Sigv Berv 9II
Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Bersǫglisvísur 9’ 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. 20-1.
notes
[1, 2] ráðgjafar yðrir skulut reiðask ‘your counsellors must not get enraged’: Skulut reiðask ráðgjǫfum yðrum ‘you should not get enraged at your counsellors’ (so Kˣ, 39) is syntactically correct but goes against the majority ms. witnesses (so also Skald). Moreover, Sigvatr is speaking against the king’s counsellors on behalf of the farmers (see also the prose in H-Hr). Skj B follows the Kˣ version but emends skulut (2nd pers. pl.) (l. 1) to skalat (3rd pers. sg.) ‘one should not’.
ráð ‘counsellors’
(not checked:)
ráð (noun n.; °-s; -): advice, plan, control, power < ráðgjafi (noun m.): counsellor
notes
[1, 2] ráðgjafar yðrir skulut reiðask ‘your counsellors must not get enraged’: Skulut reiðask ráðgjǫfum yðrum ‘you should not get enraged at your counsellors’ (so Kˣ, 39) is syntactically correct but goes against the majority ms. witnesses (so also Skald). Moreover, Sigvatr is speaking against the king’s counsellors on behalf of the farmers (see also the prose in H-Hr). Skj B follows the Kˣ version but emends skulut (2nd pers. pl.) (l. 1) to skalat (3rd pers. sg.) ‘one should not’.
gjafar ‘’
(not checked:)
gjafi (noun m.): giver < ráðgjafi (noun m.): counsellor
[1] ‑gjafar: so E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 972ˣ(584va), 972ˣ(585vb), 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 325VII, 325V, 61, Bb, H, Hr, 325XI 3, Flat, ‑gjǫfum Kˣ, 39, gjafa Tóm
notes
[1, 2] ráðgjafar yðrir skulut reiðask ‘your counsellors must not get enraged’: Skulut reiðask ráðgjǫfum yðrum ‘you should not get enraged at your counsellors’ (so Kˣ, 39) is syntactically correct but goes against the majority ms. witnesses (so also Skald). Moreover, Sigvatr is speaking against the king’s counsellors on behalf of the farmers (see also the prose in H-Hr). Skj B follows the Kˣ version but emends skulut (2nd pers. pl.) (l. 1) to skalat (3rd pers. sg.) ‘one should not’.
reiðask ‘get enraged’
(not checked:)
4. reiða (verb): make angry
notes
[1, 2] ráðgjafar yðrir skulut reiðask ‘your counsellors must not get enraged’: Skulut reiðask ráðgjǫfum yðrum ‘you should not get enraged at your counsellors’ (so Kˣ, 39) is syntactically correct but goes against the majority ms. witnesses (so also Skald). Moreover, Sigvatr is speaking against the king’s counsellors on behalf of the farmers (see also the prose in H-Hr). Skj B follows the Kˣ version but emends skulut (2nd pers. pl.) (l. 1) to skalat (3rd pers. sg.) ‘one should not’.
þat ‘that’
[2] þat: því at Hr, Flat
konungr ‘king’
(not checked:)
konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
[2] konungr: konung 972ˣ(585vb), konungar Flat
yðrir ‘your’
(not checked:)
yðvarr (pron.; °f. yður; pl. yðrir): your
[2] yðrir: so E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 325VII, 325V, Tóm, Bb, H, 325XI 3, Flat, yðrum Kˣ, 39, 61, ‘yþr’ 972ˣ(584va), ‘ydur’ 972ˣ(585vb), yðvar Hr
notes
[1, 2] ráðgjafar yðrir skulut reiðask ‘your counsellors must not get enraged’: Skulut reiðask ráðgjǫfum yðrum ‘you should not get enraged at your counsellors’ (so Kˣ, 39) is syntactically correct but goes against the majority ms. witnesses (so also Skald). Moreover, Sigvatr is speaking against the king’s counsellors on behalf of the farmers (see also the prose in H-Hr). Skj B follows the Kˣ version but emends skulut (2nd pers. pl.) (l. 1) to skalat (3rd pers. sg.) ‘one should not’.
dróttins ‘royal’
(not checked:)
dróttinn (noun m.; °dróttins, dat. dróttni (drottini [$1049$]); dróttnar): lord, master
[3] dróttins: dróttni 325VII
notes
[3] orð dróttins ‘royal command’: Lit. ‘word of the lord’. Anticipates Magnús’s command to his counsellors to refrain from interfering with Sigvatr’s plea. Finnur reads til dýrðar dróttins ‘[that word leads] to the glory of the king’, which creates an awkward w. o. Kock’s translation of orð dróttins as härskarns rykte ‘the lord’s reputation’ (det renar härskarns rykte, banar vägen för beröm ‘that clears the lord’s reputation, opens up the way for glory’; NN §1866) is syntactically obscure (ryðja til e-s ‘clear, open up’ is never constructed with an acc. in addition to the prepositional phrase; see Fritzner: ryðja).
orð ‘command’
(not checked:)
orð (noun n.; °-s; -): word
notes
[3] orð dróttins ‘royal command’: Lit. ‘word of the lord’. Anticipates Magnús’s command to his counsellors to refrain from interfering with Sigvatr’s plea. Finnur reads til dýrðar dróttins ‘[that word leads] to the glory of the king’, which creates an awkward w. o. Kock’s translation of orð dróttins as härskarns rykte ‘the lord’s reputation’ (det renar härskarns rykte, banar vägen för beröm ‘that clears the lord’s reputation, opens up the way for glory’; NN §1866) is syntactically obscure (ryðja til e-s ‘clear, open up’ is never constructed with an acc. in addition to the prepositional phrase; see Fritzner: ryðja).
