Kálf Kátr 1VII
Kirsten Wolf (ed.) 2007, ‘Kálfr Hallsson, Kátrínardrápa 1’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 932-3.
Drottinn ‘Lord’
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dróttinn (noun m.; °dróttins, dat. dróttni (drottini [$1049$]); dróttnar): lord, master
kennings
Dýrr drottinn dæmistóls,‘Glorious Lord of the judgement seat, ’
= God
Glorious Lord of the judgement seat, → God
notes
[1] drottinn ‘Lord’: The quantity of <o> in C14th poetry varies from poem to poem and within poems. Here it is given as short [o], except where internal rhyme requires a long vowel, e.g. 2/6.
gief ‘grant’
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gefa (verb): give
þú ‘’
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þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
dýrr ‘Glorious’
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dýrr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -str/-astr): precious
kennings
Dýrr drottinn dæmistóls,‘Glorious Lord of the judgement seat, ’
= God
Glorious Lord of the judgement seat, → God
að ‘that’
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4. at (conj.): that
eg ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
mætta ‘might’
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mega (verb): may, might
dæmistóls ‘of the judgement seat’
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dœmistóll (noun m.; °·stóls, dat. ·stóli; ·stólar): judgement seat
kennings
Dýrr drottinn dæmistóls,‘Glorious Lord of the judgement seat, ’
= God
Glorious Lord of the judgement seat, → God
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
hróðri ‘praise’
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hróðr (noun m.): encomium, praise
sæma ‘honour’
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sœma (verb): honour
alhreinasta ‘very purest’
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alhreinn (adj.): [very purest]
[3] alhreinasta: at hreinasta all
ambátt ‘handmaid’
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ambátt (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir/-ar (ambottor EiðKrA 391²²)): handmaid
þína ‘your’
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þinn (pron.; °f. þín, n. þitt): your
Jésús ‘Jesus’
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Jésús (noun m.): Jesus
Kristr ‘Christ’
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Kristr (noun m.; °-s/-, dat. -i; -ar): Christ
af ‘from’
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af (prep.): from
notes
[4] af húsi mærðar ‘from the house of encomium [MOUTH]’: This kenning has been construed here as ‘mouth’, but it could equally well be ‘breast’.
mærðar ‘of encomium’
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mærð (noun f.): praise
kennings
húsi mærðar.‘the house of encomium. ’
= MOUTH
the house of encomium. → MOUTH
notes
[4] af húsi mærðar ‘from the house of encomium [MOUTH]’: This kenning has been construed here as ‘mouth’, but it could equally well be ‘breast’.
húsi ‘the house’
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hús (noun n.; °-s; -): house
kennings
húsi mærðar.‘the house of encomium. ’
= MOUTH
the house of encomium. → MOUTH
notes
[4] af húsi mærðar ‘from the house of encomium [MOUTH]’: This kenning has been construed here as ‘mouth’, but it could equally well be ‘breast’.
