Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 63’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 399.
Ill tíðendi, þótt þú einn vitir,
gerz þú þagmælskr af þeim;
allir þann lasta, ef einn geriz
flærðar frumkveðill.
Þótt þú einn vitir ill tíðendi, gerz þú þagmælskr af þeim; allir lasta þann, ef einn geriz frumkveðill flærðar.
‘Even if you alone know of some bad news, be discreet about it; everyone blames him, if he alone becomes the originator of falsehood.’
Lat. parallel: (Dist. II, 7) Quod pudeat, socios prudens celare memento, / ne plures culpent id, quod tibi displicet uni ‘Remember, prudent [as you are], to keep that which makes you ashamed from your associates, so that many will not blame that which displeases you alone’. 1199ˣ is closer to the Lat. text. 624 differs considerably:
Ill tíðindi, þau er upp koma,
vættu eigi fyrstr með firum;
vertu þögnmælskr, ef allir þau lasta,
er einn geriz frumkveðill at.
Vættu eigi fyrstr með firum ill tíðindi, þau er upp koma; vertu þögnmælskr, ef allir lasta þau, er einn geriz frumkveðill at ‘Do not expect as the first among men bad news which comes up; be discreet, if all blame those [i.e. the news] of which one man is the instigator’. There is an implication of causality between the two helmingar which is lacking in the Lat. distich.
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.
ill tijdinde þo þu eirn | viter, giórst þu þagmælskur af þeim. Aller þann lasta ef eirn giórist, flærdar | frumkvedill.
(VEÞ)
Jll tijd | inde ef þü eirnn veijst, giorstu þagmælskur | af þeim, aller þann kunna hata, sem giorast vill, | flærdar frumkvódull.
(VEÞ)
Ill tíðendi,
þau er upp koma ,
vættu eigi fyrstr með firum;
vertu þögnmælskr ,
ef allir lasta
er einn geriz frumkveðill at .
Jll tidínndi þav er upp koma vættv eigi fystur | med fyrum · vertv þogn mælskur ef aller þau las⸌t⸍a er eín gíoríz frvmkvedill at ·
(VEÞ)
Jlltijdinde þau er vpp koma, | rædtu ei firstur med firum, vertu þagnnmælskur | ef aller þann lasta, er einn gerist frum | kuedill at.
(VEÞ)
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 64: AII, 181-2, BII, 196, Skald II, 102; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 17, Gering 1907, 18, Tuvestrand 1977, 106, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 72.
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.