Cookies on our website

We use cookies on this website, mainly to provide a secure browsing experience but also to collect statistics on how the website is used. You can find out more about the cookies we set, the information we store and how we use it on the cookies page.

Continue

skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

Menu Search

Anon Pét 51VII/3 — lýstr ‘strikes’

Vekr, á síðu sækir
sannleiks Pétrum, þannveg,
lýstr, en báðir bresta
brátt sundr fjötrar, dundu.
Flytr með fagnað brautu
fljótt eingill hjálp meingis,
myrkvastofa að merkiz
morni læst in forna.

Sækir sannleiks lýstr Pétrum á síðu, vekr þannveg, en báðir fjötrar bresta brátt sundr, dundu. Eingill flytr hjálp meingis brautu fljótt með fagnað, að morni merkiz in forna myrkvastofa læst.

The seeker of truth [ANGEL] strikes Peter on the side, wakes him that way, and both fetters instantly break asunder; they clattered down. The angel conveys the help of the multitude [APOSTLE] away quickly with joy, so that in the morning the ancient prison is found locked.

notes

[1, 2, 3] lýstr Pétrum á síðu ‘strikes Peter on the side’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) reads lystr adj., emends en (l. 3) to at, and translates: (englen) vækker villig Petrum således (at) bægge lænkerne om hans side brast itu ‘(the angel), willing, wakes Peter in such a way (that) both the chains about his side broke apart’. As Kock points out (NN §1755), the actual sense of the text is made clearer by comparing the parallel gospel passage, Acts XII.7: et ecce angelus Domini adstitit ... percussoque latere Petri suscitavit eum dicens, ‘surge velociter’ et ceciderunt catenae de manibus eius ‘and behold an angel of the Lord stood by him ... and he striking Peter on the side, raised him up, saying: Arise quickly. And the chains fell off from his hands’. Cf. Pétr 72/30-73/2: Þa stoð engill guðs yfir Petro ... Þessi engill laust ꜳ siðu Petri ok vakti hann sva mælandi: “Ris upp skiott!” Við þessi orð engilssins fellu fio᷎trarnir af honum. ‘Then the angel of God stood over Peter … This angel struck on Peter’s side and woke him saying thus: “Rise up quickly!” With these words of the angel the fetters fell from him.’

grammar

Close

Log in

This service is only available to members of the relevant projects, and to purchasers of the skaldic volumes published by Brepols.
This service uses cookies. By logging in you agree to the use of cookies on your browser.

Close

Word in text

This view shows information about an instance of a word in a text.