Anon Hsv 81VII
Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 81’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 409.
text and translation
Um lítaz þarf maðr á alla vegu
ok við villu varaz;
glöggþekkinn skyldi gumna hverr
ok fróðr ok forsjáll vera.
Maðr þarf lítaz um á alla vegu ok varaz við villu; hverr gumna skyldi vera glöggþekkinn ok fróðr ok forsjáll.
‘A man has to look around in all directions and beware of falsehood; every man should be clear-sighted and wise and foresighted.’
notes and context
Lat. parallel: (Dist. II, 27) Quod sequitur specta quodque imminet ante, videto: / illum imitare deum, partem qui spectat utramque ‘Look at what has happened, and see that which is coming; imitate that god who looks in both directions [Janus]’. The Icel. text here does not reproduce the classical reference. Cf. also Hsv 98. In ON-Icel. poetry there are many parallels to the admonition in the first two ll. Cf. e.g. Hávm 1 (NK, 17): Gáttir allar, | áðr gangi fram, | um scoðaz scyli, | um scygnaz scyli; | þvíat óvíst er at vita, | hvar óvinir | sitia á fleti fyrir ‘All the entrances, before you walk forward, you should look at, you should spy out; for you can’t know for certain where enemies are sitting ahead in the hall’ (Larrington 1996, 14). There is also a parallel in phrasing in Sól 19. Cf. also the topic of Sól 40.
readings
- [1] Um: um at 624
- [2] á alla vegu: alla vega 624
- [3] villu: víti 624
- [3] varaz: at varaz 624
- [5] gumna: gunna 624
- [6] ok: om. 624
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) — 73v/31 - 73v/32
imagesVmlitast þarf madur a alla vegu, og vid villu varast | Glóggþeckinn skilldi ɢumna huór og frödur og forsiäll vera,
(VEÞ)
-
AM 624 4° (624) — 144/22 - 144/24
imagesum at lítaz
þarf maðr alla vega
ok við víti at varaz;
glöggþekkinn
skyldi gunna hverr
fróðr ok forsjáll vera.Vm at litatz þarf | madur alla vega ok uit viti at varaz gloccþeccín skylldi gvna hver frodr ok for | siall uera
(VEÞ)
-
AM 148 8vox (148x) — 73r/12 - 73r/14
Barn ad lätast þarf madur alla vega, og vid vijte varast, | glóggþeckenn skylde gűnna huer, frödur, og forsiäll | vera.
(VEÞ)
editions and texts
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], [C. E/5]. Hugsvinnsmál 82: AII, 185, BII, 199, Skald II, 104; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 20, Gering 1907, 22, Tuvestrand 1977, 117, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 85.
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