Anon Hsv 87VII
Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 87’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 413.
text and translation
Manndáð meiri getr eigi fyrir mold ofan,
en kenna góð ráð gum*um;
ódyggt líf mundu ýtar hafa,
ef bætti engi yfir.
Getr eigi meiri manndáð fyrir mold ofan en kenna gum*um góð ráð; ýtar mundu hafa ódyggt líf, ef engi bætti yfir.
‘There is no greater act of prowess on earth than to teach men good advice; people would have a worthless life if nobody were to improve it.’
notes and context
Lat. parallel: (Dist. III, 1a) Fortunae donis semper par esse memento: / non opibus bona fama datur, sed moribus ipsis ‘Always remember to be equal to the gifts of Fortune; a good reputation is given not on account of riches, but because of [one’s] conduct’. The Lat. distich is a variant of III, 1 and the translation here is likewise a variant of st. 86.
readings
- [1] Manndáð: manndýrð 624
- [3] góð: gott 624
- [3] ráð: om. 624
- [3] gum*um: gumnum 1199ˣ, gunnum 624
- [4] ódyggt: fádyggt 624
- [5] ýtar: flestir 624
- [6] bætti engi: engi bætti 624
sources
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.
-
Lbs 1199 4°x (1199x) — 74r/8 - 74r/10
imagesManndáð meiri
getr eigi fyrir mold ofan,
en kenna góð ráð gumnum;
ódyggt líf
mundu ýtar hafa,
ef bætti engi yfir.Manndäd meire getur eigi fyrer Molld ofan | enn kenna göd räd ɢumnum. Odigt lijf mundu itar hafa ef bætte ein | gi ýfer.
(VEÞ)
-
AM 624 4° (624) — 145/4 - 145/6
imagesmanndýrð meiri
getr eigi fyrir mold ofan,
en kenna gott gunnum;
fádyggt líf
mundu flestir hafa,
ef engi bætti yfir.manndyrd meiri getur eigi firer molld ofan | en kenna gott gvnnvm fadygt lif mvndu flester hafa ef eingi | bætti yfer
(VEÞ)
-
AM 148 8vox (148x) — 73v/1 - 73v/3
manndijrd meire getur ei firer molld offan | enn kenna gott gunnum, fädigt lijf mundu flester hafa, | ef einge bætte yfer.
(VEÞ)
editions and texts
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 88: AII, 186, BII, 200, Skald II, 104; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 22, Konráð Gíslason 1860, 551-2, Gering 1907, 24, Tuvestrand 1977, 120, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 89.
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