ESk Geisl 70^VII

Myndi bragr nú brǫndum
baugness vesa þessi
— kannk rausnarskap ræsis —
raundýrliga launaðr,
ef lofða gramr lifði
leikmildr Sigurðr Hildar
— þess lýsik veg vísa —
vellum grimmr inn ellri.

Þessi bragr myndi nú vesa raundýrliga launaðr {brǫndum {baugness}} — kannk rausnarskap ræsis —, ef Sigurðr inn ellri, gramr lofða, grimmr vellum, {Hildar leikmildr}, lifði; lýsik veg þess vísa.

This poem would now be magnificently rewarded {with the fires {of the bracelet-headland}} [ARM > GOLD] — I know the munificence of the king —, if Sigurðr the elder, king of men, fierce to gold, {generous with the play of Hildr} [BATTLE] [lit. play-generous of Hildr] were alive; I praise the honour of this king.

Mss: Flat(2va), Bb(118va)

Readings: [1] Myndi bragr: Bragr myndi Bb;    nú: so Bb, ins Flat;    brǫndum: ‘brenda’ Flat, ‘grondv’ Bb    [2] ‑ness: so Bb, hvers Flat    [3] kann: man Bb    [4] launaðr: launat Bb    [7] lýsik (‘lysek’): ‘hrosa ek’ Bb    [8] grimmr: ‘grims’ Bb

Editions: Skj AI, 472, Skj BI, 445, Skald I, 219; Flat 1860-8, I, 7, Cederschiöld 1873, 10, Chase 2005, 120, 169.

Notes: [All]: The poet puts pressure on the kings for a reward. The helmingar are linked by a subordinating conj. (ef), and the bond between the two is reinforced by the alliteration of the last word in l. 4 with the stuðlar in l. 5. The entire st. is a single sentence with two intercalaries interposed. — [1] nú ‘now’: The reading of Bb, preferred here, as Flat’s ins (def. art. n. gen. sg.) can only refer to baugness (l. 2) from which it is separated. — [1] brǫndum ‘with the fires’: Neither ms. has an acceptable reading; the emendation was first proposed by Cederschiöld. — [6, 8] Sigurðr inn ellri ‘Sigurðr the elder’: King Sigurðr Jórsalafari ‘Jerusalem-traveller’ Magnússon (r. 1103-30), who was renowned for his generosity.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Cederschiöld, Gustaf J. Chr., ed. 1873b. ‘Bandamanna saga’. Acta Universitatis Lundensis 10.
3. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
4. Cederschiöld, Gustaf J. Chr., ed. 1873a. Geisli eða Óláfs Drápa ens Helga er Einarr orti Skúlason: efter ‘Bergsboken’ utgifven. Acta Universitatis Lundensis 10. Lund: Berling.
5. Chase, Martin, ed. 2005. Einarr Skúlason’s Geisli. A Critical Edition. Toronto Old Norse and Icelandic Studies 1. Toronto, Buffalo and London: Toronto University Press.
6. Flat 1860-8 = Gudbrand Vigfusson [Guðbrandur Vigfússon] and C. R. Unger, eds. 1860-8. Flateyjarbók. En samling af norske konge-sagaer med indskudte mindre fortællinger om begivenheder i og udenfor Norge samt annaler. 3 vols. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.