Bern Riddle 3: De sale
NEVILLEMOGFORD
Date: Thu 26 Nov 2020Matching Commentaries: Commentary for Bern Riddle 3: De sale
Original text:
Me pater ignitus, ut nascar, creat urendo,
Et pia defectu me mater donat ubique.
Is, qui dura soluit, hic me constringere cogit.
Nullus me solutam, ligatam cuncti requirunt.
Opem fero vivis opemque reddo defunctis;
Patria me sine mundi nec ulla valebit.
Translation:
My fiery father brings about my birth by burning,
and my dutiful mother gives me away everywhere in her absence.
He who unbinds hard things forces me to bind together.
No one needs me loose; everyone needs me bound.
I bring help to the living and I give help to the deceased.
No worldly homeland will thrive without me.
Salt
Notes:
This edition is based on Karl Strecker, ed., Poetae Latini aevi Carolini, Vol. 4.2 (Berlin, MGH/Weidmann, 1923), page 738.
A list of variant readings can be found in Fr. Glorie, ed., Variae collectiones aenigmatum Merovingicae aetatis, Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina 133A (Turnhout: Brepols, 1968), page 549.
Tags: latin Bern Riddles