Bǫlv Hardr 5II
Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Bǫlverkr Arnórsson, Drápa about Haraldr harðráði 5’ 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, pp. 290-1.
við ‘on’
(not checked:)
2. við (prep.): with, against
rausn ‘a visit’
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2. rausn (noun f.): forecastle
at ‘’
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4. at (conj.): that
hætta ‘with splendour’
reiðmæltr ‘angry-spoken’
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reiðmæltr (adj./verb p.p.): [angry-spoken]
jǫfurr ‘prince’
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jǫfurr (noun m.): ruler, prince
skeiðum ‘the warships’
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1. skeið (noun f.; °-ar; -r/-ar/-ir): ship
notes
[2] skeiðum ‘the warships’: See Note to Valg Har 1/2.
prýddr ‘Splendid’
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prýða (verb): adorn
lá ‘pressed’
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liggja (verb): lie
byrr ‘a favourable wind’
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byrr (noun m.; °-jar/-s; -ir, acc. -i/-u(SigrVal 188¹³)): favourable wind
notes
[3, 4] at breiddu stáli ‘against the spread-out prow’: The ‘spread-out prow’ must refer to the frontal view of the ship’s broad bow (see Falk 1912, 36; Jesch 2001a, 150). Kock (NN §3090) suggested the emendation to brætt ‘tarred’.
breiddu ‘the spread-out’
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breiðr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): broad, wide
notes
[3, 4] at breiddu stáli ‘against the spread-out prow’: The ‘spread-out prow’ must refer to the frontal view of the ship’s broad bow (see Falk 1912, 36; Jesch 2001a, 150). Kock (NN §3090) suggested the emendation to brætt ‘tarred’.
Blálands ‘North Africa’
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Bláland (noun n.): North Africa, Africa
notes
[4] Bláland ‘North Africa’: Lit. ‘land of the dark people’. Usually denotes North Africa (or Ethiopia; see Fritzner: Bláland; Simek 1990a, 156-8, 202-3). In Heimslýsing ok helgifrœði (Hb 1892-6, 165), Bláland is used synonymously with ancient Mauretania (which comprised modern western Algeria and northern Morocco), and it would be more likely that Haraldr proceeded west along the coast of Africa rather than embarking on an expedition to the Red Sea (Ethiopia). See also Þfisk Lv 2/6, Sjórs Lv 3 and Hskv Útkv 1/7.
vit ‘’
stáli ‘prow’
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1. stál (noun n.; °-s; -): steel, weapon, prow
notes
[3, 4] at breiddu stáli ‘against the spread-out prow’: The ‘spread-out prow’ must refer to the frontal view of the ship’s broad bow (see Falk 1912, 36; Jesch 2001a, 150). Kock (NN §3090) suggested the emendation to brætt ‘tarred’.
Laust ‘struck’
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2. ljósta (verb): strike
notes
[5] laust (3rd pers. sg. pret. indic.) ‘struck’: The second helmingr is unusual in that the verb laust ‘struck’ functions as the predicate in two parallel constructions (skúr laust … mjǫll skokks [laust] ‘the rain-shower struck … the snow of the bottom-board [struck]’; see NN §1142). Skj B suggests the reading skúr laust á dýra skjaldrim á þrǫm skokks stokkinn mjǫll ‘the wind struck against the precious shields, against the ship-side, splattered with foam’ which is impossible because mjǫll (f. ō-stem) cannot be a dat. form (mjǫllu; see ANG §376).
en ‘and’
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2. en (conj.): but, and
reisti ‘raised’
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rísta (verb): carve, raise
lofðungr ‘the ruler’
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lofðungr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, leader
við ‘in’
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2. við (prep.): with, against
sæ ‘sea’
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sjór (noun m.): sea
skúr ‘The rain-shower’
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1. skúr (noun f.; °; -ir): shower
á ‘at’
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3. á (prep.): on, at
notes
[7] skjaldrim ‘shield-rail’: A board mounted outside the top edge of the uppermost strake to hold the shields (see Falk 1912, 53-5; Jesch 2001a, 141).
dýra ‘the precious’
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dýrr (adj.; °compar. -ri/-ari, superl. -str/-astr): precious
skokks ‘of the bottom-board’
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skokkr (noun m.): bottom-board
kennings
mjǫll skokks‘the snow of the bottom-board ’
= SEA-SPRAY
the snow of the bottom-board → SEA-SPRAY
notes
[8] skokks ‘of the bottom-board’: For this translation, see Note to st. 4/8 above.
mjǫll ‘the snow’
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mjǫll (noun f.; °dat. -/-u): fresh snow
kennings
mjǫll skokks‘the snow of the bottom-board ’
= SEA-SPRAY
the snow of the bottom-board → SEA-SPRAY
á ‘at’
(not checked:)
3. á (prep.): on, at
þrǫm ‘rim’
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þrǫmr (noun m.; °dat. þremi; gen. þrama): rail, rim
stokkinn ‘the splattered’
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stokkinn (adj./verb p.p.): spattered, splattered
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Rétt við rausn at hætta, |
Splendid, angry-spoken prince, you risked the warships with splendour on a visit to North Africa; a favourable wind pressed against the spread-out prow. The rain-shower struck at the precious shield-rail, the snow of the bottom-board [SEA-SPRAY] [struck] at the splattered rim, and the ruler raised the masts in heavy sea.
After the campaign described in st. 4 above, Haraldr sailed on with his army in a great storm with heavy sea.
H-Hr is the only version to mention that Haraldr went on another campaign after having fought in North Africa. See also Þfisk Lv 2/6.
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