Diana Whaley (ed.) 2012, ‘Bersi Skáld-Torfuson, 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. 796.
Sverð standa þar — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— herstillis verðr hylli
hollust — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
vask endr með þér, sendir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sverð standa þar búin golli; vér leyfum {árar {sunda sárs}}; hylli {herstillis} verðr hollust. Ek tœka við, ef vildir, allvaldr, gefa skaldi eitthvert; vask endr með þér, {sendir {elds víka}}.
‘Swords stand there decorated with gold; we [I] praise the oars of the bays of the wound [BLOOD > SWORDS]; the favour of the army-commander [RULER] becomes most gracious. I would accept, if you wished, mighty ruler, to give the skald [Bersi] something; I was with you formerly, distributor of the fire of inlets [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN]. ’
As noted above, the stanza is attributed to three different skalds. In ÓH-Hkr, Sigvatr is with King Óláfr when he visits the store of treasures he has assembled as Christmas gifts. Among these is a gold-decorated sword, which elicits the stanza from Sigvatr. The king gives him the sword, which becomes a source of envy. In ÓHÆ and ÓHLeg, a brief narrative explains that Óttarr uttered the stanza one day when present with King Óláfr in an upper room where there were many swords, hilts uppermost. After the stanza the king obliges with the gift of ‘the sword’ (suærðet). In Articulus 13 from Styrmir Kárason, interpolated into Flat (1860-8, III, 244), Bersi Skáld-Torfuson, ‘a good poet’, is slandered by others, who claim that he could not compose or recite anything not already recited. The king has a small room prepared with unsheathed swords and calls for Bersi, commissioning him to compose about the fact that the swords are upright (uppreist). Bersi does, and is given a fine sword.
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.
Sverð standa þar — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— herstillis verðr hylli
hollust — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
†var ec† endr með þér, sendir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sverð standa þar sunda | sárs leyfo ver árar | herstillis verþr hylli | hollust buin gulli | við tǫka ec víka | var ec endr með þer sendir | elldz ef þu eitthvert vildir | allvaldr gefa scáldi.
(DW)
Sverð standa þar — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— her-stilli þarf ek hylli
hollust — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
var endr með þér, sendir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sverþ stan | da þar svnda sars leyfvm ver arar herstillir þarf ec hylli hollost bvin gulli við tǿca || ec víca var endr með þér sendir ellz efþv eiᴛ hvert villdir allvaldr gefa scalldi.
(VEÞ)
Sverð standa hér — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— herstillis þarf ek hylli
hollust — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
vask endr með þér, sendir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sverð standa þar — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— herstillis þarf ek hylli
†hellest† — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
varð endr með þér, sendir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sverð standa hér — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— herstillis verðr hylli
hollust — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
vask endr með þér, sendir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sverð standa hér — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— her†still† verðr hylli
hollust — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
vil ek enn með þér, kennir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sverð standa þar — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— her-stilli væri hylli
hollust — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
vask endr með þér, sendir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sverd standa þar sunda sꜳrs leyfu vær ꜳrar | herstilli væri hylli holloz buín gulli vid tæka ek | vika var ek endr med þer sendir ellz ef þu eítt hvert v | illdir allvalldr gefa skalldi·
(VEÞ)
Sverð standa þar — †sund[...]†
—
— herstillis verðr hylli
hollust — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
†[...]† ,
†el[...]† — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa †skalld[...]†.
Sverð standa hér — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— herstillis verðr hylli
†bolluzt† — búin golli.
Við tœkum vér , — víkja,
vask endir með þér, sendir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sverð standa hér — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— herstillis þarf ek hylli
†haull raud† — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
var,vil ek enn með þér, kennir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sverð standa hér — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— herstillis þarf ek hylli
holl ráð — búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — víka,
vil ek enn með þér, kennir
elds — ef eitthvert vildir,
allvaldr, gefa skaldi.
Sværð standa her sunda, sars læyuum ver arar, hærr still | is þarf ec hylli, holl rað buín gulli; við tꝍka ec vika, vil ec enn með þer | kænnir, ællz ef þu æitthvært villdir, allvalldr geva skallde,
(VEÞ)
Sverð standa hér — sunda
sárs leyfum vér árar —
— †[...]þ†
— búin golli.
Við tœka ek, — †[...]a†,
vil ek enn með þér, kennir
elds — †[...]ldir† ,
allvaldr, †ge[...]a† skaldi.
Sverþ standa her svnda sárs læyfom vér árar · | [...]ǫ́þ bvin golli · viþ tǿca ec [...]a vil ec ⸌eɴ⸍ meþ þér keɴir eldz | [...]ldir allvaldr ge[...]a scaldi
(VEÞ)
Skj: Bersi Skáldtorfuson, 2. Lausavísa: AI, 277, BI, 256, Skald I, 132, NN §3070; Hkr 1893-1901, II, 383-4, IV, 150, ÍF 27, 296-7, Hkr 1991, II, 469 (ÓHHkr ch. 162); Fms 4, 378, Fms 12, 92, ÓH 1941, I, 459 (ch. 154), Flat 1860-8, II, 291; Fms 5, 233-4, Fms 12, 114, Flat 1860-8, III, 244, ÓH 1941, II, 690; ÓHLeg 1922, 57, ÓHLeg 1982, 132-3; ÓHÆ 1893, 7.
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