Heyri þjóð, það er heilug Máría
hýrlig sagði merkja stýri:
‘Skynlaus óaðiz skaparans dauða
skepna öll með konum og köllum.
Hristiz jörð, en björgin brustu;
beimar áttu dimt í heimi;
jafnvel misti sólin sæta
sína birti og mátti ei skína.
Heyri þjóð, það er hýrlig, heilug Máría sagði stýri merkja: ‘Öll skynlaus skepna með konum og köllum óaðiz dauða skaparans. Jörð hristiz, en björgin brustu; beimar áttu dimt í heimi; sólin sæta misti jafnvel birti sína og mátti ei skína.
Let people hear what friendly, holy Mary said to the controller of symbols [BISHOP = Augustine]: ‘All inanimate creation, along with women and men, was afraid at the death of the Creator. The earth shook and mountains shattered; men had darkness [lit. had (it) dark] in the world; the sweet sun likewise lost its brightness and could not shine.
[2] stýri merkja ‘the controller of symbols [BISHOP = Augustine]’: Merkja ‘of symbols’ is taken here as a reference to the duties of a bishop (so also Wrightson). LP: merki 3 translates the word as ‘celestial bodies’ and takes stýrir merkja as a reference to ‘God’ (see stýrir 1), although the phrase is translated as ‘bishop’ in Skj B. Skald emends merkja ‘of symbols’ to klerka ‘of clerics’.