Rise Up, My Soul: The Icelandic Way of the Cross

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the memory of

HALLGRÍMUR PÉTURSSON,

on the occasion of the four hundredth anniversary

of his birth in 1614.

He was a poet of genius and a benefactor to his native Iceland.

His greatest work is translated herein.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication

List of Illustrations

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chronology of the Life of Hallgrímur Pétursson

Introduction

§I. The Life of Hallgrímur Pétursson

§II. Personal Characteristics

§III. The Baroque Culture of Seventeenth-Century Europe

§IV. The Passion Hymns

§V. Hallgrímur’s Religious Life

§VI. Vox Populi

Metrical English Translation of the Passion Hymns

Hymn 1: Christ’s Walk to the Garden of Gethsemane

Hymn 2: Christ’s Suffering in the Garden

Hymn 3: Christ’s Mortal Agony in the Garden

Hymn 4: Christ’s Discourse with His Disciples

Hymn 5: The Jews Come into the Garden

Hymn 6: The Kiss of Judas and Christ’s Arrest

Hymn 7: Peter’s Defense and Malchus’s Wounded Ear

Hymn 8: Christ’s Discourse to the Jews

Hymn 9: The Flight of the Disciples

Hymn 10: The First Inquiry before Caiaphas

Hymn 11: Peter’s Denial

Hymn 12: Peter’s Repentance

Hymn 13: The False Witnesses and Caiaphas’s Judgment

Hymn 14: The Servants Mock Christ

Hymn 15: The Conference of the Priests on Christ

Hymn 16: The Repentance of Judas

Hymn 17: The Potter’s Field

Hymn 18: The Jews’ First Accusation before Pilate

Hymn 19: Christ’s Confession before Pilate

Hymn 20: The Jews’ Second Accusation before Pilate

Hymn 21: Herod’s Curiosity and the White Robe

Hymn 22: The Clamor That Christ Should Be Crucified

Hymn 23: The Scourging of Christ

Hymn 24: The Purple Robe and the Crown of Thorns

Hymn 25: Jesus Is Brought Out from the Praetorium

Hymn 26: Pilate’s Conversation with Christ

Hymn 27: Pilate’s Converse with the Jews at the Judgment Seat

Hymn 28: Pilate’s Unjust Verdict

Hymn 29: The Freeing of Barabbas

Hymn 30: The Bearing of Christ’s Cross

Hymn 31: Christ’s Address to the Women

Hymn 32: The Withered Tree and the Green Tree

Hymn 33: The Crucifixion of Christ

Hymn 34: Christ’s First Word on the Cross

Hymn 35: The Superscription over the Cross

Hymn 36: The Division of Christ’s Garments

Hymn 37: Christ’s Second Word on the Cross

Hymn 38: The Mockery and Reproach Endured by Christ on the Cross

Hymn 39: The Penitent Brigand

Hymn 40: Christ’s Third Word on the Cross

Hymn 41: Christ’s Fourth Word on the Cross

Hymn 42: Christ’s Fifth Word on the Cross

Hymn 43: Christ’s Sixth Word on the Cross

Hymn 44: Christ’s Seventh Word on the Cross

Hymn 45: The Death of Christ

Hymn 46: The Signs That Accompanied Christ’s Death

Hymn 47: Of Christ’s Friends, Who Stood Far Off

Hymn 48: Christ Is Pierced in the Side

Hymn 49: The Burial of Christ

Hymn 50: The Guards at the Tomb

Illustrations

Bibliography

Appendix 1: Hallgrímur’s Title Page to the Passion Hymns

Appendix 2: Hallgrímur’s Preface to the Passion Hymns

Appendix 3: Alternative Passion Hymn 23A

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Fresco by the Finnish artist Lennart Segerstråle (1892–1975), at the side of the altar in the modern church of Saurbær (dedicated in 1957). It portrays the Holy Spirit, as a dove, hovering over Hallgrímur Pétursson as he composes his Passion Hymns. The photograph was taken by Johan Klein and is included by permission of séra Kristinn Jens Sigurþórsson, parish priest of Saurbær.

2. The only surviving portrait of Hallgrímur Pétursson, now blemished by time, made by séra Hjalti Þorsteinsson (1665–1754). Courtesy of the National Museum of Iceland.

3. A touched-up version of séra Hjalti Þorsteinsson’s portrait of Hallgrímur Pétursson. Courtesy of the National Museum of Iceland.

4. The modern Hallgrímskirkja, or church, dedicated to the memory of Hallgrímur. It stands on a hilltop in the center of Reykjavík and is the largest church in Iceland. It was designed by State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson, with columns modeled after typical Icelandic basalt formations. Photograph by author.

