Anon Hsv 56VII
Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 56’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 395.
text and translation
Allsnotr maðr ef íþróttir nema vill
ok vel mart vita,
bækr hann lesi, þær er gerðu bragnar spakir,
þeir er kendu fróðleik firum,
þvít á fornum bókum stendr til flestra hluta
ráðafjölð ritin.
Ef allsnotr maðr vill nema íþróttir ok vita mart vel, lesi hann bækr, þær er spakir bragnar gerðu, þeir er kendu firum fróðleik, þvít ráðafjölð stendr ritin til flestra hluta á fornum bókum.
‘If a very wise man wants to learn accomplishments and know many things well, let him read the books which wise men who taught people knowledge wrote, because a great deal of advice stands written on most things in ancient books.’
notes and context
Sts 56-7 paraphrase the preface to Book II of the Disticha. The present st. corresponds roughly to the two opening ll.: (Praefatio Libri II/1-2) Telluris si forte velis cognoscere cultus / Vergilium legito; quodsi mage nosse laboras... ‘If by chance you want to learn about tilling the soil, read Virgil; but if you seek to know rather...’; and l. 10: Ergo ades, et quae sit sapientia disce legendo ‘So come closer and learn by reading what wisdom is’. The reference to Virgil is to his treatise on agriculture, the Georgics. Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) has two sts here, with the second (his st. 58) incomplete and based on 624: [þvít] á fornum bókum | stendr til flests ráð, which he translates ti i gamle bøger står der råd for alt ‘for in old books there stands advice for everything’.
readings
- [2] ef: sá er vill 624
- [2] vill: om. 624
- [4] lesi: nemi 624
- [5] bragnar: gumnar 1199ˣ, þær er fyrðar 624
- [6] þeir er: so 624, ok 1199ˣ
- [6] firum: so 624, fyrðum 1199ˣ
- [7] á fornum bókum: so 624, í flestum bókum fornum 1199ˣ
- [8] flestra hluta: flest ráð 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/27 - 73r/29
imagesAllsnotr maðr
ef íþróttir nema vill
ok vel mart vita,
bækr hann lesi,
þær er gerðu gumnar spakir,
ok kendu fróðleik fyrðum,
þvít í flestum bókum fornum
stendr til flestra hluta
ráðafjölð ritin.Alsnotur madur ef iþrotter nema vill, og vel margt vita; bækur | hann lesi þær er giórdu gumnar spakuer og kendu frödleik firdum. þuijad | i flestum Bokum fornum stendur til flestra hluta ʀädafióld ʀitin |
(VEÞ)
-
AM 148 8vox (148x*) — 245v/6 - 245v/10
og margt vill mu | na æ. Allsnotur madur sem J þrötter vill nema æ, | Bækur hann lese, sem giordu bragnar spaker, og kendu | frödskap firdum, þvij a̋ fornum bookum stendur | thil flestra hluta, ra̋dagiórd ritud.
(VEÞ)
-
AM 624 4° (624) — 143/16 - 143/18
imagesAllsnotr maðr
sá er vill íþróttir nema
ok vel mart vita,
bækr hann nemi,
þær er gerðu þær er fyrðar spakir,
þeir er kendu fróðleik firum,
þvít á fornum bókum
stendr til flest ráð
ráðafjölð ritin.All snottur madur sa er uill j þrotter nema ok uel mart vita bækur | hann nemi þær er giordv þær er fyrdar spaker þeir er kendv frodleik firum þviat ꜳ̋ | fornum bokum stendur til flezt ʀad
(VEÞ)
-
AM 148 8vox (148x*) — 72r/10 - 72r/13
Allsnotur madur sä er vill J þrötter nema, og vel | margt vita, bækur hann nemj, þær er giordu firdar spaker, | þeir ed kendu frödleik firum. þviat ä fornumm | bökum standa til flest räd,
(VEÞ)
editions and texts
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 56-7: AII, 180, BII, 195, Skald II, 102, 107, NN §2591; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 16, Gering 1907, 16, Tuvestrand 1977, 102-3, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 66.
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