Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 116’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 429-30.
Ofdrykkju forðaz; * hon drýgir erfiði;
svá skal við vífin varaz;
líkams lestir tæla lýða hvern,
er í sællífi sitr.
Forðaz ofdrykkju; * hon drýgir erfiði; svá skal varaz við vífin; líkams lestir tæla hvern lýða, er sitr í sællífi.
‘Avoid too much drinking; * it causes hardship; thus one must guard against women; vices of the body entrap every man who keeps to a wealthy way of life.’
Lat. parallels: (Dist. IV, 10) Cum te detineat Veneris damnosa voluptas, / indulgere gulae noli, quae ventris amica est ‘When the cursed pleasure of Venus holds you in its grasp, do not indulge in gluttony, which is a friend of the stomach’. (Dist. IV, 24) Hoc bibe, quo possis, si vis tu, vivere sanus: / morbi causa mali est homini quaecumque voluptas ‘Drink what you are able, if you wish to live healthy; the cause of bad disease to a man is most frequently some kind of pleasure’. Cf. also Hsv 133. The advice not to drink too much is also expressed in several sts of Hávm (e.g. 11, 12, 19). The advice to beware of physical desire is also mentioned in Sól 71.
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.
Ofdrykkju forðaz;
en drýg erfiði ;
svá skal við meinum varaz;
líkams lestir
tæla lýða hvern,
er í sællífi sitr.
Ofdryckiu fordast, enn | drijg Erfidi, so skal vid meinum varast. Lijkams lestir tæla lijda huorn er | i sæl-lijfe situr.
(VEÞ)
Ofdrykkju forðaz;
því hon drýgir erfiði;
svá skal ok við vífin varaz;
líkams lestir
tæla lýða hvern,
er í sællífi sitr.
Of dryckiu fordast | þui· hun drygier erfidi· Suo skal ok wid wýf|ín warast· Lýkams lester tæla lyda | huern er j sæl lyfi Situr
(TW)
Ofdrykkju forðaz;
því hon erfiði drýgir ;
svá skaltu ok vífin varaz;
líkams lestir
tæla lýða hvern,
er í sællífi sitr.
Ofdryckiu fordast, þui hun erfide dryger, so | skalltu og vı̈fen varast, lı̈kams lester tæla lyda hvern | er j sællı̈fe situr.
(TW)
Ofdrykkju forðaz;
ok drýg erfiði ;
svá skal við vífni varaz;
líkams losti
tælir lýða hvern,
er í sællífi sitr.
Ofdryciv þv fordaz ok dryg erfide so skal vid vifne uaraz likams losti te᷎ler ly | da hvernn er j sællifi situr ·
(VEÞ)
Ofdryckiu þu fordast, og drijg erff | ide, suo skal og vid vijfe varast, lijkams loste | tæler lijda huern, er i sællijfe situr. |
(VEÞ)
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 115: AII, 191, BII, 205, Skald II, 107, NN §2593; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 28, Gering 1907, 31, Tuvestrand 1977, 135, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 109.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.