Auðunn Lv 1III
Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.) 2017, ‘Auðunn illskælda, Lausavísa 1’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 18.
text and translation
Maðr skyldi þó, moldar,
megja hverr of þegja,
kenniseiðs þótt kunni
kleppdǫgg Hôars lǫggvar.
Hverr maðr skyldi þó megja of þegja, þótt kunni {kleppdǫgg {lǫggvar Hôars}} {kenniseiðs moldar}.
‘Yet each man ought to be able to remain silent, even though he knows the lump-dew of Hárr’s <= Óðinn’s> cask-rim [VAT > BAD POETRY] of the testing coalfish of the earth [SNAKE = Ormr (ormr ‘snake’)].’
notes and context
Óláfr Þórðarson introduces this helmingr in ch. 11 of the Málskrúðsfræði section of TGT on faulty style (De Barbarismo). He comments that barbarismus may occur with the addition of a letter, and gives the example of megja for mega ‘to be able’ in l. 2. The reason here, as he observes, is to make a long syllable of a short one and thus provide aðalhending.
Nothing is known of the original context of this helmingr, but it appears to insult an unidentified poet named Ormr (see following Note). Kock (NN §134) understood the helmingr to mean that Ormr was a man whom no skald could praise. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) understood the import of the helmingr similarly to this edn, although he does not venture an interpretation of the kennings.
readings
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 748 I b 4° (A) — 3v/13 - 3v/15
imagesMaðr | skylldi þo molldar megia hverr of þegia kenniseiðs þoat kvnni klepp dǫgg hárs lǫg | gvar .
(VEÞ)
-
AM 242 fol (W) — 101/4 - 101/6
imagesMaðr skyldi þó, moldar,
megja hverr of þegja,
kennimeiðs þótt kynni
kleppdǫgg Hôars lǫggvar.Maðr | skylldí þo molldar megia hverr of þegía kenni meiðs þo at kynni klepp dǫgg hꜳrs log|guar.
(TW)
-
AM 757 a 4° (B) — 2v/3 - 2v/4
imagesMaðr skyldi þó, moldar,
megja hverr of þegja,
kenni†selds† þótt kynni
klepp-dǫggs Hôars lǫggvar.Maðr skyllde þo molldar megía huerr of | þegar kenni selds þóat kýnne kleppdo᷎ggs hárs lo᷎gguar.
(TW)
-
AM 744 4°x (744x) — 8v/3 - 8v/6
imagesMadr skyllde þo molldar| megia huerr of þegar| kenni selds þo at kynne| kleppdo᷎gs hars so᷎gguar.|
(MCR)
-
AM 761 b 4°x (761bx) — 5r - 5r
images
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