Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1981, Blaðsíða 186

194
A note on Lilja
remote.20) As in Geoffrey, following the Ad Herennium sequence,
subjectio is immediately followed by gradatio. The same order is
naturally found in other artes,21) but the subject-matter here is
selected by Geoffrey himself. Of course, a gradatio is explicit in
the Genesis story — the serpent tempted Eve and Eve Adam, Adam
blamed Eve and Eve the serpent — and the steps are variously
applied in exegesis, but their extension in Geoffrey’s stylish manner
is not at any raite a commonplace. Altogether, and especially taking
the difference in verse technique into account, the similarity of
Lilja to the Poetria nova must be judged extraordinary.
With this ringing in one’s ears, one soon begins to fancy other
echoes — but they are elusive and none has quite ithe same disitinc-
tive note as in the passage just cited. We can however set Lilja
15—18 beside lines 1459—77 of the Poetria nova22)
1459 Quibus auctor eorum:
»Omne genus ligni gusitate; bonique, malique
Notitiae lignum ne tangite.« Subdidit autem
1462 Causam, ne gustu morierentur morte. Quid iste?
Vidit eos, at ad hoc formatos ut repararent
Angelicum numerum qui corruit et fruerentur
1465 Deliciis illis quas perdidit angelus. Inde,
Quid faceret versans, serpentis imagine sumpta,
Rectus et erectus veniens clam venit ad Evam,
1468 Affari non ausus Adam: »Cur, inquit, ab esu
Praefati ligni prohiberis?« Subdidit illa:
»Hoc ideo ne forte per hoc moriamur.« Ad illud
1471 »Forte« minus fortem credentem vidit; et inde
Fortior his illam vicit: »Non sic, ait, immo
Vescere, sicque sciiens potes esse bonique malique,
1474 Sicut dii.« Tumefecit eam spes irrita taniti
Polliciti; vetitum gustavit; idemque maritus,
Ne turbaret eam, quamvis sit conscius, egit.
1477 Ilie fuit primus error.
Prútnar, svellr ok unir við illa
engill, bann sá er hafði fengit,