Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Máguss saga jarls 2 (Mágus jarl, verses 2)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 600.
Sé ek, hvar sitja Sveinn ok Helgi;
þeir eru rógberar rekka á millum.
Þikjaz garpar í gamanmálum;
eru löskvir tveir lymskudrengir.
Ek sé, hvar Sveinn ok Helgi sitja; þeir eru rógberar á millum rekka. Þikjaz garpar í gamanmálum; eru tveir löskvir lymskudrengir.
‘I see where Sveinn and Helgi are sitting; they are slander-bearers among men. They appear brave fellows in their joking speech; they are two good-for-nothing men of cunning. ’
The court laughs after the old man’s recital of his first stanza. He repeats his previous behaviour in the hall and then recites a second stanza, again in a low voice.
[1-2]: These lines are similar in wording to part of the sibyl’s prophecy in Hrólf (Hrólf 4/1-2), Sé ek hvar sitja | synir Hálfdanar ‘I see where the sons of Hálfdan sit’. — [7-8]: Ms. 590aˣ’s readings have been preferred here over those of 152, as they provide slightly better sense. In l. 7 ms. 152’s adj. lostugir ‘willing, ready’ (m. nom. pl.) is plausible but perhaps too positive, combining in l. 8 with the variant lymskudrjúgir to give the sense ‘but they are willing and ample in cunning’.
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.
Sé ek, hvar sitja
Sveinn ok Helgi;
þeir eru rógberar
rekka á millum.
Þikjaz garpar
í gamanmálum;
enn eru lostugir
ok lymsku drjúgir.
Seec huar \sitia/ Sueinn ok helgi þeir eru | ʀogberar ʀecka ꜳ millum · þiciazt garpar ij gaman | malum · enn eru lostugir ok lymsku driugir
(TW)
Sé ek, hvar sitja
Sveinn ok Helgi;
þeir er róg bera
rekka í millum .
Þikjaz garpar
í gamanmálum;
eru löskvir tveir
lymskudrengir.
Seg eg hvar sitia Sveinn ok | Helge, þeir er rógbera recka ïmillum, þikisk garpar ï gamanmälum, eru lauskuir tveir | lymskú dreingir.
(JG)
Sé ek, hvar sitja
Sveinn ok Helgi;
þeir eru róg bera
rekka í milli .
Þikjaz garpar
í gamanmálum;
†ero lomskuir tueir†
lymskudrengir.
See | ek huar sitia sveinn ok | helgi, þeir ero rögbera | ʀecka i mille, þýkiast ɢarpar i ɢamanmälúm | ero lomskver tueir lim-|sku dreingir.
(JG)
Sé ek, hvar sitja
Sveinn ok Helgi;
þeir eru róg bera
rekka á millum.
Þikjaz garpar
í gamanmálum;
eru löskvir tveir
lymsku drjúgir.
Se eg hvár sitia Súein og helgi þeir erv rog bera recka a millúm þikiazt garpar i gaman malúm eru loskv́ir túeir limskú driúger.
(TW)
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