Kálf Kátr 45VII
Kirsten Wolf (ed.) 2007, ‘Kálfr Hallsson, Kátrínardrápa 45’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 960.
Ljóðað hefi eg um líf og dauða
lims mætiligs aldar gætis;
djörfung mikil er slíkt að starfa
spilli baugs með tungu illri.
Hilding beiðir himna veldis
hneigiþollr, að reiðiz eigi,
öglis túna, orðum mínum;
yndi mitt hefi eg lagt við syndir.
Eg hefi ljóðað um líf og dauða {lims {mætiligs gætis aldar}}; mikil djörfung er að starfa slíkt {spilli baugs} með illri tungu. {Hneigiþollr {túna öglis}} beiðir {hilding himnaveldis}, að reiðiz eigi orðum mínum; eg hefi lagt yndi mitt við syndir.
I have composed [a poem] about the life and death {of the limb {of the great guardian of people}} [= God > HOLY WOMAN = Catherine]; it is great boldness to do such for {a destroyer of the ring} [GENEROUS MAN] with a poor tongue. {The giving tree {of the homefields of the snake}} [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN] asks {the king of the realm of the heavens} [= God] not to be angered by my words; I have taken my delight in sins.
Mss: 713(133), 399a-bˣ(24), 920ˣ(218v)
Readings: [1] eg: om. all; líf og dauða: ‘[...]auda’ 713, dauða with blank space in front 399a‑bˣ, ‘[...] dauda’ 920ˣ [4] spilli: so 399a‑bˣ, ‘spill[...]’ 713, 920ˣ [7] mínum: sínum all
Editions: Skj AII, 525, Skj BII, 580, Skald II, 320, Kahle 1898, 76, 108, Sperber 1911, 53, 83.
Notes: [1]: Emendations suggested by Finnur Jónsson (Skj B). — [7] öglis (m. gen. sg.) ‘of the hawk’: See Note to 14/3-4.
References
- Bibliography
- Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
- Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
- Sperber, Hans, ed. 1911. Sechs isländische Gedichte legendarischen Inhalts. Uppsala Universitets årsskrift, filosofi, språkvetenskap och historiska vetenskaper 2. Uppsala: Akademische Buchdruckerei Edv. Berling.
- Kahle, Bernhard, ed. 1898. Isländische geistliche Dichtungen des ausgehenden Mittelalters. Heidelberg: Winter.
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