Anon Líkn 11VII
George S. Tate (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Líknarbraut 11’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 241-3.
Kosti ‘strive’
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1. kosta (verb): try, strive
alls ‘all’
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allr (adj.): all
af ‘out of’
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af (prep.): from
notes
[1] ástum ‘loves’: The pl. may result from the skaldic practice of occasionally substituting pl. for sg. (or vice versa) or might allude to the two loves (of God and of neighbour) in Matt. XX.37-9; cf. tvennrar ástar ‘of twofold love’ in 34/3.
ein ‘the only’
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2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone < einsær (adj.)
[2] einsætt: ‘eíns(e)t’(?) B, einsæt 399a‑bˣ
sætt ‘choice’
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sættr (adj.): apparent, evident < einsær (adj.)
[2] einsætt: ‘eíns(e)t’(?) B, einsæt 399a‑bˣ
er ‘is’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
hreinum ‘pure’
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2. hreinn (adj.; °compar. hreinari/hreinni, superl. hreinastr/hreinstr): pure
[2] hreinum: hreinan B, 399a‑bˣ
magn ‘may the power’
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magn (noun n.; °-s): strength
stýri ‘govern’
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stýra (verb): steer, control
meira ‘the more’
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meiri (adj. comp.; °meiran; superl. mestr): more, most
maðr ‘man’
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maðr (noun m.): man, person
hverr ‘each’
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2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
svika ‘of falsehoods’
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1. svik (noun n.; °-s; -): deceit, treachery; poison
kennings
þverris svika‘of the diminisher of falsehoods ’
= VIRTUOUS RULER = Christ
the diminisher of falsehoods → VIRTUOUS RULER = Christ
notes
[4] þverris svika ‘diminisher of falsehoods [VIRTUOUS RULER = Christ]’: Restoration of ‘err’ based upon 399a-bˣ, supported by traces of the missing letters around the lacuna and by aðalhending. Skj B, followed by Skald, emends ms. acc. (or dat.) to gen. þverris. Cf. angrþverrir ‘grief-diminisher’ (of the Holy Ghost) Heildr 15/2 and þverrir flærðar ‘diminisher of falsehood’ Pl 7/3 (both C12th).
þverris ‘of the diminisher’
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þverrir (noun m.): diminisher
[4] þverris: ‘þu[...]e’ B, ‘þuerre’ 399a‑bˣ
kennings
þverris svika‘of the diminisher of falsehoods ’
= VIRTUOUS RULER = Christ
the diminisher of falsehoods → VIRTUOUS RULER = Christ
notes
[4] þverris svika ‘diminisher of falsehoods [VIRTUOUS RULER = Christ]’: Restoration of ‘err’ based upon 399a-bˣ, supported by traces of the missing letters around the lacuna and by aðalhending. Skj B, followed by Skald, emends ms. acc. (or dat.) to gen. þverris. Cf. angrþverrir ‘grief-diminisher’ (of the Holy Ghost) Heildr 15/2 and þverrir flærðar ‘diminisher of falsehood’ Pl 7/3 (both C12th).
þvít ‘because’
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þvít (conj.): because, since
marg ‘mani’
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2. margr (adj.; °-an): many < margfaldr (adj.): manifold
falda ‘fold’
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-faldr (adj.): -fold < margfaldr (adj.): manifold
mildi ‘mercy’
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mildi (noun f.): generosity, mercy
[5] mildi: ‘[...]llde’ B, ‘ṃiḷḷde’ 399a‑bˣ
notes
[5] mildi ‘mercy, tenderness’: Restoration based upon 399a-bˣ, supported by alliteration. The noun occurs again in 44/5; an important theme of the poem is that of Christ’s tender mercy.
minn ‘my’
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minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my
notes
[6] minn : þína: The short/long rhyme i : í also occurs at 47/2 (þíns : inna) and 52/2 (minn : skína).
lausnari ‘Saviour’
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lausnari (noun m.; °-a;): saviour, redeemer
þína ‘your’
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þinn (pron.; °f. þín, n. þitt): your
notes
[6] minn : þína: The short/long rhyme i : í also occurs at 47/2 (þíns : inna) and 52/2 (minn : skína).
hverja ‘every’
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2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
stund ‘hour’
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stund (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): time, hour
at ‘into’
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3. at (prep.): at, to
höndum ‘the hands’
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hǫnd (noun f.; °handar, dat. hendi; hendr (hendir StatPáll³ 752¹²)): hand
hlíf ‘of shield’
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hlíf (noun f.; °-ar; -ar): shield, defence < hlífrunnr (noun m.)
kennings
hlífrunnum.‘of shield-bushes.’
= WARRIORS
shield-bushes. → WARRIORS
runnum ‘bushes’
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runnr (noun m.; °dat. -i/-; -ar): bush, tree < hlífrunnr (noun m.)
kennings
hlífrunnum.‘of shield-bushes.’
= WARRIORS
shield-bushes. → WARRIORS
lætr ‘you allow’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
svífa ‘to glide’
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svífa (verb): sweep
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
At 11v l. 13 of ms. B full vel ‘very well’ appears as a marginal comment in a later hand. — [1-4]: The first helmingr presents difficulties, and none of the several possibilities is fully satisfactory. Sveinbjörn Egilsson and Rydberg maintain the ms. readings of hreinan (l. 2) and þverri (l. 4); Sveinbjörn also emends af (l. 1) to of and reads ástar for ms. ástum (l. 1). His arrangement, given in LP (1860): kosta, is hverr maðr kosti alls meira (= öllu fremr) ástar of hreinan svíka þverri, which, using a sense of kosta otherwise unattested, he translates loosely as ‘let each man show love (amorem erga quem exhibere, aliquem amare) all the more for the pure diminisher of falsehoods’. Without emendation, Rydberg construes as follows: hverr maðr kosti hreinan svíka þverri alls meira af ástum – þat er einsætt – magn stýri því ‘let each man prove/cost (?) the pure diminisher of falsehoods all the more out of love(s) – that is the only choice – may might govern it (?)’. The crux is the verb kosta (related to kjósa ‘to choose’). In the meaning ‘to try, put to the test’ it takes a gen. object (or inf. ‘to try to’); if ‘to cost’ or ‘defray expenses’ it takes acc. ‘Let each man cost Christ all the more out of love’ make no sense. If, however, an acc. object could work for ‘try, prove’, there would be a good biblical analogue in Mal. III.10 in which the Lord invites his people to try him (probate me) to see if he will not bless them abundantly. Another issue is whether stýri (l. 3) could be, rather than subj. of stýra ‘to rule, govern’, the acc. of stýrir in a Christ-kenning magnstýrir ‘might-ruler’ (or even magnstýrir alls ‘might-ruler of all/the universe’ (ll. 3,1)); cf. lífstýrir ‘life-ruler’ 5/2, himinstýrir ‘ruler of heaven’ 38/4, and vegstýrir ‘glory-ruler’ Has 59/6. Assuming, again, an acc. object of kosta and taking magnstýri in apposition to svíka þverri (l. 4), this would give hverr maðr kosti því meira hreinan magnstýri alls, svíka þverri, af ástum – þat er einsætt ‘let each man the more prove the pure might-ruler of all, the diminisher of falsehoods, out of loves – that is the only choice’. Not having found another attestation of kosta ‘try, prove’ with acc. object, however, this ed. reluctantly follows Skj B and Skald in emending ms. hreinan to hreinum and þverri to gen. þverris and in construing the helmingr with the w.o. above.
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