Anon Hsv 72VII
Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 72’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 404-5.
text and translation
Af hyggjandi sinni skyldi maðr óhræsinn vera,
nema geraz þarfir þess;
opt at haldi hefr ýtum komit,
ef leyniz spakr at speki.
Maðr skyldi vera óhræsinn af hyggjandi sinni, nema geraz þarfir þess; opt hefr komit at haldi ýtum, ef spakr leyniz at speki.
‘A man should not be boastful [lit. should be unboastful] of his intelligence, unless need of it arises; often it has become a help to people, if a wise man conceals his wisdom.’
notes and context
Lat. parallels: (Dist. II, 18) Insipiens esto, cum tempus postulat ipsum, / stultitiam simulare loco, prudentia summa est ‘Be foolish when the occasion demands; to feign stupidity is at times the highest prudence’. For similar phrasing cf. Hávm 6/1-2 (NK, 18): At hyggiandi sinni | scylit maðr hrœsinn vera ‘about his intelligence no man should be boastful’ (Larrington 1996, 15). This st. is included considerably further on in 1199ˣ, with other sts that seem very much out of order (29, 66). Its inclusion here follows 624 and the Lat. text.
readings
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.
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Lbs 1199 4°x (1199x) — 74v/4 - 74v/5
imagesAf higgindi sinne skyllde madur öhræsinn vera, nema giór | ist þarfir þess. Opt ad halldi hefer itum komid, ef leýnist spakur ad speke. |
(VEÞ)
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AM 148 8vox (148x*) — 245r/1 - 245r/3 [4-6]
offt ad hallde hefur | Jtum komid, þegar leinest spakur, ad speke | sinne.
(VEÞ)
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AM 624 4° (624) — 144/9 - 144/11
imagesAf hyggjandi þinni
vertu óhræsinn ,
unz geraz þarfir þess;
opt at haldi
hefr ýtum komit,
at leyniz spakr at speki.Af hygiandi þínne uertv | ohræsin vnzt gioraz þarfer þess opt at halldi hefur ytvm komit at leynaz sp | akur at speki ·
(VEÞ)
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AM 148 8vox (148x*) — 72v/13 - 72v/15
Af higgiande þinne vertu ö | hræsinn, vnnz giorast þarfer þess offt ad hallde | hefur Jtum komed, ad leinast spakur ad speke. |
(VEÞ)
editions and texts
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 73: AII, 183, BII, 197-8, Skald II, 103, NN §3282; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 19, Konráð Gíslason 1860, 551, Gering 1907, 20, Tuvestrand 1977, 112, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 78.
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