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Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Bersi Lv 1^I

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.

Bersi Skáld-Torfuson Lausavísa 1

Sverð ‘Swords’

(not checked:)
sverð (noun n.; °-s; -): sword

standa ‘stand’

(not checked:)
standa (verb): stand

þar ‘there’

(not checked:)
þar (adv.): there

[1] þar: hér 972ˣ, 73aˣ, 68, Tóm, Flat(187rb), DG8, NRA52

notes

[1] þar ‘there’: The variant hér ‘here’ is equally possible.

sunda ‘of the bays’

(not checked:)
sund (noun n.; °-s; -): sound, strait; swimming

[1, 2] sunda sárs leyfum vér árar: ‘sund[...]’ 75c

kennings

árar sunda sárs;
‘the oars of the bays of the wound; ’
= SWORDS
the bays of the wound; → BLOOD
the oars of the BLOOD → SWORDS

sunda ‘of the bays’

(not checked:)
sund (noun n.; °-s; -): sound, strait; swimming

[1, 2] sunda sárs leyfum vér árar: ‘sund[...]’ 75c

kennings

árar sunda sárs;
‘the oars of the bays of the wound; ’
= SWORDS
the bays of the wound; → BLOOD
the oars of the BLOOD → SWORDS

sárs ‘of the wound’

(not checked:)
2. sár (noun n.; °-s; -): wound

[1, 2] sunda sárs leyfum vér árar: ‘sund[...]’ 75c

kennings

árar sunda sárs;
‘the oars of the bays of the wound; ’
= SWORDS
the bays of the wound; → BLOOD
the oars of the BLOOD → SWORDS

sárs ‘of the wound’

(not checked:)
2. sár (noun n.; °-s; -): wound

[1, 2] sunda sárs leyfum vér árar: ‘sund[...]’ 75c

kennings

árar sunda sárs;
‘the oars of the bays of the wound; ’
= SWORDS
the bays of the wound; → BLOOD
the oars of the BLOOD → SWORDS

leyfum ‘praise’

(not checked:)
leyfa (verb): permit; praise

[1, 2] sunda sárs leyfum vér árar: ‘sund[...]’ 75c

vér ‘we [I]’

(not checked:)
vér (pron.; °gen. vár, dat./acc. oss): we, us, our

[1, 2] sunda sárs leyfum vér árar: ‘sund[...]’ 75c

árar ‘the oars’

(not checked:)
1. ár (noun f.; °-ar, dat. u/-; -ar/-ir(LandslBorg 151b²¹)): oar

[1, 2] sunda sárs leyfum vér árar: ‘sund[...]’ 75c

kennings

árar sunda sárs;
‘the oars of the bays of the wound; ’
= SWORDS
the bays of the wound; → BLOOD
the oars of the BLOOD → SWORDS

her ‘of the army’

(not checked:)
herr (noun m.; °-s/-jar, dat. -; -jar, gen. -ja/herra): army, host < herstillir (noun m.)

[3, 4] herstillis verðr hylli hollust: ‘[...]þ’ NRA52

kennings

herstillis
‘of the army-commander ’
= RULER
the army-commander → RULER

stillis ‘commander’

(not checked:)
stillir (noun m.): ruler < herstillir (noun m.)

[3, 4] herstillis verðr hylli hollust: ‘[...]þ’ NRA52 [3] ‑stillis: ‑stilli Holm2, 61, ‘still’ with abbreviation mark 68

kennings

herstillis
‘of the army-commander ’
= RULER
the army-commander → RULER

verðr ‘becomes’

(not checked:)
1. verða (verb): become, be

[3, 4] herstillis verðr hylli hollust: ‘[...]þ’ NRA52 [3] verðr: þarf ek Holm2, 972ˣ, 321ˣ, Flat(187rb), DG8, væri 61

hylli ‘the favour’

(not checked:)
hylli (noun f.; °-): favour

[3, 4] herstillis verðr hylli hollust: ‘[...]þ’ NRA52

hollust ‘most gracious’

(not checked:)
hollr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): loyal

[3, 4] herstillis verðr hylli hollust: ‘[...]þ’ NRA52 [4] hollust: ‘hellest’ 321ˣ, ‘bolluzt’ Tóm, ‘haull raud’ Flat(187rb), holl ráð DG8

notes

[4] hollust ‘most gracious’: The variants have a lexical element rather than the sup. ending ‑ust, and as the more complex readings may have more claim to authenticity. The readings in NRA52 and DG8 seem to point to hollrð ‘benign-counsel(led)’, and though not recorded elsewhere hollráðr is a plausible cpd, the antonym of illráðr ‘bad-counselled’ and comparable to stórráðr ‘great-counselled’ and harðráðr ‘harsh-counselled’ (NN §3070); it is printed in Skald. The variant in Flat(187rb), ‘haull raud’, would partially support holl ‘gracious’ and rauðbúin (golli) ‘red-decorated (with gold)’, which are printed in Skj B.

