Anon Mgr 30VII/8 — sem ‘as if’
‘Skylt er að tjá, það er mildingr mælti
mána hauðrs í písl við dauða:
“Þystir mig,” kvað herra inn hæsti
hlýrna; má það aldri fyrnaz.
Geira lundar galli blandað
gumna þjóðir skapara bjóða
vínið súrt, en harm í hjarta
hafða eg riett, sem edikið krafði.’
‘Er skylt að tjá, það er mildingr hauðrs mána mælti í písl við dauða: “Mig þystir,” kvað inn hæsti herra hlýrna; það má aldri fyrnaz. Lundar geira, þjóðir gumna, bjóða skapara súrt vínið blandað galli, sem krafði edikið, en eg hafða harm riett í hjarta.’
‘I am obliged to tell what the ruler of the land of the moon [SKY/HEAVEN > = God (= Christ)] said in his Passion near death: “I thirst,” said the highest lord of the sun and moon [= God (= Christ)]; that can never be forgotten. The trees of spears [WARRIORS], the crowds of men, offer the Creator the sour wine mixed with gall, as if he had asked for vinegar, and I had torment right in my heart.’
notes
[8] sem krafði edikið ‘as if he had asked for vinegar’: For the addition of the def. art. for metrical reasons, see Note to 1/6 and NN §1664A. Edik ‘vinegar’ is a loanword from MLG edik ‘vinegar’ (from Lat. acetum ‘vinegar’). See AEW, ONP: edik. Earlier eds translate the cl. as ‘who asked for vinegar’. That translation makes little sense, because all gospels record that Jesus did not ask for the vinegar; rather, it was given to him as part of the torture when he said he was thirsty (see Matt. XXVII.48; Mark XV.36; John XIX.29; see also Sperber 1911, 75). Unless we assume that the poet did not know what vinegar was and thought it was drinkable, the verb krafði ‘asked for’ must be taken as subj. Although krefði would be expected, the <a> is established by the aðalhending with hafða, and perhaps also necessitated by it. Cf. Mar (1871, xvii): Oc her næst mællti minn sæti son Jesus: þyrstir mic. En ivdar gafo hanum edik við galli blandit ‘And after this my sweet son Jesus said: “I thirst.” But the Jews gave him vinegar mixed with gall’.