Anon Lil 58VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Lilja 58’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 628-9.
Syni ‘the son’
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sonr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. syni; synir, acc. sonu, syni): son
Máríu ‘of Mary’
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María (noun f.): Mary
svartir ‘Black’
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svartr (adj.): black
notes
[1, 2] svartir seggir ‘black men’: Svartr has connotations of both black in appearance and morally darkened, but the primary sense seems to be the literal. The epithet here echoes the more common svartir djöflar ‘black devils’ (see HómNo, 35; Mar 1871, 1082; and Unger 1877, 571 [wrongly cited in Fritzner as 511]). Cf. dökkvir flokkar ‘swarthy flocks’ 84/5. Lucifer was often portrayed as having a black complexion (see Link 1995, 52-3; Russell 1981, 190-1; Russell 1984, 132-3).
færa ‘bring’
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2. fœra (verb): bring
seggir ‘men’
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seggr (noun m.; °; -ir): man
notes
[1, 2] svartir seggir ‘black men’: Svartr has connotations of both black in appearance and morally darkened, but the primary sense seems to be the literal. The epithet here echoes the more common svartir djöflar ‘black devils’ (see HómNo, 35; Mar 1871, 1082; and Unger 1877, 571 [wrongly cited in Fritzner as 511]). Cf. dökkvir flokkar ‘swarthy flocks’ 84/5. Lucifer was often portrayed as having a black complexion (see Link 1995, 52-3; Russell 1981, 190-1; Russell 1984, 132-3).
blandið ‘mixed’
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3. blanda (verb; °-að-): mix (weak)
[2] blandið: blandað 99a, 713, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, blanda 622
gall ‘gall’
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2. gall (noun n.): gall
með ‘with’
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með (prep.): with
dreggjum ‘dregs’
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dregg (noun f.; °-jar): dregs
notes
[2] dreggjum ‘with dregs’: Cf. Matt. XXVII.34: et dederunt ei vinum bibere cum felle mixtum ‘and they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall’. The word appears earlier in 15/5, where Lucifer sets about brewing the ‘dregs of death’.
fulla ‘utter’
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2. fullr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): full, complete
smán ‘debasement’
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smán (noun f.; °-ar): [debasement]
og ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
flestar ‘very many’
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fleiri (adj. comp.; °superl. flestr): more, most
pínur ‘torments’
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1. pína (noun f.; °-u; -ur): torment
fundu ‘worked’
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2. finna (verb): find, meet
þeir ‘they’
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
heimrinn ‘the world’
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heimr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-; -ar): home, abode; world
stundi ‘groaned’
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stynja (verb): [groaned, moaned]
Fölnar ‘pales’
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fǫlna (verb): grow pale
skinn ‘The skin’
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skinn (noun n.; °-s; -): skin, fur, leather
en ‘and’
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2. en (conj.): but, and
fellr ‘grows slack’
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falla (verb): fall
notes
[4] fellr að enni ‘grows slack at the forehead’: The idiom falla að is used of water or moisture, but it requires a subject. If an impersonal use of the verb were possible (none is attested), the image here could be of moisture (blood or sweat) falling from Christ’s forehead. JH suggests ‘the skin grows slack at the forehead’ (slappes over panden). It is somewhat difficult to imagine the skin of the forehead slackening, but cf. Julian of Norwich, A Book of Showings (Colledge and Walsh 1978, II, 362). Other translators propose ‘became wrinkled or contracted’, i.e. ‘fell’ in wrinkles (Finnur Jónsson 1772-8, II, 427; Baumgartner 1884, 58; Skj B; Paasche 1915, 75). Meissner (1922, 22) translates Die Stirn verfällt ‘the forehead slackens’.
