Anon Líkn 52VII
George S. Tate (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Líknarbraut 52’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 286.
Mæztr ‘most glorious’
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2. mærr (adj.): famous
lát ‘let’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
merki ‘the sign’
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1. merki (noun n.; °-s: -): banner, sign
crúcis ‘of the Cross’
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krúx (noun m.): cross
notes
[1] crúcis ‘of the Cross’: See Note to 39/1.
minn ‘My’
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minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my
notes
[2] minn : skína: The short/long rhyme i : í also occurs at 11/6 (minn : þína) and 47/2 (þíns : inna).
lausnari ‘Saviour’
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lausnari (noun m.; °-a;): saviour, redeemer
skína ‘shine’
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skína (verb): shine
notes
[2] minn : skína: The short/long rhyme i : í also occurs at 11/6 (minn : þína) and 47/2 (þíns : inna).
örr ‘bountiful’
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ǫrr (adj.): generous, brave
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
atferð ‘conduct’
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atferð (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): behaviour
várri ‘our’
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várr (pron.; °f. ór/vár; pl. órir/várir): our
alla ‘every’
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allr (adj.): all
stund ‘hour’
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stund (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): time, hour
á ‘on’
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3. á (prep.): on, at
grundu ‘earth’
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grund (noun f.): earth, land
svá ‘so’
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svá (adv.): so, thus
at ‘that’
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4. at (conj.): that
notes
[5] eilífrar ‘eternal’: Ms. eilífra; the scribe apparently construed the adj. as gen. pl. modifying contiguous jöfra ‘princes’. Sveinbjörn Egilsson’s (1844, 51) emendation to gen. sg. modifying vistar ‘abode’ (l. 8), adopted by all subsequent eds, seems preferable to ‘lord of eternal princes’. The emendation (as well as 399a-bˣ’s clear reading of initial ‘v’ in vistar (l. 8)) finds further support from Leið 40/4 (eilífrar vistar), since the poet often borrowed directly from Leið.
jöfra ‘of princes’
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jǫfurr (noun m.): ruler, prince
kennings
dróttinn jöfra,‘lord of princes, ’
= God
lord of princes, → God
notes
[5-6] dróttinn jöfra ‘lord of princes [= God (= Christ)]’: The exact kenning occurs elsewhere only of an earthly king, in Sturl Hryn 13/3II, but cf. (of God) konungr jöfra ‘king of princes’ Líkn 20/4 and vísa dróttinn ‘lord of princes’ EGils Guðv 10/6IV.
ótt ‘without’
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ótti (noun m.; °-a): fear < óttlauss (adj.): fearless
[6] óttlaust: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘[...]ttlaust’ B
notes
[6] óttlaust með þér dróttinn ‘without fear with you, lord’: Restoration based upon 399a-bˣ; the ‘ó’ (all but the accent of which is now lost in a lacuna) was legible in 1973 when the present ed. first worked with the poem and can still be seen in photographs from that time. Cf. Óttlaust með sér dróttinn, Mdr 43/6. Kock (NN §2113) translates óttlaust as förvisso ‘assuredly’.
laust ‘fear’
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lauss (adj.; °compar. lausari): loose, free, without < óttlauss (adj.): fearless
[6] óttlaust: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘[...]ttlaust’ B
notes
[6] óttlaust með þér dróttinn ‘without fear with you, lord’: Restoration based upon 399a-bˣ; the ‘ó’ (all but the accent of which is now lost in a lacuna) was legible in 1973 when the present ed. first worked with the poem and can still be seen in photographs from that time. Cf. Óttlaust með sér dróttinn, Mdr 43/6. Kock (NN §2113) translates óttlaust as förvisso ‘assuredly’.
með ‘along with’
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með (prep.): with
notes
[6] óttlaust með þér dróttinn ‘without fear with you, lord’: Restoration based upon 399a-bˣ; the ‘ó’ (all but the accent of which is now lost in a lacuna) was legible in 1973 when the present ed. first worked with the poem and can still be seen in photographs from that time. Cf. Óttlaust með sér dróttinn, Mdr 43/6. Kock (NN §2113) translates óttlaust as förvisso ‘assuredly’.
