R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Austrfararvísur 15’ 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. 604.
Oss hafa augu þessi
íslenzk, kona, vísat
brattan stíg at baugi
bjǫrtum langt in svǫrtu.
Sjá hefr, mjǫð-Nanna, manni
mínn ókunnar þínum
fótr á fornar brautir
fulldrengila gengit.
Þessi íslenzk augu in svǫrtu hafa vísat oss, kona, brattan stíg langt at bjǫrtum baugi. Sjá fótr mínn hefr gengit fulldrengila á fornar brautir, ókunnar manni þínum, {mjǫð-Nanna}.
These black Icelandic eyes have shown us [me], woman, a steep path a long way to a bright ring. This foot of mine has walked most bravely on ancient ways, unknown to your husband, {mead-Nanna <goddess>} [WOMAN].
Mss: Holm2(26r), 325V(32bis ra), R686ˣ(50r), 972ˣ(179va), J2ˣ(161r), 325VI(17rb), 75a(15rb), 73aˣ(65v), 68(24v), 61(94rb), Holm4(17rb), 325VII(12v), Flat(93ra), Tóm(113v) (ÓH); Kˣ(305r), Bb(153ra) (Hkr)
Readings: [1] augu: augun 325V, 325VI, 73aˣ, 68, 61, Holm4, Flat, Tóm, Kˣ, Bb [2] íslenzk: íslenzku 972ˣ; kona: so 972ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, Flat, konan Holm2, 325V, R686ˣ, J2ˣ, 325VI, 75a, 68, 61, 325VII, Tóm, Kˣ, Bb [3] brattan: ‘brasttan’ R686ˣ; at: af J2ˣ, á Tóm [4] langt: rétt Flat; in: enu Tóm [5] Nanna: so Flat, Nannan Holm2, 325V, R686ˣ, 972ˣ, J2ˣ, 325VI, 75a, 73aˣ, 68, 61, Holm4, 325VII, Tóm, Kˣ, Bb; manni: menn R686ˣ, minni 325VI, om. Bb [6] mínn ókunnar: so 325VI, Holm4, mín ókunnar Holm2, R686ˣ, 972ˣ, J2ˣ, 75a, 73aˣ, 68, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, mínu kunnar 325V, mínn ókunnan Kˣ, mínn ókunnir Bb; þínum: ‘þinnum’ 972ˣ, sínum corrected from þínum 325VII [7] fótr: so 972ˣ, 73aˣ, 61, Holm4, Kˣ, fœtr Holm2, 325V, R686ˣ, J2ˣ, 75a, 68, Flat, Tóm, Bb, fót 325VI, 325VII; á: um 972ˣ; brautir: ‘brutir’ R686ˣ
Editions: Skj AI, 238, Skj BI, 224, Skald I, 116; Fms 4, 189 (ÓH ch. 86), Fms 12, 85, ÓH 1853, 82, 274, ÓH 1941, I, 202 (ch. 75), Flat 1860-8, II, 114; Hkr 1777-1826, II, 126-7, VI, 87, Hkr 1868, 309 (ÓHHkr ch. 92), Hkr 1893-1901, II, 173, ÍF 27, 140, Hkr 1991, I, 349 (ÓHHkr ch. 91); Ternström 1871, 20-1, 48-9, Konráð Gíslason 1892, 37, 179, Jón Skaptason 1983, 96, 242-3.
Context: The jarl gives Sigvatr an arm-ring as a reward, and when a woman who is present remarks that Sigvatr has not travelled for nothing with those dark eyes of his, he responds with a stanza.
Notes: [2] íslenzk ‘Icelandic’: This statement that the skald is Icelandic is exceptional (Finnur Jónsson 1904-5a, 136). — [5] Nanna ‘Nanna <goddess>’: Wife of Óðinn’s son Baldr. Noreen (1922a, 21) points out that this is one of just seven instances in Sigvatr’s poetry in which a pagan deity is named. The woman addressed in the stanza is unidentified and the figure in the prose context seems to be no more than an extrapolation from the stanza. — [6] mínn ‘of mine’: On the facultative retention of vowel length in this and similar forms, see the Note to Sigv Lv 3/4.
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