Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2017, ‘Rǫgnvaldr jarl and Hallr Þórarinsson, Háttalykill 40’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1048.
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1. ben (noun f.; °-jar, dat. -; -jar , gen. -a(var. EiðKrC 402¹³: AM 77 4° D)): wound < benfasti (noun m.): [wound-flame]
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fasti (noun m.; °; -ar): flame, fire < benfasti (noun m.): [wound-flame]
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1. verða (verb): become, be
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1. bresta (verb; °brestr; brast, brustu; brostinn): burst, split
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bíta (verb; °bítr; beit, bitu; bitinn): bite
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1. hjalmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): helmet
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svalr (adj.): cool
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malmr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): metal
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í (prep.): in, into
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háturn (noun m.): [high towers]
[3] háturnum ‘high towers’: The word turn ‘tower’ (from OS turn < OFr. *torn < Lat. turrem) is late (see AEW: turn), but also attested in SnSt Ht 50/8 (gnapturn ‘jutting towers’).
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hjarni (noun m.): brain
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heitr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): hot, ardent
[4] heitr: heit papp25ˣ, R683ˣ
[4] heitr sveiti* ‘hot blood’: The emendations to heitr (m. nom. sg.) ‘hot’ and sveiti (m. nom. sg.) ‘blood’ (m. nom. sg.) are necessary to furnish the missing subject. For loss of final ‑r, see Note to st. 5/2, and for final, inorganic ‑r, see Note to st. 8/4.
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kaldr (adj.; °compar. -ari): cold
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þars (conj.): where
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2. drífa (verb; °drífr; dreif, drifu; drifinn): drive, rush
[4] dreif (‘dræif’): so R683ˣ, ‘dræf’ papp25ˣ
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sveiti (noun m.; °-a): blood
[4] sveiti*: ‘suætir’ papp25ˣ, ‘svæitir’ R683ˣ
[4] heitr sveiti* ‘hot blood’: The emendations to heitr (m. nom. sg.) ‘hot’ and sveiti (m. nom. sg.) ‘blood’ (m. nom. sg.) are necessary to furnish the missing subject. For loss of final ‑r, see Note to st. 5/2, and for final, inorganic ‑r, see Note to st. 8/4.
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strangr (adj.): strong
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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guðr (noun f.): battle
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gengi (noun n.): support, following
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geirr (noun m.): spear < geirmót (noun n.): spear-meeting
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1. mót (noun n.; °; -): meeting < geirmót (noun n.): spear-meeting
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
[6] konungs: konungr corrected from konungi papp25ˣ, konungr R683ˣ
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Jóti (noun m.; °; -ar): one of the Jótar
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1. benda (verb; °-nd-): bend
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sperna (verb): kick
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almr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): bow, elm-bow
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til (prep.): to
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1. und (noun f.; °; -ir): wound
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vaxa (verb): grow, increase
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1. þverra (verb): diminish
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bogi (noun m.; °-a; -ar): bow
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stǫrr (noun f.; °dat. -u): [sedge-grass]
[8] stǫrrum: ‑starran R683ˣ
[8] stǫrrum ‘sedge-grass’: This word also occurs in st. 78/4.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The cold wound-flame [SWORD] had to crack in high towers of the brain [HEADS] where hot blood spurted; cool weapons bit the helmet. The battle was strong before the company of the king of the Jótar [DANISH KING = Haraldr] diminished; the spear-meeting [BATTLE] intensified; the bent elm-bow kicked sedge-grass of the bow [ARROWS] towards wounds.
As st. 39 above.
The antithesis consists of the words heitr ‘hot’ : kaldr ‘cold’ (l. 4) and óx ‘grew’ : þvarr ‘diminished’ (l. 8). — [5, 6]: Skj B and Skald retain the nom. form konungr (m. nom. sg.; so both mss) ‘king’ as the subject of gengi (l. 5) which they construe as 3rd pers. sg. pret. subj. of ganga ‘go’ i.e. ‘die’. As Holtsmark (Hl 1941) points out, ganga is not attested in that meaning, and the word must be the noun gengi (n. nom. sg.) ‘company, support’. — [7-8]: Skj B and Skald, following R683ˣ, construe these lines as follows: bendr sparn almr til unda, | (óx) þvarr boga starran, translated in Skj B as den spændte bue skød [pilene] til sårene; den stive bue slappedes ‘the drawn bow shot [the arrows] toward the wounds; the stiff bow became slack’. In that reading the object of sparn lit. ‘kicked’ is missing, however, and þverra ‘diminish’ (þvarr 3rd pers. sg. pret. indic.) is not attested in the meaning ‘become slack’. The present edn follows Holtsmark (Hl 1941).
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