þér ‘you’
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þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
notes
[6] óttlaust með þér dróttinn ‘without fear with you, lord’: Restoration based upon 399a-bˣ; the ‘ó’ (all but the accent of which is now lost in a lacuna) was legible in 1973 when the present ed. first worked with the poem and can still be seen in photographs from that time. Cf. Óttlaust með sér dróttinn, Mdr 43/6. Kock (NN §2113) translates óttlaust as förvisso ‘assuredly’.
dróttinn ‘lord’
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dróttinn (noun m.; °dróttins, dat. dróttni (drottini [$1049$]); dróttnar): lord, master
kennings
dróttinn jöfra,‘lord of princes, ’
= God
lord of princes, → God
notes
[5-6] dróttinn jöfra ‘lord of princes [= God (= Christ)]’: The exact kenning occurs elsewhere only of an earthly king, in Sturl Hryn 13/3II, but cf. (of God) konungr jöfra ‘king of princes’ Líkn 20/4 and vísa dróttinn ‘lord of princes’ EGils Guðv 10/6IV. — [6] óttlaust með þér dróttinn ‘without fear with you, lord’: Restoration based upon 399a-bˣ; the ‘ó’ (all but the accent of which is now lost in a lacuna) was legible in 1973 when the present ed. first worked with the poem and can still be seen in photographs from that time. Cf. Óttlaust með sér dróttinn, Mdr 43/6. Kock (NN §2113) translates óttlaust as förvisso ‘assuredly’.
dróttinn ‘lord’
(not checked:)
dróttinn (noun m.; °dróttins, dat. dróttni (drottini [$1049$]); dróttnar): lord, master
kennings
dróttinn jöfra,‘lord of princes, ’
= God
lord of princes, → God
notes
[5-6] dróttinn jöfra ‘lord of princes [= God (= Christ)]’: The exact kenning occurs elsewhere only of an earthly king, in Sturl Hryn 13/3II, but cf. (of God) konungr jöfra ‘king of princes’ Líkn 20/4 and vísa dróttinn ‘lord of princes’ EGils Guðv 10/6IV. — [6] óttlaust með þér dróttinn ‘without fear with you, lord’: Restoration based upon 399a-bˣ; the ‘ó’ (all but the accent of which is now lost in a lacuna) was legible in 1973 when the present ed. first worked with the poem and can still be seen in photographs from that time. Cf. Óttlaust með sér dróttinn, Mdr 43/6. Kock (NN §2113) translates óttlaust as förvisso ‘assuredly’.
notes
[7] eigniz ‘might obtain’: Ms. ‘eígnezt’; on <z> for <zt/st>, see Note to 35/8.
æztan ‘the highest’
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œðri (adj. comp.): nobler, higher
fögnuð ‘joy’
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fǫgnuðr (noun m.; °fagnaðar; fagnaðir): joy
unaðs ‘of happiness’
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unað (noun n.; °-s): happiness
notes
[8] kristit lið ... vistar unaðs ‘The Christian host ... of the abode of happiness’: Perhaps as a final acknowledgment of his debt to his two principal models, the poet combines in his last l. elements of the final ll. of Has and Leið: unaðs ‘of happiness’ (in same position) Has 65/8 and kristinn lýð til vistar ‘Christian people to [a heavenly] abode’ Leið 45/8.
vistar ‘abode’
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vist (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): abode, lodging, provisions
[8] vistar: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘[...]istar’ B
notes
[8] kristit lið ... vistar unaðs ‘The Christian host ... of the abode of happiness’: Perhaps as a final acknowledgment of his debt to his two principal models, the poet combines in his last l. elements of the final ll. of Has and Leið: unaðs ‘of happiness’ (in same position) Has 65/8 and kristinn lýð til vistar ‘Christian people to [a heavenly] abode’ Leið 45/8.
lið ‘host’
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lið (noun n.; °-s; -): retinue, troop
notes
[8] kristit lið ... vistar unaðs ‘The Christian host ... of the abode of happiness’: Perhaps as a final acknowledgment of his debt to his two principal models, the poet combines in his last l. elements of the final ll. of Has and Leið: unaðs ‘of happiness’ (in same position) Has 65/8 and kristinn lýð til vistar ‘Christian people to [a heavenly] abode’ Leið 45/8.
kristit ‘the Christian’
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kristinn (adj.; °superl. kristnastr): Christian
notes
[8] kristit lið ... vistar unaðs ‘The Christian host ... of the abode of happiness’: Perhaps as a final acknowledgment of his debt to his two principal models, the poet combines in his last l. elements of the final ll. of Has and Leið: unaðs ‘of happiness’ (in same position) Has 65/8 and kristinn lýð til vistar ‘Christian people to [a heavenly] abode’ Leið 45/8.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
This prayer for the sign of the cross to shine in all our atferð ‘conduct’ is reminiscent of the first 45 ll. of Bonaventure’s famous poem (also C13th) Laudismus de sancta cruce (1882-1902, VIII, 667) in which the audience is exhorted to let the Cross be present in – and govern – body, tongue, heart, mouth, limbs, mind, meditation – in short, to be active in one’s whole conduct: In praeclara cruce stude / Et in ipsa te reclude / Magna cum laetitia ‘Desire to repose in the radiant Cross, and enclose yourself in it, with great gladness’ (43-5).
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