Anon Brúðv 9VII/4 — vara ‘was not’
Lýðir hvöttu lyngbjóð
laungum á kvánfaung,
en súða snarmeiðr
sóta vara þess fljótr.
Faxa játti Freyr loks
fjarðar, er þá varð
frænda, við flein-Þund,
fíkjum um það vili ríkr.
Lýðir hvöttu lyngbjóð laungum á kvánfaung, en snarmeiðr sóta súða vara þess fljótr. Freyr faxa fjarðar játti loks við flein-Þund, er fíkjum ríkr vili frænda varð um það þá.
People repeatedly urged the heather-giver [GENEROUS MAN] to marriage, but the bold tree of the horse of planking [SHIP > SEAFARER] was not ready for that. The Freyr <god> of the maned one of the fjord [SHIP > SEAFARER] consented finally to the spear-Þundr <= Óðinn> [WARRIOR], when a very strong wish of [his] kinsmen then was for it.
readings
[4] vara: var 721
notes
[4] vara ‘was not’: Jón Helgason emended var ‘was’ to vara ‘was not’, which makes more sense in the context, since the young man is reluctant to marry, according to Mar (1871, 118). All mss read var, but the scribe of 2166ˣ has added the negative prefix ó-, (ó)fljótr ‘not ready’ to give the expected sense of the cl.
grammar
Irregular verbs: vera (to be)
| indic. | subj. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pres. | past | pres. | past | ||
| sing. pl. | 1 2 3 1 2 3 | em ert er erum eruð eru | var vart var várum váruð váru | sé sér sé sém séð sé | væra værir væri værim værið væri |
| imperative past part. | ver, verið verit | ||||