dýrðar ‘glory’
(not checked:)
dýrð (noun f.; °-ar/-a(NoDipl(1279) 44²); -ir): glory
[3] til dýrðar: om. 61
dǫglingr ‘Lord’
(not checked:)
dǫglingr (noun m.; °; -ar): king, ruler
ber ‘my plain’
(not checked:)
2. berr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): bare < bersǫgli (noun f.)
sǫgli ‘speaking’
(not checked:)
-sǫgli (noun f.): [speaking] < bersǫgli (noun f.)
[4] ‑sǫgli: ‑sǫglu or ‑sǫgli 321ˣ
Hafa ‘they have’
(not checked:)
hafa (verb): have
kveðask ‘claim’
(not checked:)
kveða (verb; kveð, kvað, kveðinn): (str.) say, recite, sing
[5] kveðask: kvðusk 972ˣ(584va), Tóm, kveða 325V, 61, kvezk FskBˣ, ‘kuozt’ Flat
lǫg ‘laws’
(not checked:)
lag (noun n.; °-s; *-): layer; (pl.) law
notes
[5-8]: Magnús’s earlier legislation in Ulvesundet (in Nordfjord, Norway) is not mentioned in any saga.
nema ‘unless’
(not checked:)
2. nema (conj.): unless
land ‘the country’
(not checked:)
land (noun n.; °-s; *-): land < landherr (noun m.): land’s people, land’s army
[6] land‑: ‘[…]’ 325XI 3
búendr ‘The farmers’
(not checked:)
búandi (noun m.; °-a; búendr (bøendr var. ÓH 47¹²: AM 325 VII 4° 325 VII), dat. búǫndum/búandum/búendum): farmer, resident
[6] búendr: so E, J2ˣ, Holm2, 972ˣ(584va), 972ˣ(585vb), 321ˣ, 73aˣ, 325V, 61, H, 325XI 3, bœndr Kˣ, 325VI, Bb, FskBˣ, FskAˣ, Hr, Flat, konungr 39, 325VII, Tóm
verri ‘inferior’
(not checked:)
verri (adj. comp.): worse, worst
notes
[5-8]: Magnús’s earlier legislation in Ulvesundet (in Nordfjord, Norway) is not mentioned in any saga.
endr ‘earlier’
(not checked:)
endr (adv.): formerly, once, again
Ulfa ‘Ulve’
(not checked:)
1. ulfr (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): wolf < Ulfasund (noun n.)
[7] Ulfa‑: ‘vilpa’ E, ‘ulba‑’ Flat
sundum ‘sundet’
(not checked:)
sund (noun n.; °-s; -): sound, strait; swimming < Ulfasund (noun n.)
ǫnnur ‘other’
(not checked:)
1. annarr (pron.; °f. ǫnnur, n. annat; pl. aðrir): (an)other, second
[8] ǫnnur: ‘[…]nvr’ 325XI 3
an ‘than’
(not checked:)
2. an (conj.): than
þú ‘you’
(not checked:)
þú (pron.; °gen. þín, dat. þér, acc. þik): you
notes
[8] þú hézt ‘you promised’: Retention of the pron. þú ‘you’ (so all mss) forces elision in metrical position 2 involving a closed syllable and a syllable with vocalic onset (-ur a-; ǫnnur an ‘other than’). That does not otherwise occur in early dróttkvætt poetry (see Kuhn 1983, 67). However, Sigvatr is known for bending the rules of skaldic composition, and full stress on the pron. þú certainly seems warranted by the tenor of the st.
hézt ‘promised’
(not checked:)
2. heita (verb): be called, promise
notes
[8] þú hézt ‘you promised’: Retention of the pron. þú ‘you’ (so all mss) forces elision in metrical position 2 involving a closed syllable and a syllable with vocalic onset (-ur a-; ǫnnur an ‘other than’). That does not otherwise occur in early dróttkvætt poetry (see Kuhn 1983, 67). However, Sigvatr is known for bending the rules of skaldic composition, and full stress on the pron. þú certainly seems warranted by the tenor of the st.
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Stanza/chapter/text segment
Use the buttons at the top of the page to navigate between stanzas in a poem.
Information tab
- text: if the stanza has been published, the edited text of the stanza and translation are here; if it hasn't been published an old edition (usually Skj) is given for reference
- sources: a list of the manuscripts or inscriptions containing this stanza, with page and line references and links (eye button) to images where available, and transcription where available
- readings: a list of variant manuscript readings of words in the main text
- editions and texts: a list of editions of the stanza with links to the bibliography; and a list of prose works in which the stanza occurs, allowing you to navigate within the prose context
- notes and context: notes not linked to individual words are given here, along with the account of the prose context for the stanza, where relevant
Interactive tab
The text and translation are given here, with buttons to toggle whether the text is shown in the verse order or prose word order. Clicking on indiviudal words gives dictionary links, variant readings, kennings and notes, where relevant.
Full text tab
This is the text of the edition in a similar format to how the edition appears in the printed volumes.
Chapter/text segment
This view is also used for chapters and other text segments. Not all the headings shown are relevant to such sections.