Eystk Útkv 1VIII (Hálf 48)
Hubert Seelow (ed.) 2017, ‘Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka 48 (Eysteinn konungr, Útsteinskviða 1)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 342.
Sjálft ‘’
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sjalfr (adj.): self
notes
[1-2] sjálft mun letja at freista slíks ‘it is self-evidently futile to try such a thing’: Lit. ‘it will dissuade itself from trying such’. The meaning of ll. 1-2 is difficult to grasp, particularly the sense of sjálft ‘itself’ in l. 1. Some eds have considered emending sjálft ‘itself’ to sjálfr m. nom. sg. ‘self’. Edd. Min. in a footnote queries whether l. 1 should not read sjálfr mun [ek] letja ‘I myself will dissuade’, while Andrews (Hálf 1909) translates gerade davon will ich abraten ‘I will just advise against it’ but does not alter the text. Here it is proposed that sjálft means something like ‘self-evidently’ and refers back to Útsteinn’s proposal in st. 47 that Eysteinn might consider bringing on more warriors for him to fight, since he has now finished off all the sons of Úlfr. Eysteinn’s response recognizes the futility of such a move, given the evident superiority of the Hálfsrekkar as warriors.
mun ‘It is self-evidently’
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munu (verb): will, must
notes
[1-2] sjálft mun letja at freista slíks ‘it is self-evidently futile to try such a thing’: Lit. ‘it will dissuade itself from trying such’. The meaning of ll. 1-2 is difficult to grasp, particularly the sense of sjálft ‘itself’ in l. 1. Some eds have considered emending sjálft ‘itself’ to sjálfr m. nom. sg. ‘self’. Edd. Min. in a footnote queries whether l. 1 should not read sjálfr mun [ek] letja ‘I myself will dissuade’, while Andrews (Hálf 1909) translates gerade davon will ich abraten ‘I will just advise against it’ but does not alter the text. Here it is proposed that sjálft means something like ‘self-evidently’ and refers back to Útsteinn’s proposal in st. 47 that Eysteinn might consider bringing on more warriors for him to fight, since he has now finished off all the sons of Úlfr. Eysteinn’s response recognizes the futility of such a move, given the evident superiority of the Hálfsrekkar as warriors.
letja ‘futile’
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letja (verb): deprive
notes
[1-2] sjálft mun letja at freista slíks ‘it is self-evidently futile to try such a thing’: Lit. ‘it will dissuade itself from trying such’. The meaning of ll. 1-2 is difficult to grasp, particularly the sense of sjálft ‘itself’ in l. 1. Some eds have considered emending sjálft ‘itself’ to sjálfr m. nom. sg. ‘self’. Edd. Min. in a footnote queries whether l. 1 should not read sjálfr mun [ek] letja ‘I myself will dissuade’, while Andrews (Hálf 1909) translates gerade davon will ich abraten ‘I will just advise against it’ but does not alter the text. Here it is proposed that sjálft means something like ‘self-evidently’ and refers back to Útsteinn’s proposal in st. 47 that Eysteinn might consider bringing on more warriors for him to fight, since he has now finished off all the sons of Úlfr. Eysteinn’s response recognizes the futility of such a move, given the evident superiority of the Hálfsrekkar as warriors.
slíks ‘such a thing’
(not checked:)
2. slíkr (adj.): such
notes
[1-2] sjálft mun letja at freista slíks ‘it is self-evidently futile to try such a thing’: Lit. ‘it will dissuade itself from trying such’. The meaning of ll. 1-2 is difficult to grasp, particularly the sense of sjálft ‘itself’ in l. 1. Some eds have considered emending sjálft ‘itself’ to sjálfr m. nom. sg. ‘self’. Edd. Min. in a footnote queries whether l. 1 should not read sjálfr mun [ek] letja ‘I myself will dissuade’, while Andrews (Hálf 1909) translates gerade davon will ich abraten ‘I will just advise against it’ but does not alter the text. Here it is proposed that sjálft means something like ‘self-evidently’ and refers back to Útsteinn’s proposal in st. 47 that Eysteinn might consider bringing on more warriors for him to fight, since he has now finished off all the sons of Úlfr. Eysteinn’s response recognizes the futility of such a move, given the evident superiority of the Hálfsrekkar as warriors.
at ‘’
(not checked:)
5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
notes
[1-2] sjálft mun letja at freista slíks ‘it is self-evidently futile to try such a thing’: Lit. ‘it will dissuade itself from trying such’. The meaning of ll. 1-2 is difficult to grasp, particularly the sense of sjálft ‘itself’ in l. 1. Some eds have considered emending sjálft ‘itself’ to sjálfr m. nom. sg. ‘self’. Edd. Min. in a footnote queries whether l. 1 should not read sjálfr mun [ek] letja ‘I myself will dissuade’, while Andrews (Hálf 1909) translates gerade davon will ich abraten ‘I will just advise against it’ but does not alter the text. Here it is proposed that sjálft means something like ‘self-evidently’ and refers back to Útsteinn’s proposal in st. 47 that Eysteinn might consider bringing on more warriors for him to fight, since he has now finished off all the sons of Úlfr. Eysteinn’s response recognizes the futility of such a move, given the evident superiority of the Hálfsrekkar as warriors.
freista ‘to try’
(not checked:)
freista (verb): attempt, tempt
notes
[1-2] sjálft mun letja at freista slíks ‘it is self-evidently futile to try such a thing’: Lit. ‘it will dissuade itself from trying such’. The meaning of ll. 1-2 is difficult to grasp, particularly the sense of sjálft ‘itself’ in l. 1. Some eds have considered emending sjálft ‘itself’ to sjálfr m. nom. sg. ‘self’. Edd. Min. in a footnote queries whether l. 1 should not read sjálfr mun [ek] letja ‘I myself will dissuade’, while Andrews (Hálf 1909) translates gerade davon will ich abraten ‘I will just advise against it’ but does not alter the text. Here it is proposed that sjálft means something like ‘self-evidently’ and refers back to Útsteinn’s proposal in st. 47 that Eysteinn might consider bringing on more warriors for him to fight, since he has now finished off all the sons of Úlfr. Eysteinn’s response recognizes the futility of such a move, given the evident superiority of the Hálfsrekkar as warriors.
Hálfs ‘Hálfr’s’
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Hálfr (noun m.): Hálfr
eru ‘are’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
rekkar ‘champions’
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rekkr (noun m.; °; -ar): man, champion
hverjum ‘to everyone’
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2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
meiri ‘superior’
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meiri (adj. comp.; °meiran; superl. mestr): more, most
Þik ‘you’
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þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
veit ‘know’
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1. vita (verb): know
ek ‘I’
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
manna ‘of men’
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maðr (noun m.): man, person
miklu ‘by far’
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mikill (adj.; °mikinn): great, large
fremstan ‘the foremost’
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framr (adj.; °compar. framari/fremri, superl. framastr/fremstr): outstanding, foremost
snjallastan ‘of the most valiant’
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snjallr (adj.): quick, resourceful, bold
er ‘because’
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
þú ‘you’
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þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
átta ‘eight’
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átta (num. cardinal): eight
vátt ‘slew’
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1. vega (verb): strike, slay
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This stanza is introduced by the words: Eysteinn kvað ‘Eysteinn said’.
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