Anon Líkn 5VII
George S. Tate (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Líknarbraut 5’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 234-5.
text and translation
Dreifðu, láðs ok lofða
lífstýrir, mér dýru,
leyfðar kendr, í lyndis
láð himnesku sáði,
ár svá at ávöxt færak,
alls kannandi, sannan,
elsku kuðr, af yðru
óþornuðu korni.
{Lífstýrir láðs ok lofða}, kendr leyfðar, dreifðu mér í {lyndis láð} dýru himnesku sáði, svá at færak ár, sannan ávöxt af yðru óþornuðu korni, {kannandi alls}, elsku kuðr.
‘Ruler of land and the life of men [(lit. ‘life-ruler of land and men’) = God], acknowledged in praise, sprinkle my mind’s land [BREAST] with precious heavenly seed, so that I may bring forth an abundance, true fruit from your unwithered seed, tester of all [= God], renowned for love.’
notes and context
The st.’s dominant image, that of God as sower whose seed is his word, depends upon such passages as I Cor. III.7-9 (God as husbandman who gives increase, cf. ár below) and the parable of the sower in Mark IV.3-20. See the OIcel. homily on ember-days (HómÍsl 1993, 16v-17r; HómÍsl 1872, 36): sva scolom vér nu haʟda þa. at vér náem andlego áre í hiortom rom ... Þa keomr orþa sáþ hans i hugscoz iorþ óra ‘thus we should now hold them [i.e. ember-days] that we might receive a spiritual abundance in our hearts ... Then the seed of his word will come into our mind’s ground’ (cf. lyndis láð below). With reference to this st., Paasche 1914a, 127, who noted this homiletic analogue, has also assembled relevant appellatives of Christ from church Lat.: e.g. verus et summus agricola ‘true and supreme husbandman’, sator universi ‘sower of the universe’, auctor spritualium fructum ‘creator of spiritual fruits’; cf. liturgical agricola caelestis ‘celestial husbandman’ (Manz 1941, 60, no. 34).
readings
- [3] kendr: ‘[...]dr’ B, ‘[...]ndr’ 399a‑bˣ
- [7] elsku: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘elsk[...]’ B
- [8] korni: ‘ko[...]i’ B, ‘korṇẹ’ 399a‑bˣ
sources
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
-
AM 757 a 4° (B) — 11r/49 - 11v/2
imagesDreifðu, láðs ok lofða
lífstýrir, mér dýru,
leyfðar †[...]dr†, í lyndis
láð himnesku sáði,
ár svá at ávöxt færak,
alls kannandi, sannan,
†elsk[...]† kuðr, af yðru
óþornuðu †ko[...]i†.Dreifdu láds ok lofda líf styrerr mer || dýru leýfdar [...]dr i lýndiss lád himnesku sáde ár suo at auo᷎xt fe᷎ragh allz kannan | de sannan elsk[...] kudr af ýdru o þornuðu ko[...]e.
(GST)
-
JS 399 a-b 4°x (399a-bx)
Dreifðu, láðs ok lofða
lífstýrir, mér dýru,
leyfðar †[...]ndr†, í lyndis
láð himnesku sáði,
ár svá at ávöxt færak,
alls kannandi, sannan,
elsku kuðr, af yðru
óþornuðu †korṇẹ†.
editions and texts
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], C. 1. Líknarbraut 5: AII, 151, BII, 161, Skald II, 86; Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 36, Rydberg 1907, 12, 48, Kock and Meissner 1931, I, 91, Tate 1974, 50.
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