Anon Líkn 30VII
George S. Tate (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Líknarbraut 30’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 260-1.
Krýp ‘creep’
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krjúpa (verb): creep, kneel
notes
[1] krýp ek til kross ‘I creep to the Cross’: The phrase alludes to the Adoration of the Cross on Good Friday. See, e.g., the fragment (AM 266 4°, c. 1400) of the Gufudalr Ordinary, adapted from that of Nidaros: Þui næst skal prestr fara vr messu hökli ok af skoou[m] ok hosum ok kriupi til kross berrfættr ok syngia þad er til er skipat ‘Then shall the priest remove the chasuble and his shoes and hose and creep barefoot to the crucifix and sing that which is specified’ (Magnus Már Lárusson 1958, 209). The phrase ‘creep to the Cross’ only occurs in Germanic vernaculars (see OED: creep 3; cf. Swed. krypa till krysse (C16th), Ahnlund 1924, 180); Lat. employs less descriptive verbs (procedo, venio ad crucem salutandam), but more is meant by krjúpa here than LP’s ‘to prostrate oneself or fall upon one’s knees’. The verb denotes moving forward in veneration or penitence rather than static kneeling or prostration and is attested in skaldic verse as early as Þloft Glækv 8/4I (C11th).
ek ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
notes
[1] krýp ek til kross ‘I creep to the Cross’: The phrase alludes to the Adoration of the Cross on Good Friday. See, e.g., the fragment (AM 266 4°, c. 1400) of the Gufudalr Ordinary, adapted from that of Nidaros: Þui næst skal prestr fara vr messu hökli ok af skoou[m] ok hosum ok kriupi til kross berrfættr ok syngia þad er til er skipat ‘Then shall the priest remove the chasuble and his shoes and hose and creep barefoot to the crucifix and sing that which is specified’ (Magnus Már Lárusson 1958, 209). The phrase ‘creep to the Cross’ only occurs in Germanic vernaculars (see OED: creep 3; cf. Swed. krypa till krysse (C16th), Ahnlund 1924, 180); Lat. employs less descriptive verbs (procedo, venio ad crucem salutandam), but more is meant by krjúpa here than LP’s ‘to prostrate oneself or fall upon one’s knees’. The verb denotes moving forward in veneration or penitence rather than static kneeling or prostration and is attested in skaldic verse as early as Þloft Glækv 8/4I (C11th).
til ‘to’
(not checked:)
til (prep.): to
notes
[1] krýp ek til kross ‘I creep to the Cross’: The phrase alludes to the Adoration of the Cross on Good Friday. See, e.g., the fragment (AM 266 4°, c. 1400) of the Gufudalr Ordinary, adapted from that of Nidaros: Þui næst skal prestr fara vr messu hökli ok af skoou[m] ok hosum ok kriupi til kross berrfættr ok syngia þad er til er skipat ‘Then shall the priest remove the chasuble and his shoes and hose and creep barefoot to the crucifix and sing that which is specified’ (Magnus Már Lárusson 1958, 209). The phrase ‘creep to the Cross’ only occurs in Germanic vernaculars (see OED: creep 3; cf. Swed. krypa till krysse (C16th), Ahnlund 1924, 180); Lat. employs less descriptive verbs (procedo, venio ad crucem salutandam), but more is meant by krjúpa here than LP’s ‘to prostrate oneself or fall upon one’s knees’. The verb denotes moving forward in veneration or penitence rather than static kneeling or prostration and is attested in skaldic verse as early as Þloft Glækv 8/4I (C11th).
