Anon Hsv 44VII
Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 44’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 387-8.
text and translation
Fé þik eigi tæla lát, þótt þér fagrt sýniz,
né til síngirnu snúi;
annars eign girniz illr at hafa;
sæll er, sá er sínu unir.
Lát eigi fé tæla þik, né snúi til síngirnu, þótt sýniz þér fagrt; illr girniz annars eign at hafa; sæll er, sá er unir sínu.
‘Do not let money entice you nor turn [you] to covetousness, although it may seem attractive to you; a bad person desires to own another’s possession; he is fortunate, who is content with his own.’
notes and context
Lat. parallel: (Dist. I, 29) Quod vile est carum, quod carum vile putato: / sic tu nec cupidus nec avarus nosceris ulli ‘Take that which is cheap to be dear, that dear to be cheap; thus you will be known to no-one as greedy nor avaricious’. Although the phrasing in both versions of ll. 1-3 is quite different, they both render the Lat. distich equally correctly. Therefore it remains uncertain which version is closer to the original translation. Avarice is quite a common topic in medieval literature. In Hsv it is also mentioned in sts 22, 73, 96, and 97. There is a parallel in content in Sól 63. — [1-2]: 624 reads quite differently: Fé [þótt] fagrt sé | lát þú þik eigi tæla ‘Do not let money entice you, although it seems attractive’ (AM 148 8° has þó).
readings
- [1] þik eigi tæla lát: þik eigi tæla 723aˣ, láttu þik eigi tæla 696XV, ‘[...] fagvrt se’ 624
- [2] þótt: so 696XV, 401ˣ, þótt at 1199ˣ, þat 723aˣ, om. 624
- [2] þér fagrt sýniz: ‘þier fagurt [...]’ 696XV, lát þú þik eigi tæla 624
- [3] né til síngirnu snúi: so 624, þat til þín girnd snúiz 1199ˣ, þó þér komi girnd í geð 723aˣ, ‘[...] snuazt’ 696XV, eða til sinkr snúiz 401ˣ
- [5] girniz: girnstu 401ˣ, fýsiz 624
- [5] illr: aldri 401ˣ
- [5] at: ‘a[...]’ 624
- [5] hafa: ‘h[...]’ 696XV
- [6] sæll: snotr 624
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) — 73r/8 - 73r/10
imagesFé þik eigi tæla lát,
þótt at þér fagrt sýniz,
þat til þín girnd snúiz ;
annars eign
girniz illr at hafa;
sæll er, sá er sínu unir.Fie þig eigi tæla | lät, þött ad þier fagurt sýnist, þad til þijn girnd snuist. Annars Eign gir | nist illur ad hafa, sæll er sa er sijnu uner.
(VEÞ)
-
AM 723 a 4°x (723ax) — 80/2 - 80/5
imagesFé þik eigi tæla ,
þat þér fagrt sýniz,
þó þér komi girnd í geð ;
annars eign
girniz illr at hafa;
sæll er, sá er sínu unir.Fie þig ei tæle, þad þier fagurt synest , þö þier kome | gyrnd i ged, annarz eign girnest illur ad hafa, sæll er sä | er sı̈nu uner.
(TW)
-
AM 696 XV 4° (696XV) — 1v/27 - 1v/29
imagesFé láttu þik eigi tæla ,
þótt †þier fagurt [...]† ,
†[...] snuazt† ;
annars eign
girniz illr at †h[...]†;
sæll er, sá er sínu unir.[...] Fíe lattu þig ei tæla þott þier fagurt | [...] snuazt anars eigín [...] fysizt illur at h | sæll er sa er sinu uner |
(VEÞ)
-
JS 401 4°x (401x) — 1v/6 - 1v/7
Fé þik eigi tæla lát,
þótt þér fagrt sýniz,
eða til sinkr snúiz ;
annars eign
girnstu aldri at hafa;
sæll er, sá er sínu unir.Fie lattv þig ei tæla þoṫṫ þier fagurt syniz eda til sinkr snviz | annarz eign girnstv alldre at hafa sæll er sa er sinv vner·
(VEÞ)
-
AM 624 4° (624) — 142/23 - 142/25
imagesFé †[...] fagvrt se† ,
lát þú þik eigi tæla ,
né til síngirnu snúi;
annars eign
fýsiz illr †a[...]† hafa;
snotr er, sá er sínu unir.fe [...] | fagvrt se lat þu þik eigi tæla níe til sin girnu snuí anars eign fysizt illvr a[...] | hafa snotur er sa er sínnv uner ·
(VEÞ)
-
AM 148 8vox (148x) — 71r/20 - 71r/22
Fie þö fagurt sie, lät þu þig ei tæla, nie til | sijn girnu snüe, annarz eignn fijsest Jllur ad haffa, | snotur er sä er sijnu vner.
(VEÞ)
editions and texts
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 44: AII, 177-8, BII, 193, Skald II, 100; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 14, Gering 1907, 13, Tuvestrand 1977, 95, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 56.
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