Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 16’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 370.
Fámálugr þú vert, er með fyrðum kemr
ok at sumblum sitr;
annan fýsa skaltu eigi illra hluta;
mæl þú gott ok ger.
Vert þú fámálugr, er kemr með fyrðum ok sitr at sumblum; skaltu eigi fýsa annan illra hluta; mæl þú ok ger gott.
‘Be reticent when you come among men and sit at banquets; you must not encourage another [to do] bad things; speak and do good.’
Lat. parallels: (sent. 51) pauca in convivio loquere ‘say few words at a banquet’; (sent. 55) illud adgredere quod iustum est ‘undertake what is rightful’. A similar topic is dealt with in Hsv 104. In ON-Icel. literature it seems to have been common advice to be cautious among strangers and to listen carefully before speaking oneself. Cf. for instance Hávm 27 and Sól 19.
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.
Famälugur þu | vert er med firdum kemur, og ad Sumlum situr. Annann fýsa skalltu ei | illra hluta. Mæl þu gott, og giór.
(VEÞ)
Fámálugr þú vert,
er með fyrðum kemr
ok at sumlu sitr;
annan fýsa
þú skaltu eigi illra hluta;
mæl þú gott ok ger.
F ꜳ̋mꜳlugr þu wert er med fyrdum kiemur ok ath su|mlu situr annann fysa þu skaltu eij illra hluta | mæl þu gott ok gior |
(TW)
Fámálugr þú vert,
er með fyrðum kemr
ok at sumblum sitr;
annan fýsa
skaltu eigi illra hluta;
†[...]† þú gott ok ger.
þu gott og gior.
(TW)
†[...]† þú ver,
er með fyrðum kemr
ok at samkundum †sit[...]†;
†[...]ann [...]†
†[...]† eigi illra hluta;
mæl þú gott ok ger.
þu uer er med fyrdum kemr og at samkundum sit[...]ann [...] | jllra hluta Mæl þu gott og gior
(VEÞ)
Fámálugr þú vert,
er þú með fyrðum kemr
ok at samkundu sitr;
annan fýsa
skaltu eigi illra hluta;
annaz þú gott ok ger.
famalugur þu vert er þu med fyrdvm kemur ok at | samkundv situr · anan fysa skaltv eigi illra hluta anazt þv gott ok gi⸌or⸍ |
(VEÞ)
Fämälugur þu vert, er þu med firdum kemur | og at samkundu situr, Annan fijsa skaltu ei Jllra | hluta, Annast þu gott, og giór.
(VEÞ)
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 16: AII, 171, BII, 188, Skald II, 98, NN §3266B Anm.; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 9, Gering 1907, 5, Tuvestrand 1977, 79, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 35.
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