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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Anon Líkn 5VII/5 — ár ‘an abundance’

Dreifðu, láðs ok lofða
lífstýrir, mér dýru,
leyfðar kendr, í lyndis
láð himnesku sáði,
ár svá at ávöxt færak,
alls kannandi, sannan,
elsku kuðr, af yðru
óþornuðu korni.

Lífstýrir láðs ok lofða, kendr leyfðar, dreifðu mér í lyndis láð dýru himnesku sáði, svá at færak ár, sannan ávöxt af yðru óþornuðu korni, kannandi alls, elsku kuðr.

Ruler of land and the life of men [(lit. ‘life-ruler of land and men’) = God], acknowledged in praise, sprinkle my mind’s land [BREAST] with precious heavenly seed, so that I may bring forth an abundance, true fruit from your unwithered seed, tester of all [= God], renowned for love.

notes

[5] ár ‘(year’s) abundance’: Cf. Lat. annona ‘year’s yield’. Skj B (cf. LP) and Kock and Meissner 1931, II, 10 construe ár as adv. ‘soon, quickly’, giving the sense svát ár færak sanna ávöxt ‘so that I may bring forth early (i.e. promptly) true fruit’. Though this is possible, the frequency of ár as ‘year’ or ‘year’s abundance’ in the poem, especially in kennings for God or Christ (10/2, 17/1, 20/5, 46/3, 47/3), together with the sowing imagery of the st., argues against it. A similar joint occurrence of ár and ávöxtr as synonyms is found in the ONorw. homily on the parable of the sower: þa fec hann þar mikit ár ok margfaldan á-vöxt ‘then he received a great abundance and manifold yield’ (HómNo, 70).

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