SnH Lv 7II
Kari Ellen Gade (ed.) 2009, ‘Sneglu-Halli, Lausavísur 7’ 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. 328-9.
Ortak ‘I composed’
(not checked:)
yrkja (verb): compose
eina ‘a’
(not checked:)
2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone
of ‘about’
(not checked:)
3. of (prep.): around, from; too
jarl ‘an earl’
(not checked:)
jarl (noun m.; °-s, dat. -i; -ar): poet, earl
notes
[2] jarl ‘an earl’: The identity of the recipient of Halli’s poem is unclear, but it could have been Harold Godwineson, then earl of Wessex and later king of England. According to Snegl, Halli composed a poem in honour of the king of England (ÍF 9, 290-1). Flat (1860-8, III, 425) gives his name as Harold Godwineson (Haraldr Guðinason), and H supplies Edward (Játvarðr) (Fms 6, 375). Edward the Confessor (r. 1043-65) was king of England at the time when Halli visited England, but he seems an unlikely recipient for Halli’s praise. Edward had been raised in Normandy and would hardly have been able to understand an ON poem recited by an Icel. skald. Moreover, the poem explicitly states that Halli’s poem honoured an earl. For the ON language in Anglo-Saxon England, see Townend 2002.
þulu ‘þula’
(not checked:)
þula (noun f.; °-u): list, rigamarole
notes
[2] þulu: A list of poetic synonyms. Halli uses it to refer to a nonsensical poem, and it must have been considered an insult to compose a deficient poem in praise of a ruler.
verðrat ‘cannot’
(not checked:)
1. verða (verb): become, be
drápa ‘drápa’
(not checked:)
drápa (noun f.; °-u): poem with refrains
með ‘among’
(not checked:)
með (prep.): with
notes
[4] með Dǫnum ‘among the Danes’: This sheds an interesting light on Halli’s opinion of the poetic skills of the Danes in the C11th. The sense is that not even Dan. poets could compose a worse poem. We know little about poetic compositions by Danes in the C11th (all skalds who eulogised Dan. rulers and noblemen were Icelanders), and most of the earlier surviving poetry attributed to Danes is characterised by metrical irregularities (see Kuhn 1983, 268-9).
Dǫnum ‘the Danes’
(not checked:)
dan (noun m.; °-s, dat. -): Dane
notes
[4] með Dǫnum ‘among the Danes’: This sheds an interesting light on Halli’s opinion of the poetic skills of the Danes in the C11th. The sense is that not even Dan. poets could compose a worse poem. We know little about poetic compositions by Danes in the C11th (all skalds who eulogised Dan. rulers and noblemen were Icelanders), and most of the earlier surviving poetry attributed to Danes is characterised by metrical irregularities (see Kuhn 1983, 268-9).
verri ‘worse’
(not checked:)
verri (adj. comp.): worse, worst
fǫll ‘dips’
(not checked:)
fall (noun n.; °-s; *-): fall
eru ‘there are’
(not checked:)
2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
fjórtán ‘fourteen’
(not checked:)
fjórtán (num. cardinal): [fourteen]
ok ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
fǫng ‘lifts’
(not checked:)
fang (noun n.; °-s; *-): grasp, tunic
tíu ‘ten’
(not checked:)
tíu (num. cardinal): ten
opits ‘it is open-ended’
(not checked:)
opinn (adj.): open, gaping
ok ‘and’
(not checked:)
3. ok (conj.): and, but; also
ǫndvert ‘twisted’
(not checked:)
ǫndverðr (adj.): early, beginning
ǫfugt ‘backwards’
(not checked:)
ǫfugr (adj.): backwards
stígandi ‘moving’
(not checked:)
stígandi (noun m.; °-a): walker, Stígandi
svá ‘that’s how’
(not checked:)
svá (adv.): so, thus
skal ‘shall’
(not checked:)
skulu (verb): shall, should, must
yrkja ‘compose’
(not checked:)
yrkja (verb): compose
sás ‘who’
(not checked:)
sás (conj.): the one who
illa ‘poorly skilled’
(not checked:)
1. illa (adv.): badly
kann ‘is’
(not checked:)
kunna (verb): know, can, be able
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
When Halli returns from England, King Haraldr asks him whether he has composed poetry about other kings while away. Halli replies with the following st.
The metre is fornyrðislag. For a discussion of the metrical terminology in this st., see Gade 1991.
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.