Anon Hsv 143VII
Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 143’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 445.
text and translation
Miskunnsamr skaltu við menn vera,
ef þú átt þræla þér,
þvít jarðligt eðli hygg ek jafnt hafa
þý sem þjóðans mögr.
Skaltu vera miskunnsamr við menn, ef þú átt þér þræla, þvít ek hygg þý hafa jafnt jarðligt eðli sem þjóðans mögr.
‘You must be merciful with men if you own slaves, because I think a bondwoman has the same earthly nature as the kinsman of a prince.’
notes and context
Lat. parallel: (Dist. IV, 44) Cum servos fueris proprios mercatus in usus / et famulos dicas, homines tamen esse memento ‘When you have bought your own slaves for your use, and you call them servants, remember they are still men’. — [4-6]: 624 reads quite differently here: jarðligt minztu, | at jafnt hefir | þræll ok þjóðans mögr (minztu, at þræll ok þjóðans mögr hefir jafnt jarðligt [eðli] ‘remember that a slave and a ruler’s kinsman have the same earthly [nature]’).
readings
- [2] menn: mann 624
- [4] þvít: om. 624
- [4] jarðligt: so 624, jarðligs 1199ˣ
- [4] eðli: om. 624
- [5] hygg ek: minztu 624
- [5] hafa: hefir 624
- [6] þý sem: þræll ok 624
- [6] þjóðans: so 624, þjóðkóngs 1199ˣ
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.
-
Lbs 1199 4°x (1199x) — 75v/10 - 75v/12
imagesMiskunnsamr
skaltu við menn vera,
ef þú átt þræla þér,
þvít jarðligs eðli
hygg ek jafnt hafa
þý sem þjóðkóngs mögr.Mysk | unsamur skalltu vid menn vera, ef þu ätt þræla þier. þui Jardlegs edli higg | eg jafnt hafa, þý, sem þiödkongs mo᷎gur.
(VEÞ)
-
AM 624 4° (624) — 148/1 - 148/2
imagesMiskunnsamr
skaltu við mann vera,
ef þú átt þræla þér,
jarðligt
minztu jafnt hefir
þræll ok þjóðans mögr.Myskun samur sk[al]tv vid mann verꜳ ef þv att þræla þier jardlegd minstu | at jafnt hefer þræll ok þiodans mogur ·
(VEÞ)
-
AM 148 8vox (148x) — 75v/22 - 76r/1
Myskunsamur skaltu vid mann vera, ef þu ätt þr | æla þier, Jardlegd minnstu ad Jafnt hefur, þræll ⸝og þiöd⸜ || og þiödans møgur.
(VEÞ)
editions and texts
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 143: AII, 196, BII, 209, Skald II, 110; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 33, Konráð Gíslason 1860, 552, Gering 1907, 39, Tuvestrand 1977, 149, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 127.
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