kross ‘the Cross’
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kross (noun m.; °-, dat. -i; -ar): cross, crucifix
notes
[1] krýp ek til kross ‘I creep to the Cross’: The phrase alludes to the Adoration of the Cross on Good Friday. See, e.g., the fragment (AM 266 4°, c. 1400) of the Gufudalr Ordinary, adapted from that of Nidaros: Þui næst skal prestr fara vr messu hökli ok af skoou[m] ok hosum ok kriupi til kross berrfættr ok syngia þad er til er skipat ‘Then shall the priest remove the chasuble and his shoes and hose and creep barefoot to the crucifix and sing that which is specified’ (Magnus Már Lárusson 1958, 209). The phrase ‘creep to the Cross’ only occurs in Germanic vernaculars (see OED: creep 3; cf. Swed. krypa till krysse (C16th), Ahnlund 1924, 180); Lat. employs less descriptive verbs (procedo, venio ad crucem salutandam), but more is meant by krjúpa here than LP’s ‘to prostrate oneself or fall upon one’s knees’. The verb denotes moving forward in veneration or penitence rather than static kneeling or prostration and is attested in skaldic verse as early as Þloft Glækv 8/4I (C11th).
en ‘and’
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2. en (conj.): but, and
glæpa ‘of sin’
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glœpr (noun m.): sin, misdeed
notes
[1-2] bönd glæpa ‘bonds of sin’: Cf. Prov. V.22 funibus peccatorum suorum constringitur ‘fettered by the bonds of his sins’. Skj B takes bönd with knosuð (l. 2) (i.e. ‘broken bonds’) and glæpa with þjósti (l. 4); NN §1393, unable to see how broken bands can then be loosened, rejects this reading.
knosuð ‘torn’
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knosa (verb): [torn]
bönd ‘the bonds’
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band (noun n.; °-s; *-): band, bond
notes
[1-2] bönd glæpa ‘bonds of sin’: Cf. Prov. V.22 funibus peccatorum suorum constringitur ‘fettered by the bonds of his sins’. Skj B takes bönd with knosuð (l. 2) (i.e. ‘broken bonds’) and glæpa with þjósti (l. 4); NN §1393, unable to see how broken bands can then be loosened, rejects this reading.
af ‘thereby’
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af (prep.): from
losna ‘are loosened’
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losna (verb): loosen
ótta ‘fear’
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ótti (noun m.; °-a): fear < óttafullr (adj.)
[3] óttafullr: ‘ótta f[...]llr’ B, ‘ótta fụllr’ 399a‑bˣ
fullr ‘ful’
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2. fullr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): full, complete < óttafullr (adj.)
[3] óttafullr: ‘ótta f[...]llr’ B, ‘ótta fụllr’ 399a‑bˣ
með ‘’
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með (prep.): with
innan ‘within’
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innan (prep.): inside, within
brjósts ‘breast’
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brjóst (noun n.; °-s; -): breast, chest
frá ‘away from’
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frá (prep.): from
notes
[4] frá þjósti ‘away from anger’: Approaching the Cross (on the altar) ‘away from anger’ may allude to Christ’s exhortation in the Sermon on the Mount to put away anger and be reconciled with one’s brother before making an offering at the altar (Matt. V.22, 24-5), an injunction especially appropriate in a monastic context. The þjóst- : brjóst- rhyme also occurs in EGils Guðkv 30/2IV and Lil 48/8.
þjósti ‘anger’
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þjóstr (noun m.; °dat. -i): rage, anger, rancour
notes
[4] frá þjósti ‘away from anger’: Approaching the Cross (on the altar) ‘away from anger’ may allude to Christ’s exhortation in the Sermon on the Mount to put away anger and be reconciled with one’s brother before making an offering at the altar (Matt. V.22, 24-5), an injunction especially appropriate in a monastic context. The þjóst- : brjóst- rhyme also occurs in EGils Guðkv 30/2IV and Lil 48/8.
Dýrt ‘the precious’
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dýrr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -str/-astr): precious
kennings
dýrt píslartré,‘the precious Passion-tree, ’
= CROSS
the precious Passion-tree, → CROSS
kveð ‘address’
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2. kveðja (verb; kvaddi): (dd) request, address, greet
ek ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
hræddu ‘With a fearful’
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1. hræddr (adj.): afraid
hjarta ‘heart’
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hjarta (noun n.; °-; *-u): heart
hug ‘’
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hugr (noun m.): mind, thought, courage < huggóðr (adj.): merciful
kennings
huggóðs grams grundar geisla.‘of the benevolent king of the land of rays.’