5. A portrait of Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson (1605–1675), bishop of Skálholt from 1639 until his death, friend and patron of Hallgrímur Pétursson. Courtesy of the National Museum of Iceland.

6. A work, by the Icelandic sculptor Einar Jónsson (1874–1954), depicting Hallgrímur Pétursson lying on his deathbed with multitudes of his countrymen ascending upward and onward by virtue of Hallgrímur’s poetry and religious devotion. Courtesy of the Einar Jónsson Museum. Photograph by Kristján Pétur Guðnason.

7. The modern Saurbær church (in the distance) and its environs. The rock in the left foreground is called Hallgrímssteinn, Hallgrímur’s stone. He is said to have frequented this place when composing his Passion Hymns. The misty hill in the background is Akrafjall. Photograph by author.

FOREWORD

I am both honored and happy to be able to write a few words to introduce this book. The Passion Hymns of Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614–1674) are one of the high points of Icelandic literature, and their author has long been one of the nation’s most beloved poets. Séra Hallgrímur Pétursson was a versatile man; he wrote both secular and spiritual poetry as well as prose works. But, without a doubt, the Passion Hymns are the work that he is best known for and the work that he himself valued most highly.

The Passion Hymns are a meditation on the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ. They are fifty in number, each of them composed with a particular metrical scheme and a definite hymn tune chosen by the poet himself. The hymns trace the story of the passion of Christ, and a large portion of each hymn consists of the poet’s interpretation of the events that he is describing. But Hallgrímur emphasizes strongly that, in spite of appearances, the theme is a joyful one. The moral purpose of the hymns is to instill in people hope and consolation.

Records show that, in years past, the Passion Hymns were to be found in almost every home in Iceland. In the preface to a 1773 edition of the poems and hymns of Hallgrímur, the editor, a schoolmaster in the Latin school at Hólar, writes, These Passion Hymns are...made use of in every home throughout our country. In addition to being printed, they were also preserved in manuscripts and oral tradition. Generation after generation learned them by heart.

In the kvöldvaka (evening wake), which was a fixed part of the routine in most, if not all, homes, the members of the household would come together at the close of the working day, recount or read stories, and recite ballads or other poetry. And then they, finally, would share a devotional period, when passages from a postil or other religious writing would be read and hymns would be sung.

In Lent, the Passion Hymns would always be sung in the kvöldvaka. As an example of the tenacity of this custom, it is worth quoting from the epilogue to the book on the Passion Hymns written by Professor Sigurður Nordal (1886–1974), which came out in 1970: In my childhood home, where I lived until my confirmation (1900), the Passion Hymns were sung every nine-week Lent. Somehow—I do not know just how—I learned these mostly by heart, but no other hymns as far as I remember. In fact, for as long as I can recall, I was a totally blank sheet in religious matters. (Nordal 1970, p. 137).

In the twentieth century, fundamental changes have taken place in Icelandic society, following urbanization and the population transfer from rural areas. The kvöldvaka, along with the singing of the Passion Hymns, has vanished under the new social conditions. But, in 1944, the Icelandic State Radio decided to have all the Passion Hymns read in Lent, one hymn each evening until Easter. This custom has lasted up to the present day. In addition, a new custom has been widely introduced, that of reading the Passion Hymns in the nation’s churches on Good Friday.

Even today Icelandic children learn specific verses of the Hymns to be repeated in mornings and evenings, such as Be to me Father, Father God... Icelandic composers have recently composed new works based on the Passion Hymns. And the musician Megas has composed melodies for the Hymns and performed them all to a large audience. It is probable that the new music, attached to the old texts, will ensure their popularity for some time to come.

Icelanders are a small nation, but are proud of their language and literature. We owe a great debt of gratitude to those who apply themselves to learn Icelandic and translate the literary works we cherish, making them accessible to a larger readership. Dr. Michael Fell was originally invited to come to Iceland to share his knowledge and expertise in mathematics. This he has doubtless done very satisfactorily. Who could imagine, then, that he would master Icelandic as well as he has and translate Icelandic literature into English? Michael Fell’s excellent translation of the Passion Hymns, along with the scholarly and well-written introduction that he has penned, marks a turning point. I congratulate him on this important work and hope that it will be a blessing and joy to many.

Dr. Margrét Eggertsdóttir

(Translated from the Icelandic by Michael Fell)

PREFACE

The Icelandic Language

In this book Icelandic words and names will be printed in their Icelandic spelling, without transliteration (except for a few words, such as Althing, which have already been adopted into the English language). The letters of the Icelandic alphabet that do not occur in English are the accented vowels á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, the ö (with umlaut), the vowel æ (capital Æ), and the two consonants þ (capital Þ) and ð (capital Ð).

