Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Bersǫglisvísur 10’ in Kari Ellen Gade (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 2: From c. 1035 to c. 1300. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 2. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 21-2.
Gjalt varhuga, veltir,
viðr, þeims nú ferr heðra,
þjófs (skal hǫnd í hófi)
hǫlða kvitt (of stytta).
Vinrs, sás varmra benja
vǫrnuð býðr, en hlýðið,
tármútaris teitir,
til, hvat búmenn vilja.
{Veltir þjófs}, gjalt varhuga viðr kvitt hǫlða, þeims nú ferr heðra; skal of stytta hǫnd í hófi. Vinrs, sás býðr vǫrnuð, en, {{{varmra benja tár}mútaris} teitir}, hlýðið til, hvat búmenn vilja.
{Toppler of the thief} [JUST RULER], pay heed to the chatter of men which now is spreading here; the hand must be held back by moderation. He is a friend who offers a warning, but you, {gladdener {of the hawk {of the tear of warm wounds}}} [(lit. ‘gladdener of the tear-hawk of warm wounds’) BLOOD > RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR], must heed what the farmers want.
Mss: Kˣ(505r), 39(14vb), E(5v), J2ˣ(246r) (Hkr); Holm2(74r-v), 972ˣ(585va), 972ˣ(585vb), 325VI(42rb), 321ˣ(283), 73aˣ(216v), 325VII(41v), 325V(89vb), 61(130va), Tóm(161v), Bb(206rb) (ÓH); FskBˣ(54r), FskAˣ(209) (Fsk, ll. 1-4); H(4v), Hr(6ra-b) (H-Hr); 325XI 3(1r), Flat(190ra) (Flat)
Readings: [1] varhuga: ‘uaro᷎ga’ Flat [2] viðr: veðrs 73aˣ, við H, Hr; þeims (‘þeim er’): þeim 325VI; nú: þú J2ˣ, Holm2, 972ˣ(585va), 972ˣ(585vb); ferr: ferr víða 325XI 3 [3] þjófs: þjóð 325VI, 321ˣ, þjóf 325V, FskBˣ, FskAˣ, H, Hr, 325XI 3, Flat; skal: skal ek 325V, 61, Tóm; hǫnd: so E, J2ˣ, 972ˣ(585va), 73aˣ, 61, Tóm, Bb, H, Hr, 325XI 3, Flat, hund Kˣ, 39, Holm2, 972ˣ(585vb), 325VII, 325V, FskBˣ, FskAˣ, hverr 325VI, 321ˣ [4] hǫlða: ‘hulða’ E, ‘hulda’ J2ˣ, halda Tóm; of: af 73aˣ, at 325V; stytta: ‘stvtta’ Bb, 325XI 3 [5] Vinrs sás (‘vinr er sá er’): so E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 972ˣ(585vb), Bb, vin er sá er Kˣ, vinr er sá 39, 972ˣ(585va), vinr em ek 325VI, 321ˣ, H, vinr er 73aˣ, vinr sá er 325VII, 325V, 61, Tóm, vinr ek Hr, vinr er ek 325XI 3, Flat; varmra: ‘v[...]ra’ 325VII, varma 325V, H, Hr; benja: ‘beinia’ E, beima J2ˣ, 61, H, beina 972ˣ(585vb), Tóm, Bb, ‘bæn[...]’ 325VII [6] vǫrnuð: so 39, 325VI, 325V, H, Hr, 325XI 3, varnaðr Kˣ, varnað E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 972ˣ(585va), 972ˣ(585vb), 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 61, Tóm, Bb, ‘[...]’ 325VII, ‘voro᷎d’ Flat; býðr: býð ek 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Hr, ‘[...]yðr’ 325VII, ek 325V, ‘budr’ Bb, býðk H, búðs 325XI 3, Flat; hlýðið: hlýði 39, ek hlýði E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 972ˣ(585va), 972ˣ(585vb), 61, Tóm, Bb, hlýðir 325VI, þeir hlýðit 321ˣ, ‘ec hlyþ[...]’ 325VII, ‘hlidit’ Flat [7] tár‑: ‘[...]’ 325VII, tár á or tára 325XI 3; ‑mútaris: musteris 39, Bb, ‘mustaris’ J2ˣ, ‘muteris’ Holm2, 972ˣ(585vb), 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 325XI 3, Flat, ‘[...]taris’ 325VII, ‘mvntaris’ 325V, ‘materis’ Hr; teitir: ‘tetter’ 972ˣ(585va), teitar 972ˣ(585vb), teiti 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 325V, 61, Tóm, H, Hr, 325XI 3, Flat [8] til: om. 325VI; hvat: hvatt Tóm; búmenn: búmann 972ˣ(585vb), búmanns Bb; vilja: vinna Tóm
Editions: Skj AI, 255, Skj BI, 237-8, Skald I, 123; ÍF 28, 29-30 (Mgóð ch. 16), E 1916, 18; ÓH 1941, I, 626 (ch. 261); ÍF 29, 213 (ch. 48); Fms 6, 42 (Mgóð ch. 22); Louis-Jensen 1970b, 149, Flat 1860-8, III, 268, Mork 1928-32, 28, Andersson and Gade 2000, 107, 467 (MH); Jón Skaptason 1983, 150, 295.
Notes: [2] heðra ‘here’: The more archaic form hiðra (Goth hidre, OE hider) would restore the aðalhending and has been adopted by most earlier eds (see ANG §60; AEW: heðra). — [3, 4] skal of stytta hǫnd í hófi ‘the hand must be held back by moderation’: Lit. ‘one must shorten the hand in moderation’. This saying means that one should not stretch the fingers longer than moderation prescribes, i.e. one must not be greedy and aggressive but show self-restraint. — [4] kvitt ‘chatter’: Earlier eds emend to kytt, and it is possible that Sigvatr used the variant form kytt for kvitt (see ANG §83.2), which would then form aðalhending with stytta ‘measure’ (lit. ‘shorten’). See also Note to st. 1/6 above. — [7] -mútaris (m. gen. sg.) ‘of the hawk’: Mútari is a nomen agentis which is related to the adj. mútaðr ‘moulted’, referring to a bird that has changed its feathers (from Lat. mutarius; cf. MHG mūzære ‘falcon’; see AEW: mútari).
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