Katrina Attwood (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Máríudrápa 39’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 510-11.
Heil - vertu, - drottning - dýrðar,-
dagsbrún - ljós* ins fagra
heims …
…
sálna fjöld og sæla,
synda líkn og …
…
… konungs jöfra.
Heil vertu, drottning dýrðar, ljós* dagsbrún ins fagra heims …, fjöld og sæla sálna, líkn synda og … {konungs jöfra}.
Hail to you, queen of glory, shining daybreak of the beautiful world …, multitude and bliss of souls, salve of sins and … {of the king of princes} [= God (= Christ)].
Mss: B(14r), 399a-bˣ
Readings: [1] Heil: ‘[...]’ B, 399a‑bˣ, ‘[...]eil’ BRydberg, ‘[...]l’ BFJ [2] dagsbrún: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘dags[...]’ B, ‘da(g)s bru[...]’(?) BRydberg, ‘dag[...]r[...]’ BFJ; ljós*: ‘[...]iss’ B, ‘ḷịọ́ss’ 399a‑bˣ, ‘(lio)ss’(?) BRydberg; ins: ‘e[...]’ B, ‘eṇ’ 399a‑bˣ, ‘en(s)’(?) BRydberg; fagra: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘fa[...]’ B, BFJ, ‘fa(gra)’(?) BRydberg [3] heims: ‘[...]e[...]’ B, ‘hę[...]’ 399a‑bˣ, ‘heim(s)’(?) BRydberg, ‘hei[...]’ BFJ [4] …: ‘[...]e[...]yg[...]’ B, ‘[...]traust [...] rygd’ 399a‑bˣ, ‘[...]ryg(d)’(?) BRydberg, ‘[...]rygg[...]’ BFJ [5] fjöld: hvild 399a‑bˣ, BRydberg, ‘[...]ulld’ BFJ, ‘hialld’ BKA; sæla: ‘s[...]la’ B, BRydberg, ‘sę̣la’ 399a‑bˣ [6] synda: so 399a‑bˣ, BRydberg, BFJ, ‘sýn[...]a’ B; líkn: ‘l[...]kn’ B, BRydberg, BFJ, ‘l[...]’ 399a‑bˣ [8] …: ‘[...]a’ B, ‘[...]dr’ 399a‑bˣ, ‘[...]r’ BRydberg; jöfra: so 399a‑bˣ, BFJ, ‘io᷎[...]ra’ B, ‘oo᷎(fra)’(?) BRydberg
Editions: Skj AII, 470-1Rydberg 1907, 40, 58, Attwood 1996a, 113.
Notes: [1] Heil ‘Hail’: This word is no longer legible in B, but is supplied from sts 37 and 40-3. — [2-3] ljós* dagsbrún ins fagra heims ‘shining daybreak of the beautiful world’: This striking epithet for the Virgin Mary is one of many comparing her to sources of light, often heavenly bodies (cf. Schottmann 1973, 34-46). However, as Schottmann also remarks (1973, 36-7) the characterisation of Mary as dagsbrún, that is, the first streak of daylight between the end of night and the beginning of morning, has a special Christian significance, because it symbolises her role as the dawn before the coming of the true light, Jesus Christ, before whom the night of spiritual darkness will disappear. — [5] fjöld ‘multitude’: It is difficult to read B here, but ‘fiolld’, rather than ‘hvild’, ‘rest’, or ‘hialld’ (so Attwood 1996a = BKA), corresponds best to the visible evidence. Thanks are due to Ólafur Halldórsson and Valgerður Erna Þorvaldsdóttir for checking the ms. reading.
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