Anon Líkn 13VII
George S. Tate (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Líknarbraut 13’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 244-5.
Vilda ‘would like’
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vilja (verb): want, intend
ek ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
vitra ‘of wise’
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vitr (adj.): wise
kennings
hvargóðum gæti* vegs vitra hölda,‘to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, ’
= God
to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, → God
notes
[1-2] gæti* vitra hölda vegs (dat.) ‘guardian of the way of wise men’: The ms. has gen. -gætis for gæti ‘guardian’ (dat. sg.). All eds emend: Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 39 to nom. gætir (speculating in a note that the <s> may derive from misreading an abbreviation stroke in an earlier ms.); all others to dat. gæti. Two strained readings are possible if the ms. gen. were retained. 1) the kenning could modify meinlætum ‘tribulations’ (l. 2) (as the scribe may have assumed), giving ‘I would like to offer a high refrain to that ever-good one who met with the hard torments of the guardian of the way of wise men’ (i.e. redundantly ‘to Christ who suffered Christ’s torments’. 2) The kenning could modify stef ‘refrain’ (l. 4), i.e. ‘I would like to offer the sublime stef of the guardian of the way of wise men who suffered hard torments’. In this case, ‘the guardian of the way of wise men’ might refer to the Cross. Both readings seem unsatisfactory.
hölda ‘men’
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hǫlðr (noun m.; °-s; -ar): man
kennings
hvargóðum gæti* vegs vitra hölda,‘to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, ’
= God
to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, → God
notes
[1-2] gæti* vitra hölda vegs (dat.) ‘guardian of the way of wise men’: The ms. has gen. -gætis for gæti ‘guardian’ (dat. sg.). All eds emend: Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 39 to nom. gætir (speculating in a note that the <s> may derive from misreading an abbreviation stroke in an earlier ms.); all others to dat. gæti. Two strained readings are possible if the ms. gen. were retained. 1) the kenning could modify meinlætum ‘tribulations’ (l. 2) (as the scribe may have assumed), giving ‘I would like to offer a high refrain to that ever-good one who met with the hard torments of the guardian of the way of wise men’ (i.e. redundantly ‘to Christ who suffered Christ’s torments’. 2) The kenning could modify stef ‘refrain’ (l. 4), i.e. ‘I would like to offer the sublime stef of the guardian of the way of wise men who suffered hard torments’. In this case, ‘the guardian of the way of wise men’ might refer to the Cross. Both readings seem unsatisfactory.
vegs ‘of the way’
(not checked:)
1. vegr (noun m.; °-s/-ar, dat. -i/-; -ar/-ir, gen. -a/-na, acc. -a/-i/-u): way, path, side
[2] vegs gæti*: ‘vegsge᷎tiss’ B, 399a‑bˣ
kennings
hvargóðum gæti* vegs vitra hölda,‘to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, ’
= God
to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, → God
notes
[1-2] gæti* vitra hölda vegs (dat.) ‘guardian of the way of wise men’: The ms. has gen. -gætis for gæti ‘guardian’ (dat. sg.). All eds emend: Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 39 to nom. gætir (speculating in a note that the <s> may derive from misreading an abbreviation stroke in an earlier ms.); all others to dat. gæti. Two strained readings are possible if the ms. gen. were retained. 1) the kenning could modify meinlætum ‘tribulations’ (l. 2) (as the scribe may have assumed), giving ‘I would like to offer a high refrain to that ever-good one who met with the hard torments of the guardian of the way of wise men’ (i.e. redundantly ‘to Christ who suffered Christ’s torments’. 2) The kenning could modify stef ‘refrain’ (l. 4), i.e. ‘I would like to offer the sublime stef of the guardian of the way of wise men who suffered hard torments’. In this case, ‘the guardian of the way of wise men’ might refer to the Cross. Both readings seem unsatisfactory.
kennings
hvargóðum gæti* vegs vitra hölda,‘to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, ’
= God
to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, → God
notes
[1-2] gæti* vitra hölda vegs (dat.) ‘guardian of the way of wise men’: The ms. has gen. -gætis for gæti ‘guardian’ (dat. sg.). All eds emend: Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 39 to nom. gætir (speculating in a note that the <s> may derive from misreading an abbreviation stroke in an earlier ms.); all others to dat. gæti. Two strained readings are possible if the ms. gen. were retained. 1) the kenning could modify meinlætum ‘tribulations’ (l. 2) (as the scribe may have assumed), giving ‘I would like to offer a high refrain to that ever-good one who met with the hard torments of the guardian of the way of wise men’ (i.e. redundantly ‘to Christ who suffered Christ’s torments’. 2) The kenning could modify stef ‘refrain’ (l. 4), i.e. ‘I would like to offer the sublime stef of the guardian of the way of wise men who suffered hard torments’. In this case, ‘the guardian of the way of wise men’ might refer to the Cross. Both readings seem unsatisfactory.