búin ‘decorated’

(not checked:)
2. búa (verb; °býr (1. pers. býg NjM 330²⁴); bjó/bjuggi/bjǫggi/byggi, bjuggu/bjǫggu (præt. conj. byggi); búinn (n. sg. búit/bút)): prepare, ready, live

golli ‘with gold’

(not checked:)
gull (noun n.): gold

Við ‘accept’

(not checked:)
2. við (prep.): with, against

tœka ‘would’

(not checked:)
2. taka (verb): take

[5] tœka ek: tœkum vér Tóm

ek ‘I’

(not checked:)
ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me

[5] tœka ek: tœkum vér Tóm

víka ‘of inlets’

(not checked:)
vík (noun f.): bay

[5] víka: víkja Tóm, ‘[...]a’ NRA52

kennings

sendir elds víka.
‘distributor of the fire of inlets. ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the fire of inlets. → GOLD
distributor of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN

víka ‘of inlets’

(not checked:)
vík (noun f.): bay

[5] víka: víkja Tóm, ‘[...]a’ NRA52

kennings

sendir elds víka.
‘distributor of the fire of inlets. ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the fire of inlets. → GOLD
distributor of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN

vask ‘I was’

(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am

[6] vask endr með þér sendir: ‘[...]’ 75c; vask (‘var ec’): var Holm2, Flat(187rb), varð 321ˣ, vil ek 68, Flat(187rb), DG8, NRA52

notes

[6] vask endr með þér, sendir ‘I was with you formerly, distributor’: Again, the alternative is satisfactory: vil ek enn með þér, kennir ‘I want to stay with you, trier (of gold)’.

endr ‘formerly’

(not checked:)
endr (adv.): formerly, once, again

[6] vask endr með þér sendir: ‘[...]’ 75c; endr: enn 68, Flat(187rb), DG8, NRA52, endir Tóm

notes

[6] vask endr með þér, sendir ‘I was with you formerly, distributor’: Again, the alternative is satisfactory: vil ek enn með þér, kennir ‘I want to stay with you, trier (of gold)’.

með ‘with’

(not checked:)
með (prep.): with

[6] vask endr með þér sendir: ‘[...]’ 75c

notes

[6] vask endr með þér, sendir ‘I was with you formerly, distributor’: Again, the alternative is satisfactory: vil ek enn með þér, kennir ‘I want to stay with you, trier (of gold)’.

þér ‘you’

(not checked:)
þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you

[6] vask endr með þér sendir: ‘[...]’ 75c

notes

[6] vask endr með þér, sendir ‘I was with you formerly, distributor’: Again, the alternative is satisfactory: vil ek enn með þér, kennir ‘I want to stay with you, trier (of gold)’.

sendir ‘distributor’

(not checked:)
sendir (noun m.): sender, distributor

[6] vask endr með þér sendir: ‘[...]’ 75c; sendir: kennir 68, Flat(187rb), DG8, NRA52

kennings

sendir elds víka.
‘distributor of the fire of inlets. ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the fire of inlets. → GOLD
distributor of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN

notes

[6] vask endr með þér, sendir ‘I was with you formerly, distributor’: Again, the alternative is satisfactory: vil ek enn með þér, kennir ‘I want to stay with you, trier (of gold)’.

elds ‘of the fire’

(not checked:)
eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire

[7] elds: ‘el[...]’ 75c

kennings

sendir elds víka.
‘distributor of the fire of inlets. ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the fire of inlets. → GOLD
distributor of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN

elds ‘of the fire’

(not checked:)
eldr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i/-(HómÍsl¹(1993) 24v²⁴); -ar): fire

[7] elds: ‘el[...]’ 75c

kennings

sendir elds víka.
‘distributor of the fire of inlets. ’
= GENEROUS MAN
the fire of inlets. → GOLD
distributor of the GOLD → GENEROUS MAN

ef ‘if’

(not checked:)
3. ef (conj.): if

[7] ef eitthvert vildir: ‘[...]ldir’ NRA52

eitt ‘something’

(not checked:)
2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone

[7] ef eitthvert vildir: ‘[...]ldir’ NRA52

hvert ‘’

(not checked:)
2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every

[7] ef eitthvert vildir: ‘[...]ldir’ NRA52

vildir ‘you wished’

(not checked:)
vilja (verb): want, intend

[7] ef eitthvert vildir: ‘[...]ldir’ NRA52

all ‘mighty’

(not checked:)
all- ((prefix)): very < allvaldr (noun m.): mighty ruler

valdr ‘ruler’

(not checked:)
valdr (noun m.): ruler < allvaldr (noun m.): mighty ruler

gefa ‘to give’

(not checked:)
gefa (verb): give

[8] gefa: ‘ge[...]a’ NRA52

skaldi ‘the skald [Bersi]’

(not checked:)
skáld (noun n.; °-s; -): poet

[8] skaldi: ‘skalld[...]’ 75c

Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses

verse
prose

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.

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