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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Lausavísur — EirRagn LvVIII (Ragn)

Eiríkr Ragnarsson

Eiríkr Ragnarsson, Lausavísur — Vol. 8 — Rory McTurk

Rory McTurk (forthcoming), ‘ Eiríkr Ragnarsson, Lausavísur’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. . <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=3176> (accessed 2 May 2024)

 

1.
Vil ek eigi boð fyrir bróður
né baugum mey kaupa
— Eystein kveða orðinn
Agnars bana — heyra.
Grætr eigi mik móðir;
mun ek eptir öl drekka;
ok geirtré í gegnum
gör látið mik standa!
 
‘I do not wish to hear of an offer for my brother, nor to purchase a maiden with rings; they say that Eysteinn has become Agnarr’s slayer. My mother does not weep for me; I’ll be drinking ale afterwards; and let spear-shafts, [duly] prepared, run through me. ’
2.
Munat eins konungs efni,
svá at ek vita dæmi,
á dýrra beð deyja
til dagverðar hrafni.
Mun blóði þá bróður
ok bráð yfir gjalla
bræðra beggja slíta
blár, þó at illa leyni.
 
‘Not a single future king, as far as I know [any] examples, will die on a more glorious bed as breakfast for the raven. Then the black one will consume the blood of [my] brother, and scream above the raw flesh of both brothers, even though it conceals badly [what it is doing]. ’
3.
Bera skuluð orð it efra,
— nú eru órir firar lagðir —
at mær hafi mína
mjó, Áslaugu, bauga.
Þá mun mest af móði,
er mik spyrja dauðan,
mín stjúpmóðir mildum
mögum sínum til segja.
 
‘Now our men are laid low; you are to bring word to Áslaug by land that a slender maiden may have my rings. Then, when they hear that I am dead, my stepmother will tell her generous sons about it, in the greatest grief. ’
4.
Hlakkar hrafn of höfði
hér mínu nú sýnu;
krefr unda valr augna
ósynju hér minna.
Veiztu, ef hrafn ór höfði
høggr brúnsteina mína,
launar unda valr egðis
illa marga fylli.
 
‘A raven is now clearly shrieking here above my head; the falcon of wounds [RAVEN] is here at an ill-fated hour claiming my eyes. You know, if a raven hacks my brow-stones [EYES] from my head, the falcon of wounds [RAVEN] will be paying a poor reward for many a full meal of the wolf [CORPSE]. ’
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