Gamlkan Has 57VII/8 — ó ‘frailties’
Heldr dœmðu mik, hǫlða
happvinnandi, þinni
meir af miskunn dýrri,
mætastr, an réttlæti.
Lít ok virð, sem vættik,
valdr blásinna tjalda
hreggs, at hjǫlp of þiggi,
hár, óstyrkðir várar.
Mætastr happvinnandi hǫlða, dœmðu mik heldr meir af þinni dýrri miskunn an réttlæti. Lít ok virð óstyrkðir várar, sem vættik, at of þiggi hjǫlp, hár valdr blásinna tjalda hreggs.
Most illustrious luck-worker of men [= God], judge me rather more out of your precious mercy than justice. Consider and evaluate our [my] frailties, which, I expect, may receive help, high ruler of the windswept tents of the storm [SKY/HEAVEN > = God].
notes
[8] óstyrkðir várar ‘our frailties’: The edn follows Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) and Kempff (1907, 56) in adopting Sveinbjörn Egilsson’s suggestion (note to 444ˣ transcript) that this phrase is the object of Lít ok virð ‘consider and evaluate’ (l. 5). Kock (NN §1213) objects that this sense is rather unlikely, since God’s nature is not to look upon sin, and thereby to destroy it, but rather to avert his eyes from it (cf. Exod. XXXIII.20, Ps. LI.9). Kock therefore takes óstyrkðir várar as part of the at-cl., construing the entire cl. at óstyrkðir várar hjǫlp of þiggi ‘that our frailties may receive help’ as the object of Lít ok virð.