Knútsdrápa — Hallv KnútdrIII
Hallvarðr háreksblesi
Matthew Townend 2017, ‘ Hallvarðr háreksblesi, Knútsdrápa’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 230. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=1246> (accessed 20 April 2024)
Súðlǫngum komt Sveiða,
— sunds liðu dýr frá grundu —
sigrakkr, Sǫlsa bekkjar,
Sveins mǫgr, á trǫð hreinum.
‘Battle-bold son of Sveinn [= Knútr], you brought the long-planked reindeer of the bench of Sǫlsi <sea-king> [SEA > SHIPS] onto the path of Sveiði <sea-king> [SEA]; the animals of the sound [SHIPS] glided from land. ’
Vestr lézt í haf, hristir,
harðviggs, sikulgjarðar,
umbands allra landa,
íss, framstafni vísat.
‘Shaker of the ice of the sword-belt [SWORD > WARRIOR], you caused the fore-stem of the hard horse of the encircling band of all lands [SEA > SHIP] to be directed west across the sea.’
Knútr, lézt framm til Fljóta
— frægr leið vǫrðr of ægi
heiptsnarr hildar leiptra —
harðbrynjuð skip dynja.
Ullar lézt við Ellu
ættleifð ok mô reifðir
sverðmans snyrtiherðir
sundviggs flota bundit.
‘Knútr, you caused your hard-armoured ships to rush forward to Fljót; the famous, battle-bold guardian of the lightnings of battle [SWORDS > WARRIOR] glided across the sea. Splendid strengthener of Ullr’s <god’s> sea-horse [SHIP > SHIELD > WARRIOR], you had your fleet moored in the patrimony of Ælla [= England], and you gladdened the gull of the sword-girl [VALKYRIE > RAVEN/EAGLE].’
Rauðljósa sér ræsir
(rít brestr sundr in hvíta)
baugjǫrð brodda ferðar
(bjúgrend) í tvau fljúga.
‘The impeller of the journey of missiles [BATTLE > WARRIOR] sees the bright red ring-land [SHIELD] split in two; the white, curve-edged shield bursts apart.’
Grund liggr und bǫr bundin
breið holmfjǫturs leiðar
— heinlands hoddum grandar
Hǫðr — eitrsvǫlum naðri.
‘The broad land, surrounded by the poison-cold serpent <Miðgarðsormr>, lies under the tree of the path of the island-fetter [SERPENT > GOLD > MAN = Knútr]; the Hǫðr <god> of the whetstone-land [SWORD > WARRIOR] harms hoards.’
Englandi ræðr yngvi
einn — hefsk friðr at beinni —
bǫðrakkr bœnar nǫkkva
barkrjóðr ok Danmǫrku.
Ok hefr (odda Leiknar)
jalm-Freyr und sik malma
(hjaldrǫrr haukum þverrir
hungr) Nóregi þrungit.
‘The king, the battle-bold reddener of the bark of the ship of prayer [(lit. ‘bark-reddener of the ship of prayer’) BREAST > MAIL-SHIRT > WARRIOR], alone rules England and Denmark; peace commences the more easily. And the Freyr <god> of the noise of weapons [(lit. ‘noise-Freyr of weapons’) BATTLE > WARRIOR] has forced under him Norway; the battle-eager one diminishes hunger for the hawks of the Leikn <giantess> of spears [VALKYRIE > RAVENS/EAGLES].’
Esat und jarðar hǫslu
— orðbrjótr Dǫnum forðar
moldreks — munka valdi
mæringr an þú nærri.
‘There is not a prince under the hazel of the earth [= Yggdrasill] closer to the ruler of monks [= God] than you; the breaker of the speech of the soil-ruler [(lit. ‘speech-breaker of the soil-ruler’) GIANT > GOLD > GENEROUS MAN] protects Danes.’
Knútr verr jǫrð sem ítran
alls dróttinn sal fjalla.
‘Knútr defends the earth as the lord of all [= God] [defends] the splendid hall of the mountains [HEAVEN]. ’
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