neck
og ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
beygði ‘bowed’
(not checked:)
2. beygja (verb; °beygði): bend down, twist
[3] beygði: vægði 99a, 622, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, 4892
notes
[3] beygði ‘bowed’: So Bb. All other mss have vægði, from vægja ‘to give way, yield’.
hverjum ‘before every’
(not checked:)
2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
þræl ‘slave’
(not checked:)
þræll (noun m.; °þrǽls, dat. þrǽli/þrǽl; þrǽlar): slave, servant
[4] þræl: þeim 622
lysti ‘desired’
(not checked:)
lysta (verb): desire
að ‘to’
(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
berja ‘strike’
(not checked:)
2. berja (verb; °barði; barðr/bariðr/barinn): fight
fá ‘little’
(not checked:)
3. fár (adj.; °compar. fǽrri/fárri(Mág² 11), superl. fǽstr): few < fátalaðr (adj.)
notes
[5] fátalaðr ‘little-speaking’: Understatement: Jesus was silent before Pilate and his accusers (Matt. XXVII.12-14, Mark XV.3-5, John XIX.9). Kock found the word too short for the metre and proposed fámálugr (NN §2629F), but later discovered that this emendation spoiled the rhyme and proposed instead fátalandi, a reading not supported by any ms. In Skald, however, he retains fátalaðr.
talaðr ‘saying’
(not checked:)
3. tala (verb): speak, talk < fátalaðr (adj.)
notes
[5] fátalaðr ‘little-speaking’: Understatement: Jesus was silent before Pilate and his accusers (Matt. XXVII.12-14, Mark XV.3-5, John XIX.9). Kock found the word too short for the metre and proposed fámálugr (NN §2629F), but later discovered that this emendation spoiled the rhyme and proposed instead fátalandi, a reading not supported by any ms. In Skald, however, he retains fátalaðr.
með ‘with’
(not checked:)
með (prep.): with
lítillæti ‘humility’
(not checked:)
lítillæti (noun n.): humility
lág ‘softly’
(not checked:)
lágr (adj.; °comp. lǽgri, superl. lǽgstr): low < lágraustaðr (adj.)
[6] lágraustaðr: og lágraustaðr 99a, 705ˣ
raustaðr ‘spoken’
(not checked:)
rausta (verb): [spoken] < lágraustaðr (adj.)
[6] lágraustaðr: og lágraustaðr 99a, 705ˣ
með ‘with’
(not checked:)
með (prep.): with
ásjón ‘face’
(not checked:)
ásjón (noun f.; °; -ir): face
fagri ‘a fair’
(not checked:)
fagr (adj.; °fagran; compar. fegri, superl. fegrstr): fair, beautiful
[6] fagri: fagra 99a, 622, 713, trausta Vb, 41 8°ˣ, ‘[...]agra’ 4892
svá ‘thus’
(not checked:)
svá (adv.): so, thus
notes
[7-8] svá bjóðandi önd sína sínum dauða ‘thus offering his soul in his death’: This reading follows 622 and 418°ˣ. Bb’s sáran is acc. and a dat. is required with bjóða in the sense of offering something to someone. Some mss add an í ‘in’ before sáran dauða, and this is adopted by both Skj B and Skald.
bjóðandi ‘offering’
(not checked:)
bjóða (verb; °býðr; bauð, buðu; boðinn (buð- Thom¹ 5²n.)): offer, order, invite
[7] bjóðandi: bjóðandi í 99a, 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ
notes
[7-8] svá bjóðandi önd sína sínum dauða ‘thus offering his soul in his death’: This reading follows 622 and 418°ˣ. Bb’s sáran is acc. and a dat. is required with bjóða in the sense of offering something to someone. Some mss add an í ‘in’ before sáran dauða, and this is adopted by both Skj B and Skald.
sínum ‘in his’
(not checked:)
3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)
[7] sínum: so 622, 41 8°ˣ, sáran Bb, sárum Vb, 4892, í sáran 705ˣ
notes
[7-8] svá bjóðandi önd sína sínum dauða ‘thus offering his soul in his death’: This reading follows 622 and 418°ˣ. Bb’s sáran is acc. and a dat. is required with bjóða in the sense of offering something to someone. Some mss add an í ‘in’ before sáran dauða, and this is adopted by both Skj B and Skald.
notes
[7-8] svá bjóðandi önd sína sínum dauða ‘thus offering his soul in his death’: This reading follows 622 and 418°ˣ. Bb’s sáran is acc. and a dat. is required with bjóða in the sense of offering something to someone. Some mss add an í ‘in’ before sáran dauða, and this is adopted by both Skj B and Skald.
sína ‘his’
(not checked:)
3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)
notes
[7-8] svá bjóðandi önd sína sínum dauða ‘thus offering his soul in his death’: This reading follows 622 and 418°ˣ. Bb’s sáran is acc. and a dat. is required with bjóða in the sense of offering something to someone. Some mss add an í ‘in’ before sáran dauða, and this is adopted by both Skj B and Skald.
önd ‘soul’
(not checked:)
2. ǫnd (noun f.; °andar, dat. ǫnd/ǫndu; andir): soul, breath
notes
[7-8] svá bjóðandi önd sína sínum dauða ‘thus offering his soul in his death’: This reading follows 622 and 418°ˣ. Bb’s sáran is acc. and a dat. is required with bjóða in the sense of offering something to someone. Some mss add an í ‘in’ before sáran dauða, and this is adopted by both Skj B and Skald.
fyrir ‘on account’
(not checked:)
fyrir (prep.): for, before, because of
nauðsyn ‘need’
(not checked:)
nauðsyn (noun f.): need
mína ‘of my’
(not checked:)
minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
[6]: The rhyme is between lágr- and fagr-. For other examples of full rhyme between long and short vowels, see the use of dýrð in 14/2, 68/8, and 74/2. JH notes that the poet sporadically shortens vowels preceding a consonant cluster.
Stanza/chapter/text segment
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
Information tab
- text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
- sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
- readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
- editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
- notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant
Interactive tab
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
Full text tab
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
Chapter/text segment
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.