As regards the pronunciation of Icelandic letters and diphthongs, here are a few indications:

In general, the consonants that Icelandic and English have in common are pronounced in similar ways in the two languages. Of the several exceptions to this statement, I shall mention only one: the Icelandic consonant j is always pronounced like the English y.

As for the Icelandic vowels and diphthongs, use the following as a guide:

a is pronounced like a in father.

á is pronounced like ow as in cow.

e is pronounced like e in get or ai in air.

é is pronounced like ye as in yes.

i and y are pronounced like i in bid or pity.

í and ý are pronounced like ee as in green.

o is pronounced like aw in law.

ó is pronounced like ow as in slow.

u is pronounced somewhat like German ü in müssen.

ú is pronounced like oo as in school.

ö is pronounced like French eu in peur, that is, somewhat like English u in fur or burn.

æ (really a diphthong) is pronounced like i in high.

The diphthong au is pronounced like the combination öí, that is, like eui in French feuille.

The diphthongs ei and ey are both pronounced like a in hate or ale.

As for the Icelandic consonants which do not occur in English, use the following as a guide:

þ is pronounced like th in thing.

ð is pronounced like th in this.

Almost all Icelandic words are pronounced with the accent on the first syllable.

Since Icelandic words are not being transliterated, I will explain the somewhat motley method of alphabetizing used in the Bibliography: Letters occurring in English are alphabetized as usual. As for Icelandic letters not occurring in English, the letter þ is alphabetized as if it were th, ð as if it were d, æ as if it were ae, ö as if it were o, and the accented vowels (á, é, etc.) as if they were unaccented. Moreover, in conformity with the Icelandic naming practice described below, Icelandic authors are alphabetized by their first names, while non-Icelandic authors are alphabetized by their family names.

The Icelandic Naming System

As regards names, you will be able to trace family connections if you are familiar with the Icelandic style of naming individuals—a style prevalent in Iceland throughout its entire history.

In English-speaking countries children automatically receive the family name of their parents (e.g., Smith, Jones), and in addition one or more first or baptismal names (e.g., John, Mary Emma), thus becoming John Smith, Mary Emma Jones. In Iceland, on the other hand, most people do not have a family name. A child is given one or more baptismal names, for instance Jón or Sigurður if a boy, or Helga or Guðrún if a girl, and the only other name that the child receives is the patronymic, consisting of the father’s first name with son or dóttir suffixed according to gender. Thus, if an Icelander named Guðmundur Jónsson has a son Jón Ragnar and a daughter Helga, the full names of these children will be Jón Ragnar Guðmundsson and Helga Guðmundsdóttir. The father’s patronymic, Jónsson, is not inherited by his children.

In Iceland a woman’s name remains unaltered when she marries.

This difference in the manner of naming implies a difference of attitudes toward names. In English-speaking countries, the family name is the most important of one’s names. In formal conversation a person is addressed by the family name (e.g., Mr. Smith or Ms. Jones). Telephone directories, for example, list subscribers alphabetically by family name. In Iceland, on the other hand, the first or baptismal name is one’s real name. Even in formal or official contexts one is addressed by one’s first name. The Icelandic telephone directory lists subscribers alphabetically by first names.

The same applies to names with titles. Take, for example, the title séra (or síra or sr.) of a priest (almost equivalent to the English the Reverend). A priest whose name is Pétur Jónsson is spoken of or addressed in Iceland as séra Pétur or séra Pétur Jónsson, but never as séra Jónsson. (Foreigners, following their own custom, will usually address him as the Reverend Jónsson.)

Some Icelanders, however, have adopted family names for one reason or another, which have then been passed down through generations, usually supplanting the patronymic. The earliest example of this seems to be the distinguished seventeenth-century Icelandic scholar Arngrímur Jónsson (1568–1648), whose Latin writings on Iceland were widely read throughout Scandinavia. In deference to the naming customs of his non-Icelandic readers and colleagues, he decided to adopt the family name of Vídalín (derived from Víðidalur, his parents’ home district in northern Iceland). Many of his descendants in the male line adopted this family name—for example, his famous grandson Bishop Jón Þorkelsson Vídalín, usually known simply as Jón Vídalín.

As regards the title séra of Icelandic priests, I have chosen to preserve the Icelandic séra rather than replace it by the Reverend. If a priest’s first name is, for example, Pétur, the address séra Pétur is natural in Iceland, whereas the Reverend Peter sounds a little inappropriate in English.

