Gamlkan Has 14VII
Katrina Attwood (ed.) 2007, ‘Gamli kanóki, Harmsól 14’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 86-7.
Hendak ‘I seized’
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henda (verb): catch, seize
hverjar ‘all’
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2. hverr (pron.): who, whom, each, every
stundir ‘the times’
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stund (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): time, hour
Hlakkar ‘of Hlǫkk’s’
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2. Hlǫkk (noun f.): Hlǫkk
kennings
meiðum Hlakkar borðs,‘trees of Hlǫkk’s board, ’
= WARRIORS
Hlǫkk’s board, → SHIELD
trees of the SHIELD → WARRIORS
Hlakkar ‘of Hlǫkk’s’
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2. Hlǫkk (noun f.): Hlǫkk
kennings
meiðum Hlakkar borðs,‘trees of Hlǫkk’s board, ’
= WARRIORS
Hlǫkk’s board, → SHIELD
trees of the SHIELD → WARRIORS
borðs ‘board’
(not checked:)
borð (noun n.; °-s; -): side, plank, board; table
kennings
meiðum Hlakkar borðs,‘trees of Hlǫkk’s board, ’
= WARRIORS
Hlǫkk’s board, → SHIELD
trees of the SHIELD → WARRIORS
borðs ‘board’
(not checked:)
borð (noun n.; °-s; -): side, plank, board; table
kennings
meiðum Hlakkar borðs,‘trees of Hlǫkk’s board, ’
= WARRIORS
Hlǫkk’s board, → SHIELD
trees of the SHIELD → WARRIORS
es ‘when’
(not checked:)
2. er (conj.): who, which, when
þorðak ‘I dared’
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þora (verb): dare
miska ‘mis’
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miski (noun m.; °-a; -ar): [for misdeeds, mis] < miskaráð (noun n.)
ráð ‘deeds’
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ráð (noun n.; °-s; -): advice, plan, control, power < miskaráð (noun n.)
fyr ‘before’
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fyr (prep.): for, over, because of, etc.
meiðum ‘trees’
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meiðr (noun m.): beam, tree
kennings
meiðum Hlakkar borðs,‘trees of Hlǫkk’s board, ’
= WARRIORS
Hlǫkk’s board, → SHIELD
trees of the SHIELD → WARRIORS
minn ‘my’
(not checked:)
minn (pron.; °f. mín, n. mitt): my
kennings
lífgjafi minn.‘my life-giver. ’
= God
my life-giver. → God
líf ‘life’
(not checked:)
líf (noun n.; °-s; -): life < lífgjafi (noun m.): life-giver
kennings
lífgjafi minn.‘my life-giver. ’
= God
my life-giver. → God
gjafi ‘giver’
(not checked:)
gjafi (noun m.): giver < lífgjafi (noun m.): life-giver
kennings
lífgjafi minn.‘my life-giver. ’
= God
my life-giver. → God
at ‘to’
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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
vinna ‘commit’
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2. vinna (verb): perform, work
Miðr ‘less’
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miðr (adj.): middle, less, hardly
óttuðumk ‘I feared’
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2. ótta (verb): fear
notes
[5] yðra* ‘your’: Sveinbjörn Egilsson (note to 444ˣ transcript) suggests emendation of B’s ‘ydrar’ to yðra, which has been accepted by all subsequent eds.
ósjaldan ‘Not seldom’
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ósjaldan (adv.): Not seldom, repeatedly
gramr ‘king’
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1. gramr (noun m.): ruler
kennings
gramr tjalda hyrjar heiðs;‘king of the tents of the fire of the clear sky; ’
= God
the fire of the clear sky; → SUN
the tents of the SUN → SKY/HEAVEN
king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
tjalda ‘of the tents’
(not checked:)
tjald (noun n.; °-s; *-): tent, awning
kennings
gramr tjalda hyrjar heiðs;‘king of the tents of the fire of the clear sky; ’
= God
the fire of the clear sky; → SUN
the tents of the SUN → SKY/HEAVEN
king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
tjalda ‘of the tents’
(not checked:)
tjald (noun n.; °-s; *-): tent, awning
kennings
gramr tjalda hyrjar heiðs;‘king of the tents of the fire of the clear sky; ’
= God
the fire of the clear sky; → SUN
the tents of the SUN → SKY/HEAVEN
king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
því ‘in that regard’
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því (adv.): therefore, because
vasa ‘it was not’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
hag ‘a fair’
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1. hagr (noun m.; °-s; -ir): situation, condition < hagskiptr (adj./verb p.p.)
[7] hagskipt: ‘h[...]g[...]ppt’ B, ‘hagṣḷẹppt’ 399a‑bˣ, ‘hag s(l)[...]pt’(?) BRydberg, ‘hagsleppt’ BFJ
notes
[7] hagskipt ‘a fair exchange’: B is very badly worn, and only ‘h[...]g[…]ppt’ can now be read with certainty. Although Finnur Jónsson (Skj A) does not indicate any uncertainty about his reading, previous transcribers of B are uncertain as to precisely what remains (see Readings). Skj B follows Sveinbjörn Egilsson and Kempff in reconstructing hagslept, from hagsleppr, adj. There are, however, some difficulties in assigning a meaning to hagsleppr here. Sveinbjörn (LP (1860)) suggests two possibilities: the first interprets hagsleppr as a cpd of hagr ‘state, condition’ and an adj. derived from the verb sleppa ‘to slip, miss, escape’. The n. form hagslept is glossed as amissio commodi ‘loss of advantage, profit’. The cl. því vasa hagslept would then mean ‘for that reason there was no loss of advantage’. For this to make sense in context, it would surely have to be understood ironically. Sveinbjörn’s second suggestion is that the adj. means ‘easily thrown away, abandoned’, with the sense that Gamli is declaring that he could not easily abandon his godless ways. In Skj B, Finnur Jónsson translates det kunde jeg ikke let holde op med ‘I could not easily stop that’, while LP: hagsleppr, gesturing towards hagr ‘advantage’, suggests det kunde jeg ikke med fordel slippe ‘I could not escape that with advantage’. Although this is a possible interpretation, it does seem, as Jón Helgason (1935-6, 255) contends, to be the opposite of Gamli’s intention here, since the sinner’s neglect of God’s anger in favour of men’s approval can only be to his advantage, at least in the short term. Jón therefore reconstructs hagskipt, which he derives from hagskipti ‘a fair or advantageous exchange’. Jón’s interpretation, which is followed by Kock (NN §2926), Black (1971, 176) and here, implies that the poet’s exchanging his concern for God’s wrath for a greater concern for men’s approval is not profitable for his soul.
