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skaldic

Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages

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Ólhelg Lv 9I

Russell Poole (ed.) 2012, ‘Óláfr inn helgi Haraldsson, Lausavísur 9’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 528.

Óláfr inn helgi HaraldssonLausavísur
89

text and translation

Ár stóð eik in dýra
jarladóms með blómi
harðla grœn, sem Hǫrðar
hvert misseri vissu.
Nú hefr bekkjar tré bliknat
brátt Mardallar gráti
(lind hefr) laufi bundit
(línu jǫrð í Gǫrðum).

Ár stóð {in dýra eik jarladóms} harðla grœn með blómi, sem Hǫrðar vissu hvert misseri. Nú hefr {tré bekkjar}, bundit laufi, bliknat brátt {gráti Mardallar}; {lind línu} hefr jǫrð í Gǫrðum.
 
‘Formerly the precious oak of the jarldom [WOMAN] stood intensely green with blossom, as the Hǫrðar knew each season. Now the tree of the bench [WOMAN], wreathed with foliage, has grown pale fast with the weeping of Mardǫll <= Freyja> [GOLD]; the linden-tree of the headdress [WOMAN] has land in Russia.

notes and context

The stanza follows Lv 8 with minimal introduction. An evaluation of the benefits of Óláfr’s relationship with Ingigerðr for both him and her closes the episode.

The stanza makes elaborate and witty use of woman-kennings with ‘tree’ as the base-word, in a way reminiscent of Lv 2. The imagery contrasting flourishing greenness with paleness in that stanza is also recalled.

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.

editions and texts

Skj: Óláfr Haraldsson enn helgi, Lausavísur 11: AI, 222-3, BI, 212, Skald I, 111, NN §§609, 610; Fms 5, 200, Fms 12, 110, ÓH 1941, II, 820, Flat 1860-8, III, 341.

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