Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 58’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 396.
Ókunnum samir þér opt at duga,
ef þú vilt vinsæll vera;
veldi betra þykkir vitrum hal
at eiga víða vini.
Samir þér at duga ókunnum opt, ef þú vilt vera vinsæll; vitrum hal þykkir veldi betra at eiga víða vini.
‘It befits you to help an unknown man often, if you want to be popular; to a wise man it seems better than power to have friends far and wide.’
Lat. parallel: (Dist. II, 1) Si potes, ignotis etiam prodesse memento: / utilius regno est, meritis adquirere amicos ‘If you can, even remember to help people you do not know; it is more beneficial than a kingdom to gain friends by kindness’.
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.
Ókunnum samir þér
opt at duga,
ef þú vilt vinsæll vera;
verði betra
þykkir vitrum hal
at eiga víða vini.
Okunnum sömer þier opt ad duga, | ef þu villt vinsæll vera. Verdi betra þiker vitrum hal ad eiga vijda | vine.
(VEÞ)
ükunnan sömer | offt ad stoda, ef þü villt vijdfrægur vera, | vellde betra þiker vitrum hal, ad eiga vijda | vine gőda.
(VEÞ)
Ókunnum manni samir þér
opt vel at duga,
ef þú vilt víðfrægr verða ok vinsæll ;
veldi betra
þykkir vitrum hal
at öreigi eigi vini.
Okvnum manni samer | þier opt uel at duga ef þv villt vidfrægur uerda ok uinsæll velldi betra | þicir uitrvm hal at avreigi eigi vínne ·
(VEÞ)
v̋kunnum manne sömer | þier offt vel at duga, ef þu villt vijd frægur | verda, og vinsæll, vellde betra þiker vitrum hal, ad | óreige ei vinne.
(VEÞ)
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 59: AII, 181, BII, 195, Skald II, 102; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 17, Konráð Gíslason 1860, 550, Gering 1907, 17, Tuvestrand 1977, 104, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 68.
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