Kirsten Wolf (ed.) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Heilagra meyja drápa 3’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 893-4.
Sjá er prýðilig umfram aðrar
ástvinnandi drottins kvinnur,
þvíað riettlætis sólin settiz;
sjálf þrenningin skein af henni.
Hennar nafn er hverjum manni
hjartaligt fyr miskunn bjarta;
mildliga bergr hun jafnskjótt öllum,
allir senn þótt Máríam kalli.
Sjá er prýðilig umfram aðrar ástvinnandi kvinnur drottins, þvíað sólin riettlætis settiz; þrenningin sjálf skein af henni. Hennar nafn er hjartaligt hverjum manni fyr bjarta miskunn; hun bergr mildliga öllum jafnskjótt, þótt allir kalli Máríam senn.
‘She is splendid above other charitable women of the Lord, because the sun of justice was established; the Trinity itself shone from her. Her name is dear to every person because of her bright mercy; she graciously saves all people equally fast, even though all might call upon Mary simultaneously.’
[5-8]: The cult of the Virgin was extremely popular in Iceland as elsewhere, and is attested by the existence of numerous mss containing versions of her life and miracles (Widding 1961; Widding, Bekker-Nielsen and Shook 1963, 321-4), by a large number of skaldic poems in her honour, as well as by her patronage of twice as many churches as any other saint (Cormack 1994, 126-9). It is worth noting, in the context of her veneration, that each of sts 1-10 mentions the name ‘Mary’ at least once.
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.
Sía er pry | dílíg vm fram adrar· astvínandí drottíns kvínnr· þviat rettlætes solín settízt síalf | þreningen skein af henní· / hennar nafn er hverívm manne· hiartalígt firi myskun biartta· mill |dlíga bergr hun íafnskíott o᷎llvm· allir senn þott maríam kalli· //
(KW)
Sjá er prýðilig umfram aðrar
ástvinnandi drottins kvinnur,
þvíað riettlætis sólin settiz;
sjálf þrenningin skein af henni.
Hennar nöfn eru hverjum manni
hjartanlig fyr miskunn bjarta;
mildliga bergr hun jafnskjótt öllum,
allir senn þótt Máríam kalli.
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