Judith Jesch (ed.) 2009, ‘Ármóðr, Lausavísur 4’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 623.
Eigum vér, þars vági
verpr inn of þrǫm stinnan,
— þann hǫfum vér at vinna —
varðhald á skæ barða,
meðan í nótt hjá nýtri
námdúks hǫrundmjúkri
lókr sefr lind inn veiki;
lítk of ǫxl til Krítar.
Vér eigum varðhald á {skæ barða}, þars vági verpr inn of stinnan þrǫm—vér hǫfum þann at vinna—, meðan inn veiki lókr sefr í nótt hjá {nýtri, hǫrundmjúkri lind námdúks}; lítk of ǫxl til Krítar.
‘We keep watch on the steed of the prow [SHIP], where the billow is thrown in over the sturdy gunwale—we have that to do—, while the feeble weakling sleeps tonight beside the excellent, soft-skinned lime-tree of the kerchief [WOMAN]; I look over my shoulder towards Crete.’
Sailing south towards Crete, Rǫgnvaldr’s fleet comes into some bad weather. Ármóðr declaims this st. while keeping watch at night.
This st. incorporates a common motif, the comparison of the speaker’s manly activities (usually seafaring or fighting) with those of a feeble stay-at-home who lolls about with women. See KormǪ Lv 34V, 36V, 39V, 63V, Vígf Lv 1I, Hharð Lv 4, Játg Lv, etc. Sometimes the derogatory comparison between bold adventurers and stay-at-homes is made without implicating women, as in Árm Lv 2, or Anon (Flóam) 1V.
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.
Eigu ver þar er vꜳgi verpr inn vm þraum stinnan þan ho᷎fum ver at vinna vardhalld | a skebarda medan i nott hia nytri nꜳmduks haurund miukri lo᷎kr sefr lind | hin veyki liit ek vm auxl til kritar.
(JJ)
Eigum vér, þars vági
verpr inn of þrǫm ,
— þann hǫfum vér at vinna —
varðhald á skæ barða,
meðan í nótt hjá nýtri
†naduks† hǫrundmjúkri
lókr sefr lind inn veiki;
lítk of ǫxl til Krítar.
Eigu ver þar er vagi verpur inn vm þraun sunnan stinnan | þat ho᷎fum ver at vinna, vardhalld a skebarda | medan i nott hia nytri, naduks ho᷎rund miukri | lo᷎kur sefur lind hinn veyki, lit ek vm oxl til kritar
(JJ)
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