mein ‘tribulations’
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mein (noun n.; °-s; -): harm, injury < meinlæti (noun n.): suffering
lætum ‘’
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læti (noun n.; °; -, dat. látum/lǽtum): agony < meinlæti (noun n.): suffering
hátt ‘a sublime’
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3. hár (adj.; °-van; compar. hǽrri, superl. hǽstr): high
er ‘who’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
hörðum ‘hard’
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harðr (adj.; °comp. -ari; superl. -astr): hard, harsh
mætti ‘met with’
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mega (verb): may, might
hvar ‘to the ever’
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hvar (adv.): where < hvargóðr (adj.)
kennings
hvargóðum gæti* vegs vitra hölda,‘to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, ’
= God
to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, → God
góðum ‘good’
(not checked:)
góðr (adj.): good < hvargóðr (adj.)
kennings
hvargóðum gæti* vegs vitra hölda,‘to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, ’
= God
to the ever-good guardian of the way of wise men, → God
stef ‘refrain’
(not checked:)
stef (noun n.; °; -): refrain
bjóða ‘to offer’
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bjóða (verb; °býðr; bauð, buðu; boðinn (buð- Thom¹ 5²n.)): offer, order, invite
Krists ‘Christ’
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Kristr (noun m.; °-s/-, dat. -i; -ar): Christ
[5] Krists: Kristr B, 399a‑bˣ
notes
[5] Krists: Kristr in ms. B; all eds assume a scribal error (because of vinnr: i.e. Kristr vinnr krapt), repeated in subsequent incipits of the stef (17/5, 21/5, 25/5, 29/5).
vinnr ‘gains’
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2. vinna (verb): perform, work
krapt ‘power’
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1. kraftr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/- ; -ar): power
notes
[5] krapt ‘power’: The word may have a richer theological connotation, for in the ON Elucidarium Lat. gratia ‘grace’ is sometimes translated as kraptr (Salvesen 1968, 42; cf. Walter 1976, 43).
ins ‘of the’
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2. inn (art.): the
hæsta ‘most high’
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hœgri (adj. comp.): higher, highest
kross ‘The cross’
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kross (noun m.; °-, dat. -i; -ar): cross, crucifix < krossmark (noun n.): sign of the cross
mark ‘sign’
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mark (noun n.; °-s; *-): sign < krossmark (noun n.): sign of the cross
viðum ‘for trees’
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1. viðr (noun m.; °-ar, dat. -i/-; -ir, acc. -u/-i): wood, tree
kennings
viðum hnossa;‘for trees of treasures; ’
= MEN
for trees of treasures; → MEN
notes
[6] viðum hnossa ‘trees of hammered ornament’: Hnoss (< hnjóða ‘to hammer’) as also used as determinant in 42/6 (hnossa brjótr ‘breaker of hammered ornament [GENEROUS MAN]’). On the theme of hammering see commentary to 16/7.
hnossa ‘of treasures’
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1. hnoss (noun f.; °; -ir): treasure
kennings
viðum hnossa;‘for trees of treasures; ’
= MEN
for trees of treasures; → MEN
notes
[6] viðum hnossa ‘trees of hammered ornament’: Hnoss (< hnjóða ‘to hammer’) as also used as determinant in 42/6 (hnossa brjótr ‘breaker of hammered ornament [GENEROUS MAN]’). On the theme of hammering see commentary to 16/7.
alls ‘of all’
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allr (adj.): all
bezt ‘best’
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betri (adj. comp.; °superl. beztr/baztr; pos. góðr adj.): better, best
lofar ‘exalts’
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lofa (verb): praise, permit
æztan ‘the highest’
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œðri (adj. comp.): nobler, higher
kennings
æztan konung fyrða.‘the highest king of men.’
= RULER = Christ
the highest king of men. → RULER = Christ
öll ‘all’
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allr (adj.): all
dýrð ‘glory’
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dýrð (noun f.; °-ar/-a(NoDipl(1279) 44²); -ir): glory
konung ‘king’
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
kennings
æztan konung fyrða.‘the highest king of men.’
= RULER = Christ
the highest king of men. → RULER = Christ
fyrða ‘of men’
(not checked:)
2. fyrðr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -): man
kennings
æztan konung fyrða.‘the highest king of men.’
= RULER = Christ
the highest king of men. → RULER = Christ
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Having alluded to the Nativity in st. 12, the poet, as if present, now offers Christ a hátt stef ‘sublime refrain’ as a gift as he begins the refrain section (stefjabálkr). — [5]: A marginal ms. obelos (†) indicates occurrence of the stef here and at later occurrences.
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