Metrical Translations

In the printing of metrical translations of Icelandic poetry, I have followed the Icelandic custom of capitalizing the first letter of a line only if it would have been capitalized had the translation been written in prose form (i.e., without metrical division of lines).

The first letters of nouns or pronouns which refer to the Deity or Jesus Christ are always capitalized.

In metrical translations, the breve symbol ˇ above a vowel indicates that syllable is to be disregarded in counting the syllables of that line. However, one anomaly is the common two-syllable word blessed: when pronounced as one syllable, we write it as blest.

Miscellaneous

In this book, all English translations from Icelandic-language sources have been made by myself unless explicitly stated otherwise.

This book is, of course, intended for English-speaking readers, and references are given to English-language sources whenever possible. However, copious references to Icelandic sources, which are not available in English, are given in the endnotes for those who intend a deeper study of the subject.

The Passion Hymns contain several references to Jews, which some may find objectionable. In defense of Hallgrímur Pétursson, I will say that such references clearly mean only the self-seeking members of the ruling class and their minions and not the race as a whole. The poet uses the same manner of speech when he is castigating the authorities of his own time and nation.

Hopefully the statements made in the Introduction and Notes of this book are accurate. However, considerable use has been made of secondary rather than primary sources, and probably some errors of fact or judgment have crept in. For these, the author accepts full responsibility and apologizes for them in advance!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The metrical translation of the Passion Hymns of Hallgrímur Pétursson as presented in this book went through two stages: first, an English prose translation was made simply to preserve the meaning of the original; secondly, that prose translation was versified to preserve the metrical scheme and sentence-by-sentence meaning of the original, while disregarding its rhyming schemes and alliteration.

In the first stage, I received help from four noteworthy scholars:

I would first like to acknowledge the contribution of Professor Jón Friðjónsson, professor of Icelandic at the University of Iceland. Over a period of about three years he has examined my translations with a fine-tooth comb, helping me to preserve the exact meaning intended by the poet. His collaboration with me has been an expression of his love for the work itself, which he regards, along with Njáll’s Saga, as one of the two loftiest pinnacles of Icelandic literature. I want to thank him most warmly for the very considerable time and effort that he has expended in enhancing the accuracy of my translations.

I have also been lucky enough to have enjoyed the warm friendship and counsel, over many years, of the late Bishop Dr. Sigurbjörn Einarsson, one of the outstanding Icelanders of modern times, who has enriched his country not only by his scholarship but also by his moral and spiritual leadership throughout his long life (1911–2008). He was kind enough to inspect my prose translations and my Introduction, making illuminating suggestions regarding both as well as several comments on how various passages of the Hymns have been used in the liturgical life of the Icelandic Church. I am deeply grateful for the role that he played in my life and in my Icelandic projects.

Another scholar who has been very helpful is Dr. Margrét Eggertsdóttir of the Árni Magnússon Institute in Reykjavík, who is perhaps the leading living expert on the literary output of Hallgrímur Pétursson. She has been ungrudging in her willingness to answer my questions and put me in touch with various helpful sources. Her book Barokkmeistarinn has been especially illuminating to me. (An English translation of this book by Dr. Andrew Wawn, under the title Icelandic Baroque: Poetic Art and Erudition in the Works of Hallgrímur Pétursson, has recently been published as vol. 56 of the Icelandica series of Cornell University). I am indebted to her for writing the Foreword to this book.

Last but not least among those who have gone over my prose translation is Dr. Margaret Cormack, Professor of Religious Studies at the College of Charleston and a specialist in the history of the medieval Icelandic Church. To her deep knowledge of the Icelandic language she adds what can only be expected of a native English speaker—namely, an ability to fit just the right English words to the seventeenth-century Icelandic. I want to thank her again not only for the time and energy that she has spent on this present project but also for her outstanding contributions to my published books on Jón Steingrímsson and Jón Magnússon.

These others have also helped me:

The late Dr. Robert Cook, former Professor of English at the University of Iceland, who gave me sound suggestions about methods of translation and examples.

Dr. Einar Sigurbjörnsson, Professor of Theology at the University of Iceland, with whom, over the years, I have had fruitful discussions about the history of Icelandic Christianity and, especially lately, about the influence on Iceland of the baroque culture of seventeenth-century Europe.

Séra Guðrún Edda Gunnarsdóttir, whose thesis, published in 1989 from the University of Iceland, opened up to me a new insight into the spiritual development of Hallgrímur Pétursson.

Inga L. Baldvinsdóttir, head of the photographic division of the National