Anon Mv III 25VII/3 — hófi ‘ability’
Göfugligt guðs víf
giefr fyrir utan ef
að hófi hægt líf;
heimar skiftuz klerk þeim.
Síðan undir sátt bauð
sættandi fljóð* mætt,
að hann rietti ráð sitt;
rausnar var það fögr lausn.
Göfugligt víf guðs giefr fyrir utan ef hægt líf að hófi; heimar skiftuz þeim klerk. Síðan bauð mætt, sættandi fljóð* undir sátt, að hann rietti ráð sitt; það var fögr lausn rausnar.
The glorious wife of God [= Mary] grants [the man] without doubt a pleasant life according to his ability; worlds were exchanged for that cleric. Then the splendid, reconciling lady stipulated in accordance with the reconciliation that he should mend his ways; that was a fine redemption of esteem.
notes
[3] að hófi ‘according to his [the cleric’s] ability’: The prep. að ‘with’ (‘ạṭ’ in 1032ˣ) is conjectural, and the phrase is difficult to translate in this context (see NN §1706). Skj B and Skald both supply af ‘from’ rather than að ‘according to’, and read med mådehold ‘with moderation’ (so Skj B) or av nåd ‘from mercy’ (so NN §1706). Wrightson translates it as ‘moderately’. The corresponding place in Mar (1871, 607-8) reads as follows: Nu huerf aptr til þins likama … ok hygg at uanduirkuliga, huersu þier hæfir að lifa ‘Now return to your body … and think about it carefully, how it behoves you to live’.