Greinar (Vísindafélag Íslendinga) - 01.01.1943, Page 172

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so conspicuous in “Diarium”, especially the first part
of that book.
Hallgrímur Pétursson wrote some other tracts in prose,
which have been admitted into some editions of the
Soliloquy. But there hardly seems to be any reason
to discuss them in this short treatise. In any case,
it is safe to say that although these tracts show
that Hallgrímur Pétursson knew how to write prose,
yet it is his verse that above all has made his name
famous among Icelanders.
XIII.
And now the end approached. Hallgrímur Pétursson’s
disease had now completely exhausted his physical
strength and he was confined to bed.
One might have supposed this to be the end of his
poetical career, but this was not the case.
Now of all times, with death staring him in the face, his
physical strength exhausted, sight and hearing failing,
hands and feet refusing to obey, his poetical fire
suddenly flares up and bursts forth in some magnificent
hymns.
These great hymns of the dying poet are his swan song.
And what one cannot help admiring, is not only the pro-
fundity and beauty of their poetry, but also their enormous
length, which shows the superhuman strength of this
wonderful man. One of these hymns, for instance, runs into
66 verses, in which all accounts are settled. It is a sort of
last will and testament, yet presented with such heat and
enthusiasm that it never becomes petty and common-
place. In some of these hymns, which are usually
of great simplicity of form, the heat of emotion is
so intense that he overcomes, so to speak, spontane-
ously every metrical difficulty. But most admirable
of all is the unfailing love of truth and sincerity,
which is revealed in these hymns. Here we have
this sick man, trembling before his dread visitor,