Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 137’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 441-2.
Hjarðir sæfa þarf eigi til hylli guðs;
beit þú yxn fyrir arðr;
reykelsis ilm, þann er kemr af réttum siðum,
vill hann fyrir tafn taka.
Þarf eigi sæfa hjarðir til hylli guðs; beit þú yxn fyrir arðr; hann vill taka fyrir tafn reykelsis ilm, þann er kemr af réttum siðum.
‘It is not necessary to kill herds for the honour of God; harness oxen to a plough; He will accept in place of sacrifice the fragrance of incense which comes from correct religious observances.’
Lat. parallel: (Dist. IV, 38) Ture deum placa, vitulum sine crescrat aratro: / ne credas gaudere deum, cum caede litatur ‘Please God with incense, that the calf may grow without the plough; do not think to please God when sacrifice is made to him by killing’. The same idea is expressed in Hsv 119, possibly deriving from Pss 49 and 50.
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.
Hjarðir sæfa
þarf eigi til hylla guðs;
beit þú yxn fyrir arðr;
reykelsis ilm,
þann er kemr af réttum siðum,
þat hann fyrir tafn taka.
Hiar | der suæfa þarf ei til hilla ɢuds, beit þu ýxn fyrer ardur. Reikilsis ilm þann er kemur | af riettum sidum, þad vill hann fyrer tafn taka.
(VEÞ)
Hjarðir sæfa
þarf eigi til hylli guðs;
beit þín yxn fyrir arðr;
reykelsis ilm,
þann er kemr af réttum siðum,
þat hann fyrir tafn taka.
Hiardir sæfa þarf eý thil | hylli Gudz· Beit þijn yxn firir ardr· Reyke|lsís ilm þann er kiemur af ʀiettum sidum· þath | will hann firir tafn taka |
(TW)
Hjarðir sæfa
þarf eigi til hylli guðs;
beit því yxn fyrir arðr;
þann reykelsis ilm ,
sem kemr af réttum siðum,
vill hann fyrir tafn taka.
Hiarder sæfa þarf ei til hylle Guds, beit þui yxn | fyrer ardur, þann reykilsis jlm sem kemur af riet|tum sidum, vill hann fyrer tafn taka.
(TW)
Hjarðir sæfa
skaltu eigi til hylli guðs;
bættu þín yxn fyrir arðr;
reykelsis ilm,
þann er kemr af réttum siðum,
þat hann fyrir takn taka.
Hiarder sæfa skaltu eigi til hylli guds bætv þín ygxn firer ardur ʀeyke | lsiss jlm þann er kemur af rettvm sidvm þat uill hann firer takn taka
(VEÞ)
Hiarder sæfa skaltu ei thil hille gudz, bittu | þijn yxn firer ardur, Reikelsess Jlm þann er kemur | af rettum sidum, þad vill hann ei firer täkn taka. |
(VEÞ)
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 138: AII, 195, BII, 208-9, Skald II, 109; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 32, Gering 1907, 37, Tuvestrand 1977, 146, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 123.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.