Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 140’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 443-4.
Heiptarorða gerz þú eigi hefnisamr;
heldr skaltu væginn vera;
af þeiri gæzku máttu þér gera
vísa fjándmenn at vinum.
Gerz þú eigi hefnisamr heiptarorða; heldr skaltu vera væginn; af þeiri gæzku máttu gera þér vísa fjándmenn at vinum.
‘Do not become vengeful because of words; of hate you must rather be yielding; from this kindness you can make certain enemies into friends for yourself.’
Lat. parallel: (Dist. IV, 39) Cede loco laesus, fortunae cede potenti: / laedere qui potuit, poterit prodesse aliquando ‘Give way to fortune when hurt, give way to the powerful; whoever was able to harm might now and again be able to help’. Lines 4-6 are reminiscent of Egill St 24/5-8V: ... ok þat geð | es gerðak mér | vísa fjándr | af vélundum ‘... and that temper with which I made certain enemies out of tricksters’.
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.
Heiptarorda giórst þu | ei hefnisamur, helldur skalltu væginn vera, af þeire ɢiæsku mättu þier gióra | vijsa fiandmenn ad vinum:
(VEÞ)
Heiptarorða
gerz þú eigi hefnisamr;
heldr skaltu væginn vera;
af þeiri gæzku
máttu þér gera
vísa fjándr at vinum.
Heiptar orda giorstu eigi hefne samur | helldr skaltu uæginn vera af þeiri gæzkv mattv þier giorra visa | fiandur at vinum ·
(VEÞ)
heifftar orda giorstu ei hefnesamur, | helldur skaltu vægan vera, af þeire giæsku mättu | þier giora, vijsa fiandur ad vinum.
(VEÞ)
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 53/1-3, 51/4-6: AII, 179-80, BII, 194, Skald II, 101; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 34, Konráð Gíslason 1860, 37, Tuvestrand 1977, 147, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 125.
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