Vagn Lv 1I
Matthew Townend (ed.) 2012, ‘Vagn Ákason, Lausavísa 1’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 366.
text and translation
Sigvaldi hefr setta
sjalfa oss und kylfu,
en fárhugaðr fnauði
fór heim til Danmarkar.
Hyggr í faðm at falla
fljótt vinkonu sinni,
en fyr borð it breiða
Búi gekk með hugrekki.
Sigvaldi hefr setta oss sjalfa und kylfu, en fárhugaðr fnauði fór heim til Danmarkar. Hyggr at falla fljótt í faðm vinkonu sinni, en Búi gekk fyr it breiða borð með hugrekki.
‘Sigvaldi has put us ourselves under the cosh, but the little-hearted coward has gone home to Denmark. He thinks to fall swiftly into the embrace of his lady-friend, but Búi has gone over the broad gunwale with courage. ’
notes and context
At a point in the battle of Hjǫrungavágr (Liavågen) when the division and defeat of the Jómsvíkingar has become apparent, and victory looks assured for the Norwegian jarls Hákon Sigurðarson and his son Eiríkr, Sigvaldi, leader of the Jómsvíkingar, flees and (in 291) calls for others to flee too. Vagn speaks the stanza (in 291 as a direct response to Sigvaldi).
[5-8]: The second helmingr sets up a familiar skaldic contrast between the coward at home with a woman, and the brave man in battle (cf., e.g., Vígf Lv, Anon Liðs 3).
readings
- [1] hefr: hefir svá 510
- [1] setta: ‘sett⸜d⸝a’ Flat
- [2] oss: so 7, Flat, 510, ‘os’ 291
- [2] und: við Flat
- [3] en: og 510
- [3] fárhugaðr: fáfróðigr Flat, fáhróðigr 510
- [3] fnauði: flœði 7, flýði Flat, 510
- [4] heim: so 7, Flat, ‘⸜heim⸝ aptr’ 291
- [4] ‑markar: ‑merkr Flat, 510
- [5] Hyggr: ‘hygzt’ 510
- [6] vin‑: so Flat, und 291, ǫrr 7, nú 510
- [8] gekk: so 7, Flat, ‘gegc’ 291
- [8] ‑rekki: ‑reiði 510
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.
-
AM 291 4° (291) — 36v/1 - 36v/3
Sigvaldi hefr setta
sjalfa †os† und kylfu,
en fárhugaðr fnauði
fór †⸜heim⸝ aptr† til Danmarkar.
Hyggr í faðm at falla
fljótt undkonu sinni,
en fyr borð it breiða
Búi †gegc† með hugrekki.Sigvalldi hefir setta sialfa os vɴd kylfo en fáar hvgaþr fnꜹ | þi fór ⸌heim⸍ aptr til danᴍarkar · hyɢr faþm at falla fliot vnd kono siɴne eɴn fyrir | borþ et breiþa Bvi gegc meþ hvgrecki·
(VEÞ)
-
Holm perg 7 4° (7) — 37v - 37v
Sigvaldi hefr setta
images
sjalfa oss und kylfu,
en fárhugaðr flœði
fór heim til Danmarkar.
Hyggr í faðm at falla
fljótt ǫrrkonu sinni,
en fyr borð it breiða
Búi gekk með hugrekki. -
GKS 1005 fol (Flat) — 25vb/40 - 25vb/40
Sigvaldi hefr †sett⸜d⸝a†
images
sjalfa oss við kylfu,
en fáfróðigr flýði
fór heim til Dan-merkr.
Hyggr í faðm at falla
fljótt vinkonu sinni,
en fyr borð it breiða
Búi gekk með hugrekki. -
AM 510 4° (510) — 63r - 63r/3
Sigvaldi hefir svá setta
images
sjalfa oss und kylfu,
og fáhróðigr flýði
fór heim til Dan-merkr.
†hygzt† í faðm at falla
fljótt núkonu sinni,
en fyr borð it breiða
Búi gekk með hug-reiði.
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