A. Guidelines for normalisation in syllable–counting meters
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1. Cliticisation pre-1250.
Cliticise ek (to finite verb), es, etc. if required by metre: skal ek > skalk, þar es > þars, etc. Do not indicate cliticisation with apostrophe (*þar’s). After 1250, do not cliticise. In such nonsyllable-counting meters as ljóðaháttr, do not cliticise.
Examples:
Sigv 11, 1/1: Var ek með gram þeims gvmnvm > Vask með
gram þeims gumnum
Sigv 11, 12/3: hárir menn er ec heyri > hárir menn es heyrik
Korm Lv 4/1 Hofat lind ne ek leynda > hófat lind né leyndak
Sigv 11, 12/1: Hætt er þat er allir ætlaz > Hætts þats allir
ætlask
Sigv 11, 11/8: reiðr er herr konungr leiðaz > reiðrs herr
konungr leiðask.
2. Omission of personal pronouns
Leave out personal pronouns (usually second or third person singular nominative) if required by metre. Such pronouns tend to be added by later scribes in an attempt to simplify the syntax.
Examples:
Sigv 11, 13/1 Gialltu varhuga veltir > Gjalt varhuga veltir
Korm Lv 9/1 Lettfœran skaltu láta > léttfœran skalt láta
ÞjóðA 1, 19/8 nær sem hann raðinn væri > nær sem ráðinn væri (note: hann is omitted in F, 39, Hr)
Hildr 1/8: hògr ef hann renn til skógar > hœgr ef rennr til skógar.
3. Treatment of negations
In later mss the more archaic negation -at has often been replaced by the negation eigi (later ei). If the enclitic negation is required by metre, emend, but mention the emendation in the notes if it is not warranted by a MS reading.
Example:
Mberf Lv 2/1: Vill hann eigi flokk várn fylla > Villat flokk
várn fylla.
4. The enclitic definite article
In poetry before 1200 either leave the article out or treat it as a free–standing enclitic.
Examples:
BjHít Lv 1/3 ef hòrskorðan hæyrðí > ef hǫrskorða heyrði
Mberf. Lv. 2/2: falsc ridarinn valski > falsk riddari inn
valski.
Korm Lv 63/2 mer [maðr: pap. ms.] þinn konan svinna > maðr þinn kona in svinna.
In a case like Korm Lv 58:3, 7, where the metre would require the enclitic article (but the lines could be metrically restored by omission of the article and insertion of of), keep the ms. reading and mention the irregularity in a note:
Korm Lv 58/3: vit skulum dalkinn deila [stet] (but cf. vit skulum
dalk of deila)
Korm Lv 58/7: vist er at ek mannsins missta > vísts at mannsins misstak
(but
cf. vísts at manns of misstak).