Þar ‘that’
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þar (adv.): there
næst ‘After’
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næst (adv.): next
milda ‘the gentle’
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mildr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -astr): mild, gentle, gracious, generous
kennings
milda móður frægs þeingils mána‘the gentle mother of the famous king of the moon ’
= Mary
the famous king of the moon → God
the gentle mother of GOD → Mary
móður ‘mother’
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móðir (noun f.): mother
kennings
milda móður frægs þeingils mána‘the gentle mother of the famous king of the moon ’
= Mary
the famous king of the moon → God
the gentle mother of GOD → Mary
mána ‘of the moon’
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máni (noun m.; °-a): moon
kennings
milda móður frægs þeingils mána‘the gentle mother of the famous king of the moon ’
= Mary
the famous king of the moon → God
the gentle mother of GOD → Mary
mána ‘of the moon’
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máni (noun m.; °-a): moon
kennings
milda móður frægs þeingils mána‘the gentle mother of the famous king of the moon ’
= Mary
the famous king of the moon → God
the gentle mother of GOD → Mary
þeingils ‘king’
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þengill (noun m.): prince, ruler
kennings
milda móður frægs þeingils mána‘the gentle mother of the famous king of the moon ’
= Mary
the famous king of the moon → God
the gentle mother of GOD → Mary
þeingils ‘king’
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þengill (noun m.): prince, ruler
kennings
milda móður frægs þeingils mána‘the gentle mother of the famous king of the moon ’
= Mary
the famous king of the moon → God
the gentle mother of GOD → Mary
frægs ‘of the famous’
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frægr (adj.; °-jan/-an; compar. -ri, superl. -jastr/-astr/-str): famous, renowned
kennings
milda móður frægs þeingils mána‘the gentle mother of the famous king of the moon ’
= Mary
the famous king of the moon → God
the gentle mother of GOD → Mary
frægs ‘of the famous’
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frægr (adj.; °-jan/-an; compar. -ri, superl. -jastr/-astr/-str): famous, renowned
kennings
milda móður frægs þeingils mána‘the gentle mother of the famous king of the moon ’
= Mary
the famous king of the moon → God
the gentle mother of GOD → Mary
og ‘and’
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3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
eg ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
nú ‘now’
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nú (adv.): now
hljóðs ‘for a hearing’
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hljóð (noun n.; °-s; -): sound, silence, a hearing
að ‘that’
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4. at (conj.): that
oss ‘for us [me]’
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vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our
skuli ‘they will’
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skulu (verb): shall, should, must
mýkja ‘make it easier’
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mýkja (verb): [make it easier]
arfa ‘heir’
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arfi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): heir, heiress
notes
[8] arfa Halls ‘heir of Hallur’: The poet names himself here via his patronym, and towards the poem’s end gives his personal name Kálfr ‘calf’ in both Icel. and Lat. (49/1, 51/3). In 51/1-4 he arguably repeats his patronym, concealing it in word play. See Note ad loc. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends arfa Halls to orða hall ‘the hall of words [TONGUE]’ and considers it the object of mýkja (which can also mean ‘soften’); accordingly, he translates the phrase as follows: ‘that they will soften my tongue, so that it does not become stiff’. Kock (NN §1774; Skald) emends arfa Halls to örvar háls ‘arrows of the throat [WORDS]’. In view of the careful self-naming of sts 49 and 51, however, neither of these emendations carry conviction.
Halls ‘of Hallur’
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4. Hallr (noun m.): Hallr
notes
[8] arfa Halls ‘heir of Hallur’: The poet names himself here via his patronym, and towards the poem’s end gives his personal name Kálfr ‘calf’ in both Icel. and Lat. (49/1, 51/3). In 51/1-4 he arguably repeats his patronym, concealing it in word play. See Note ad loc. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) emends arfa Halls to orða hall ‘the hall of words [TONGUE]’ and considers it the object of mýkja (which can also mean ‘soften’); accordingly, he translates the phrase as follows: ‘that they will soften my tongue, so that it does not become stiff’. Kock (NN §1774; Skald) emends arfa Halls to örvar háls ‘arrows of the throat [WORDS]’. In view of the careful self-naming of sts 49 and 51, however, neither of these emendations carry conviction.
svá ‘so’
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svá (adv.): so, thus
stirðni ‘becomes difficult’
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stirðna (verb): [becomes difficult]
valla ‘hardly’
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varla (adv.): hardly
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Glorious Lord of the judgement seat [= God (= Christ)], Jesus Christ, grant that I might honour your very purest handmaid in praise from the house of encomium [MOUTH]. After that I now ask the gentle mother of the famous king of the moon [= God (= Christ) > = Mary] and the angels for a hearing, that they will make it easier for us [me], the heir of Hallur, so that it hardly becomes difficult.
This st., with sts 2 and 3, form a conventional opening to a religious drápa, in which the poet calls upon Christ, the Virgin Mary and a host of other sacred beings for help in praising S. Catherine.
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