ESk Geisl 19VII
Martin Chase (ed.) 2007, ‘Einarr Skúlason, Geisli 19’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 22-3.
text and translation
Náðit bjartr, þás beiðir
baugskjalda lauk aldri
— sýndi salvǫrðr grundar
sín tôkn — rǫðull skína.
Fyrr vas hitt, at harra
hauðrtjalda brá dauða
happ- (nýtask mér) -mætu
(máltól) skini sólar.
Bjartr rǫðull náðit skína, þás {beiðir baugskjalda} lauk aldri; {{grundar sal}vǫrðr} sýndi sín tôkn. Hitt vas fyrr, at happmætu skini sólar brá dauða {harra {hauðrtjalda}}; {máltól} nýtask mér.
‘The bright sun was unable to shine when the desirer of ring-shields [WARRIOR] ended his life; the guardian of the hall of earth [(lit. ‘hall-guardian of earth’) SKY/HEAVEN > = God] showed his signs. It happened previously that the excellently fortunate shining of the sun ceased through the death of the lord of earth-tents [SKY/HEAVEN > = God (= Christ)]; speech-tools [ORGANS OF SPEECH] are of use to me.’
notes and context
[1-4]: The first helmingr is reminiscent of the Legendary Saga of St. Óláfr (ÓHLeg 1982, 196): Nu let Olafr konongr þar lif sitt. Þar varð sva mikil ogn, at solen fal gæisla sinn oc gerði myrct, – en aðr var fagrt veðr – æftir þui sem þa var, er sialfr skaparenn for af verolldenne. Syndi Guð þa mikla ogn ‘Now king Óláfr gave up his life there. There was such great terror there that the sun concealed its rays and it grew dark – but it had been fine weather before – just as it did when the Creator himself departed from the world. God showed great terror then.’ — [5-8]: These ll. seem to be corrupt in both mss and there have been various suggested readings, all of which involve some emendation. The general sense of the passage is clear: it is a reference to the eclipse of the sun that is said to have occurred at Christ’s Crucifixion. In an aside the poet also mentions his ‘speech-tools’. In the cl. beginning at harra hauðrtjalda, the verb brá (3rd pers. sg. pret.) must be used impersonally, as skini ‘shining’ (taking Bb’s reading) is dat. But it is difficult then to understand the case of dauða (harra hauðrtjalda) unless it is dat. instr., viz. ‘through or by the death of the lord of earth-tents’. Thus the sense of this part of the helmingr must be ‘that the shining of the sun ceased through the death of the lord of earth-tents [SKY/HEAVEN > = Christ]’. This then leaves unexplained the first and last words of l. 7. Skj B construes these two elements as part of a cpd adj. happmætr ‘bringing good fortune’, qualifying skini, whose two elements are separated by tmesis, as does Chase 2005, 69 and 141. Kock (Skald and NN §933) adopts Bb’s reading hept and construes it with the intercalary hept máltól nýtask mér, translating tungans band jag nu kan lossa ‘I can now undo the tongue’s binding’, properly ‘fettered speech-tools are [now] of use to me’.
readings
- [1] Náðit: so Bb, ‘Nꜳdiz’ Flat
- [2] baugskjalda: baugs skjaldar Bb
- [5] at: er Bb
- [6] brá: so Bb, bar Flat
- [6] dauða: aldri Bb
- [7] happ: hept Bb
- [8] skini: so Bb, ‘skinu’ Flat
sources
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.
-
GKS 1005 fol (Flat) — 2ra/39 - 2ra/39
†Nꜳdiz† bjartr, þás beiðir
images
baugskjalda lauk aldri
— sýndi salvǫrðr grundar
sín tôkn — rǫðull skína.
Fyrr vas hitt, at harra
hauðrtjalda bar dauða
happ- (nýtask mér) -mætu
(máltól) †skinu† sólar. -
Holm perg 1 fol (Bb) — 117rb/32 - 117va/1
Náðit bjartr, þás beiðir
images
baugs skjaldar lauk aldri
— sýndi salvǫrðr grundar
sín tôkn — rǫðull skína.
Fyrr vas hitt, er harra
hauðrtjalda brá aldri
hept- (nýtask mér) -mætu
(máltól) skini sólar.
editions and texts
Skj: Einarr Skúlason, 6. Geisli 19: AI, 462, BI, 431-2, Skald I, 213, NN §933; Flat 1860-8, I, 3, Cederschiöld 1873, 3, Chase 2005, 69, 139-41.
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