skipt ‘exchange’
(not checked:)
1. skipt (noun f.): [exchange] < hagskiptr (adj./verb p.p.)
[7] hagskipt: ‘h[...]g[...]ppt’ B, ‘hagṣḷẹppt’ 399a‑bˣ, ‘hag s(l)[...]pt’(?) BRydberg, ‘hagsleppt’ BFJ
notes
[7] hagskipt ‘a fair exchange’: B is very badly worn, and only ‘h[...]g[…]ppt’ can now be read with certainty. Although Finnur Jónsson (Skj A) does not indicate any uncertainty about his reading, previous transcribers of B are uncertain as to precisely what remains (see Readings). Skj B follows Sveinbjörn Egilsson and Kempff in reconstructing hagslept, from hagsleppr, adj. There are, however, some difficulties in assigning a meaning to hagsleppr here. Sveinbjörn (LP (1860)) suggests two possibilities: the first interprets hagsleppr as a cpd of hagr ‘state, condition’ and an adj. derived from the verb sleppa ‘to slip, miss, escape’. The n. form hagslept is glossed as amissio commodi ‘loss of advantage, profit’. The cl. því vasa hagslept would then mean ‘for that reason there was no loss of advantage’. For this to make sense in context, it would surely have to be understood ironically. Sveinbjörn’s second suggestion is that the adj. means ‘easily thrown away, abandoned’, with the sense that Gamli is declaring that he could not easily abandon his godless ways. In Skj B, Finnur Jónsson translates det kunde jeg ikke let holde op med ‘I could not easily stop that’, while LP: hagsleppr, gesturing towards hagr ‘advantage’, suggests det kunde jeg ikke med fordel slippe ‘I could not escape that with advantage’. Although this is a possible interpretation, it does seem, as Jón Helgason (1935-6, 255) contends, to be the opposite of Gamli’s intention here, since the sinner’s neglect of God’s anger in favour of men’s approval can only be to his advantage, at least in the short term. Jón therefore reconstructs hagskipt, which he derives from hagskipti ‘a fair or advantageous exchange’. Jón’s interpretation, which is followed by Kock (NN §2926), Black (1971, 176) and here, implies that the poet’s exchanging his concern for God’s wrath for a greater concern for men’s approval is not profitable for his soul.
hyrjar ‘of the fire’
(not checked:)
hyrr (noun m.): fire
kennings
gramr tjalda hyrjar heiðs;‘king of the tents of the fire of the clear sky; ’
= God
the fire of the clear sky; → SUN
the tents of the SUN → SKY/HEAVEN
king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
hyrjar ‘of the fire’
(not checked:)
hyrr (noun m.): fire
kennings
gramr tjalda hyrjar heiðs;‘king of the tents of the fire of the clear sky; ’
= God
the fire of the clear sky; → SUN
the tents of the SUN → SKY/HEAVEN
king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
hyrjar ‘of the fire’
(not checked:)
hyrr (noun m.): fire
kennings
gramr tjalda hyrjar heiðs;‘king of the tents of the fire of the clear sky; ’
= God
the fire of the clear sky; → SUN
the tents of the SUN → SKY/HEAVEN
king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
heiðs ‘of the clear sky’
(not checked:)
2. heið (noun n.; °; -): clear sky
kennings
gramr tjalda hyrjar heiðs;‘king of the tents of the fire of the clear sky; ’
= God
the fire of the clear sky; → SUN
the tents of the SUN → SKY/HEAVEN
king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
heiðs ‘of the clear sky’
(not checked:)
2. heið (noun n.; °; -): clear sky
kennings
gramr tjalda hyrjar heiðs;‘king of the tents of the fire of the clear sky; ’
= God
the fire of the clear sky; → SUN
the tents of the SUN → SKY/HEAVEN
king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
heiðs ‘of the clear sky’
(not checked:)
2. heið (noun n.; °; -): clear sky
kennings
gramr tjalda hyrjar heiðs;‘king of the tents of the fire of the clear sky; ’
= God
the fire of the clear sky; → SUN
the tents of the SUN → SKY/HEAVEN
king of the SKY/HEAVEN → God
an ‘than’
(not checked:)
2. an (conj.): than
gumna ‘men’s’
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gumi (noun m.; °-a; gumar/gumnar): man
reiði ‘wrath’
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2. reiði (noun f.; °-): anger
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
|
Hendak hverjar stundir, |
I seized on all the times when I dared to commit misdeeds before trees of Hlǫkk’s <valkyrie> board [SHIELD > WARRIORS], my life-giver [= God]. Not seldom I feared your wrath less than men’s, king of the tents of the fire of the clear sky [SUN > SKY/HEAVEN > = God]; in that regard it was not a fair exchange.
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