að ‘at’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
notes
[4] fellr að enni ‘grows slack at the forehead’: The idiom falla að is used of water or moisture, but it requires a subject. If an impersonal use of the verb were possible (none is attested), the image here could be of moisture (blood or sweat) falling from Christ’s forehead. JH suggests ‘the skin grows slack at the forehead’ (slappes over panden). It is somewhat difficult to imagine the skin of the forehead slackening, but cf. Julian of Norwich, A Book of Showings (Colledge and Walsh 1978, II, 362). Other translators propose ‘became wrinkled or contracted’, i.e. ‘fell’ in wrinkles (Finnur Jónsson 1772-8, II, 427; Baumgartner 1884, 58; Skj B; Paasche 1915, 75). Meissner (1922, 22) translates Die Stirn verfällt ‘the forehead slackens’.
enni ‘the forehead’
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enni (noun n.; °-s; -): forehead, brow
notes
[4] fellr að enni ‘grows slack at the forehead’: The idiom falla að is used of water or moisture, but it requires a subject. If an impersonal use of the verb were possible (none is attested), the image here could be of moisture (blood or sweat) falling from Christ’s forehead. JH suggests ‘the skin grows slack at the forehead’ (slappes over panden). It is somewhat difficult to imagine the skin of the forehead slackening, but cf. Julian of Norwich, A Book of Showings (Colledge and Walsh 1978, II, 362). Other translators propose ‘became wrinkled or contracted’, i.e. ‘fell’ in wrinkles (Finnur Jónsson 1772-8, II, 427; Baumgartner 1884, 58; Skj B; Paasche 1915, 75). Meissner (1922, 22) translates Die Stirn verfällt ‘the forehead slackens’.
fættuz ‘became fewer’
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fætka (verb): [became fewer]
[6] fættuz: fæktar 99a, 705ˣ, fæktaz 622, 713, fækkar Vb, 41 8°ˣ, fækka 4892
orð ‘his words’
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orð (noun n.; °-s; -): word
þurru ‘diminished’
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1. þverra (verb): diminish
[6] þurru: þverrar 99a, 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ, þverra 713, 4892
notes
[6] mættir þurru ‘powers diminished’: The implication is that the strength of Christ’s words waned. Þverra as a strong verb is normally construed with a subject. All mss except Bb have þverrar, a form well attested in MIcel., but never used impersonally (JH).
mættir ‘his powers’
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máttr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. mǽtti/mátt; mǽttir, dat. -um): power
[6] mættir: mætti 622, Vb, 41 8°ˣ, 705ˣ
notes
[6] mættir þurru ‘powers diminished’: The implication is that the strength of Christ’s words waned. Þverra as a strong verb is normally construed with a subject. All mss except Bb have þverrar, a form well attested in MIcel., but never used impersonally (JH).
öndin ‘the soul’
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andi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): spirit, soul
leið ‘departed’
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2. leiða (verb; -dd): lead; (-sk) grow tired
af ‘from’
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af (prep.): from
píndum ‘the tortured’
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3. pína (verb): torture, torment
yfirvaldanda ‘supreme ruler’
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yfirvaldandi (noun m.)
[8] yfirvaldanda: yfirvaldandi 622, 713
kennings
yfirvaldanda himins og landa.‘supreme ruler of heaven and lands.’
= God
supreme ruler of heaven and lands. → God
himins ‘of heaven’
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himinn (noun m.; °himins, dat. himni; himnar): heaven, sky
kennings
yfirvaldanda himins og landa.‘supreme ruler of heaven and lands.’
= God
supreme ruler of heaven and lands. → God
og ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
kennings
yfirvaldanda himins og landa.‘supreme ruler of heaven and lands.’
= God
supreme ruler of heaven and lands. → God
landa ‘lands’
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land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land
kennings
yfirvaldanda himins og landa.‘supreme ruler of heaven and lands.’
= God
supreme ruler of heaven and lands. → God
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Black men bring the son of Mary gall mixed with dregs; they worked utter debasement and very many torments, and the world groaned. The skin pales and grows slack at the forehead; his words became fewer and his powers diminished; the soul departed from the tortured Jesus, supreme ruler of heaven and lands [= God (= Christ)].
[8]: Cf. 52/2 and Note.
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