Sigv Lv 20I
R. D. Fulk (ed.) 2012, ‘Sigvatr Þórðarson, Lausavísur 20’ 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. 725.
Fúss ‘ready’
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fúss (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): eager, willing
læzk ‘claims he is’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
[1] læzk: so Flat, Kˣ, lézk Holm2, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 325V, 325VII, Bb, Tóm, 39, F, J2ˣ, E, lét 325VI, 61
maðr ‘A man’
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maðr (noun m.): man, person
meyjar ‘of a maiden’
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mær (noun f.; °meyjar, dat. meyju; meyjar): maiden
[2] meyjar: þreyjar Tóm
at ‘to’
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5. at (nota): to (with infinitive)
keypt ‘bought’
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-keyptr (adj.): [bought] < ofkeyptr (adj./verb p.p.)
[3] ‑keypt: geyst Bb
es ‘is’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
ôst ‘love’
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ást (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): love
eptir ‘for’
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eptir (prep.): after, behind
of ‘too dearly’
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of- ((prefix)): too much < ofkeyptr (adj./verb p.p.)
[4] of‑: so all others, ‘ob‑’ Holm2
notes
[4] of- ‘too’: (a) The present interpretation assumes that of ‘too’ and keypt ‘bought’ (l. 3) form a cpd by tmesis (so also Skj B). (b) Kock (NN §679), objecting to this separation of elements, proposes that the word is actually an adverbial case-form of the noun óf ‘excess’, or that it should be gen. ófs, in either event producing the same meaning. (c) The eds of ÍF 28 and Hkr 1991, as well as Jón Skaptason (1983, 204), form with of a cpd oflátinn ‘the ostentatious person’, as in nearly all the mss, and take ef oflátinn skal eptir gráta to mean ‘if the ostentatious person must weep after (the death of his wife)’. Some such interpretation must lie behind the context offered by Snorri. But the use of the suffixed def. art. is not likely to be what Sigvatr intended, and omission of an object meaning ‘the departed one’ for eptir … gráta ‘weep after’ is awkward. In CVC: oflátinn the word is cited from Sigvatr with the meaning ‘much lamented’.
látinn ‘the departed’
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láta (verb): let, have sth done
[4] látinn: ‑lati Holm2, ‑látinn 325VI, Holm4, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, 39, F, J2ˣ, ‘‑lan’ 321ˣ, látan 73aˣ, ‑látum 61, ‘latunn’ 325V, ‑látin Bb, Kˣ, E
skal ‘one must’
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skulu (verb): shall, should, must
gráta ‘weep’
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2. gráta (verb): weep
full ‘man full’
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full- ((prefix)): [man full] < fullhugi (noun m.)
hugi ‘of courage’
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hugi (noun m.; °-a): courage, thought < fullhugi (noun m.)
[5] ‑hugi: so Kˣ, 39, ‑huginn Holm2, 972ˣ, 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 325V, 325VII, Bb, Flat, Tóm, F, J2ˣ, E, hugum 61
fellir ‘sheds’
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3. fella (verb): fell, kill
flótt ‘the flight’
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flótti (noun m.): flight, fleeing < flóttstyggr (adj.)
[6] flótt‑: fljótt‑ 325VI, Flat, 39, flot 61, flóð Tóm
styggr ‘shunning’
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styggr (adj.): shy < flóttstyggr (adj.)
varð ‘has lost’
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1. verða (verb): become, be
[6] varð: var 325VI, 73aˣ, Holm4, 325V, ann 61, Flat, Tóm, varr 325VII
dróttin ‘his lord’
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dróttinn (noun m.; °dróttins, dat. dróttni (drottini [$1049$]); dróttnar): lord, master
[6] dróttin: dróttinn 325VI, 321ˣ, 73aˣ, Holm4, 61, 325VII, 39, J2ˣ, E, dróttar Bb, dróttni Flat, dróttni or dróttin Tóm
várt ‘our’
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várr (pron.; °f. ór/vár; pl. órir/várir): our
[7] várt: vár 325V, ‘var[…]’ 325VII
torrek ‘grievous loss’
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torrek (noun n.): [grievous loss]
[7] torrek: ‘tor hrek’ 972ˣ, ‘torck’ 73aˣ, af rek 61, ‘[…]’ 325VII, ár rekk Flat, ár rek Tóm, ‘torreg’ F
notes
[7] torrek ‘grievous loss’: The word is rare: unique in the skaldic corpus, though attested in prose (see Fritzner: torrek) and in the title of Egill Skallagrímsson’s poem Sonatorrek (Egill StV), in which he rails against the deaths of his sons. The prefix tor- implies ‘difficult’ (AEW: tor-).
vígtôr ‘slaying-tears’
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vígtár (noun n.): [slaying-tears]
notes
[8] vígtôr ‘slaying-tears’: Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) takes the sense of the cpd to be ‘tears for the slain one’; Kock (NN §1120; 1929, 17) takes it to be ‘bitter tears’. In Flat it is said after this stanza, Uigtár kollum ver þat sagde Sighuatr er ver fellum vid slik tidende ‘“Slaying-tears” is what we call that,’ said Sigvatr, ‘which we shed at such news.’ A further possibility is some such sense as ‘battle tears’ or ‘warrior’s tears’ (as perhaps suggested by ÍF 28’s tár, sprottið af vígahug ‘tears springing from a warlike mood’), since the stanza establishes a contrast between what is perceived as a trivial and effete loss and manly grief for a lord.
konungs ‘of the king’
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konungr (noun m.; °dat. -i, -s; -ar): king
[8] konungs: konung 61
ôrum ‘to the servants’
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1. árr (noun m.; °dat. ár; ǽrir/árar, acc. áru): messenger
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
In ÓH and Hkr, one day Sigvatr, while walking through a village, hears a man wailing about having lost his wife. The man beats his breast, tears his clothing, and weeps a great deal, saying he wishes to die. Then Sigvatr speaks this stanza. In Flat it is said that Sigvatr wept when he lost his king, and those who saw this said he was unmanly to react so to such news, and he must have little courage. He responds with this stanza.
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