Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 6’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 364.
Bragna hvern, er þú á brautu finnr,
kveð þú hann kunnliga;
ófróðr er sá, er einskis spyrr,
ef finnr at máli mann.
Hvern bragna, er þú finnr á brautu, kveð þú hann kunnliga; sá, er einskis spyrr, er ófróðr, ef finnr mann at máli.
‘Each man whom you meet on the road, greet him intimately; he who does not ask is unwise, if he finds a man to talk to.’
The version in 624 reads: Bragna hvern, | er þú á braut finnr, | kveð þú hann kunnliga | ok góðum orðum, | þvíat ófróðr er sá, | sem einskis spyrr ‘Greet intimately and with friendly words every man you meet on the road, because he who does not ask is unwise’. The additional l., however, lacks alliteration. — Lat. parallel: (sent. 9) saluta libenter ‘greet willingly’. The idea that one should talk to other people and ask them for news is also expressed in some sts of Hávm. Cf. Hávm 63 (NK, 27): Fregna oc segia | scal fróðra hverr, | sás vill heitinn horskr ‘Asking questions and answering, this every wise man should do, he who wants to be reputed intelligent’ (Larrington 1996, 22). Cf. also Hávm 28 (NK, 21): Fróðr sá þycciz, | es fregna kann, | oc segia hit sama ‘Wise that man seems who knows how to question and how to answer as well’ (Larrington 1996, 18).
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
Bragna, huórn þu a Brautu finnur, kued þu hann kunnuglega, Ofrödur er | sä er einskis spur, ef finnur ad Mäle Mann,
(VEÞ)
Bragna hvern,
†[...]† brautu finnr,
kveð þú hann kunnliga;
ófróðr þykkir sá,
er †ein[...]† ,
†[...]† at máli mann.
bratu fínnur kued þu hann kymlega ofrodur þiker sꜳ̋ er ein [...] | [...] at mali mann
(VEÞ)
Bragna huern er ꜳ bṙȧġṅa huėrn | braut finur kued kunoglega ofrodr þiker sa | er einkis spyr ef finur ad mali mann
(TW)
Bragna hvern,
er þú á braut finnr,
kveð þú hann kunnliga ok góðum orðum;
þvíat ófróðr er sá,
sem einskis spyrr,
ef finnr at máli mann.
bragna hvern er þv ꜳ̋ bravt fínnvr · kved þu | hann kvnliga ok godum o⸌r⸍dvm · þviat ofrodr er sa sam eínsk | is spyr
(VEÞ)
bragna huern | er þu a̋ braut finnur kued þu hann kunnur | lega og gödum ordum. þviat őfrődur er sa̋ sem | einkis spir,
(VEÞ)
b ragna hvern er þv a brag[...] þv hann kvnnliga ófrodr | þicir saer eínskíz spyr ef hann fin[r] ad mali mann
(TW)
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 6: AII, 168, BII, 186, Skald II, 97; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 7, Gering 1907, 2, Tuvestrand 1977, 73, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 27.
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