Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Máguss saga jarls 1 (Mágus jarl, verses 1)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 599.
Ek hefi vísendi víst í brjósti
meiri miklu, en menn vita.
Sé ek, hvar húkir hirð á bekkjum,
hjartadeigir, ef herja skal.
Ek hefi víst miklu meiri vísendi í brjósti, en menn vita. Ek sé, hvar hirð húkir á bekkjum, hjartadeigir, ef skal herja.
‘I have certainly much more knowledge in my breast than people know. I see where the retinue cowers on the benches, men soft of heart, if there should be any fighting. ’
This and the following two fornyrðislag stanzas are all spoken by Mágus jarl disguised as an old man, Skeljakarl ‘Shell-man’, so named because his clothing is covered with shells. The prose text of the younger recension introduces the stanzas with a detailed description of the man’s appearance and behaviour. He comes before the king and his retinue saying that he is capable of spásǫgur ‘prophecies’. He is on crutches and carries two staves, one of which he places on the floor in front of him. He strokes his hair and combs his beard, so that it spreads over his chest, and shakes his head several times, making a clattering sound, at which the retinue laughs. He then takes a second stave and passes it in front of his eyes, leaps like a cat from an outer to an inner bench and waves the second stave over the men’s heads, speaking a stanza in a low voice.
The longer recension of Mág gives a lot more detailed description of Mágus’ behaviour and equipment than the shorter recension does (cf. Mág 1884, 21-2). All three stanzas qualify as níðvísur ‘insult-stanzas’, intended to defame the retinue of the ruler, Karl, and to draw his attention in particular to the deviousness and malevolence of the men upon whose advice he relies. — [5-6]: See Note to Mág 2/1-2.
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.
Ek hefi vísendi
víst í brjósti
miklu meiri ,
en menn vita.
Sé ek, hvar húkir
hirð á bekkjum,
hjartadeigir,
ef herja skal.
Ek hefi | uijsennde †meire† uijst ij briosti · miclu † enn menn uita · | Seec huar hukir hird ꜳ beckium hiarta deigir ef heria | skal ·
(MCR)
Ek hef vísendi
víst í brjósti
meiri miklu,
en menn vita.
Sé ek, hvar húkir
hirð á bekkjum,
hjartadeig,
ef herja skal.
ég hef vísende víst í brióste, meire miklú enn menn vita, se ec hvar húkir hird á beckjum | hiarta deig ef heria skal,
(JG)
Ek hef vísendi
víst í brjósti
miklu meiri ,
en menn viti.
Sé ek, hvar húkir
hirð á bekkjum,
hjartadeig,
ef herja skal.
Ek hef | ver Wisindi vïst i Briosti | miklu meiri enn menn | vite, see ek huar hukir | hyrd a Beckiumm hiar| ta deig ef herja skal
(JG)
Ek hefi vísendi
víst í brjósti
miklu meiri ,
en menn viti.
Sé ek, hvar húkir
hirð á bekkjum,
hjartadeig,
ef herja skal.
Eg hefi uisinde Uist i briosti miklú meiri en menn uiti sie eg huár húkir hird a beckiúm hiarta deig ef heria skal.
(TW)
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