= God
the land of rays. → SKY/HEAVEN
the benevolent king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
góðs ‘of the benevolent’
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góðr (adj.): good < huggóðr (adj.): merciful
kennings
huggóðs grams grundar geisla.‘of the benevolent king of the land of rays.’
= God
the land of rays. → SKY/HEAVEN
the benevolent king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
drifit ‘besprinkled’
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2. drífa (verb; °drífr; dreif, drifu; drifinn): drive, rush
notes
[6] blóði (dat.) ‘blood’: Analogous ll. occur in Has 12/4 huggóðr jöfurr blóði and ÞKolb Gunndr 1/6V hugmóðr drifinn blóði.
grams ‘king’
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1. gramr (noun m.): ruler
kennings
huggóðs grams grundar geisla.‘of the benevolent king of the land of rays.’
= God
the land of rays. → SKY/HEAVEN
the benevolent king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
píslar ‘Passion’
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písl (noun f.; °-ar; -ir/-ar(Maurit 650²²)): torture < píslartré (noun n.)
kennings
dýrt píslartré,‘the precious Passion-tree, ’
= CROSS
the precious Passion-tree, → CROSS
tré ‘tree’
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tré (noun n.; °-s; tré/trjó, gen. trjá, dat. trjóm/trjám): tree < píslartré (noun n.)
kennings
dýrt píslartré,‘the precious Passion-tree, ’
= CROSS
the precious Passion-tree, → CROSS
geisla ‘of rays’
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geisli (noun m.): beam of light
kennings
huggóðs grams grundar geisla.‘of the benevolent king of the land of rays.’
= God
the land of rays. → SKY/HEAVEN
the benevolent king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
geisla ‘of rays’
(not checked:)
geisli (noun m.): beam of light
kennings
huggóðs grams grundar geisla.‘of the benevolent king of the land of rays.’
= God
the land of rays. → SKY/HEAVEN
the benevolent king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
grundar ‘of the land’
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grund (noun f.): earth, land
kennings
huggóðs grams grundar geisla.‘of the benevolent king of the land of rays.’
= God
the land of rays. → SKY/HEAVEN
the benevolent king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
grundar ‘of the land’
(not checked:)
grund (noun f.): earth, land
kennings
huggóðs grams grundar geisla.‘of the benevolent king of the land of rays.’
= God
the land of rays. → SKY/HEAVEN
the benevolent king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
sköpum ‘by fate’
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1. skap (noun n.; °-s; *-): mind, fate
bundinn ‘bound’
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binda (verb; °bindr; batt/bant(cf. [$332$]), bundu; bundinn): bind, tie
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Krýp ek til kross, en glæpa |
Wholly fearful within my breast, I creep to the Cross away from anger, and the bonds of sin, torn thereby, are loosened. With a fearful heart, bound by fate, I address the precious Passion-tree [CROSS], besprinkled with blood, of the benevolent king of the land of rays [SKY/HEAVEN > = God (= Christ)].
This st. marks the beginning of the poem’s several direct references to the liturgy for Good Friday, including the Adoration of the Cross (adoratio crucis) and the Reproaches (improperia) of Christ from the Cross (see sts 43-5), signalled by the phrase Mín þjóð ‘O my people’ 45/1, echoing the recurrent Popule meus of the rite. Between these two markers (sts 30 and 45), the poet draws occasional images from the two famous Cross hymns by Venantius Fortunatus (C6th), Pange lingua (sung during the Adoration) and Vexilla regis (the processional hymn at its conclusion); these allusions are pointed out in the Notes. On the history of the rite, see Römer 1955 and Schmidt 1956-7, II, 789-803; for Scandinavia, Gjerløw 1961 and Björkman 1957, 266-7, 282-5; on Líkn, Tate 1978.
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