Katrina Attwood (ed.) 2007, ‘Gamli kanóki, Harmsól 44’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 112-13.
Leygs hefr dánardœgri
dáðreyndr jǫfurr leynða
svana flugreinar sínu
sviptendr jǫru skriptar,
þvít frónspennir finna
fagrtjalda vill aldri
dœlar seiðs við dauða
dúnmeiða vanbúna.
{Dáðreyndr jǫfurr {leygs {flugreinar svana}}} hefr leynða {sviptendr {skriptar jǫru}} dánardœgri sínu, þvít {{fagrtjalda frón}spennir} vill aldri finna {{{dœlar seiðs} dún}meiða} vanbúna við dauða.
{The deed-proven prince {of the flame {of the flying-land of swans}}} [SKY/HEAVEN > SUN > = God] has concealed from {the brisk movers {of the icon of battle}} [SHIELD > WARRIORS] their death-day, because {the clasper {of the fair tents of the earth}} [(lit. ‘earth-clasper of the fair tents’) SKY/HEAVEN > = God] wishes never to find {the trees {of the feather-bed {of the fish of the dell}}} [(lit. ‘feather-bed-trees of the fish of the dell’) SNAKE > GOLD > MEN] unprepared for death.
Mss: B(13r), 399a-bˣ
Readings: [3] svana: ‘suo na’ B, 399a‑bˣ
Editions: Skj AI, 568, Skj BI, 559, Skald I, 271; Sveinbjörn Egilsson 1844, 27, Kempff 1867, 13, Konráð Gíslason and Eiríkur Jónsson 1875-89, II, 356, Rydberg 1907, 27-8, Black 1971, 250, Attwood 1996a, 233.
Notes: [1-3] dáðreyndr jǫfurr leygs flugreinar svana ‘deed-proven prince of the flame of the flying-land of swans [SKY/HEAVEN > SUN > = God]’: B’s reading ‘suo na’ in l. 3 presents some difficulties. This edn follows Finnur Jónsson, Kock and Black in adopting Konráð Gíslason’s (and Eiríkur Jónsson 1875-89, II, 356) emendation to svana (gen. pl.), which makes for an acceptable Christ-kenning. A conceptually similar, though less complex, God-kenning occurs in Pl 28/2-3 ítr stillir leiðar gagls ‘glorious ruler of the path of the goose’. — [5-6] frónspennir fagrtjalda ‘clasper of the fair tents of the earth [SKY/HEAVEN > = God]’: See Note to skríngeypnandi skýstalls 29/7-8. — [7] seiðs (gen. sg.) ‘fish’: Specifically, the saithe or coalfish (gadus virens). Both Rydberg and Finnur Jónsson (Skj A) read the initial consonant as <l>, not <s>, and it is easy to see why: the letter in B has an ascender with right-leaning final stroke that is more similar to this scribe’s <l>s than to his <s>s. However, Finnur may have changed his mind, for Skj B has seiðr here.
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