HervH Lv 4^VIII (HjǪ 27)

Gef þú auð, jöfurr,         ef þú örr þykkiz;
þágu gull gumar,         ok geraz þér vel hollir.
En, ef maðr metnaz         við mildings síðu,
sýn leiðum þitt lyndi         ok láttu hann sneypu hljóta.

Gef þú auð, jöfurr, ef þú þykkiz örr; gumar þágu gull, ok geraz þér vel hollir. En, ef maðr metnaz við síðu mildings, sýn leiðum lyndi þitt ok láttu hann hljóta sneypu.

Give riches, prince, if you would be thought open-handed; [if] men have received gold and then they become very loyal to you. But if a man at the ruler’s side puffs himself up, show the loathsome one your temper and let him have disgrace as his portion.

Mss: 109a IIIˣ(273v), papp6ˣ(53r), ÍBR5ˣ(95) (HjǪ)

Readings: [1] Gef þú: enn ef papp6ˣ    [2] örr: added in right margin in scribal hand papp6ˣ    [3] þágu: þáðu all;    gumar: so ÍBR5ˣ, gunnar 109a IIIˣ, papp6ˣ    [8] láttu: lát ÍBR5ˣ

Editions: Skj AII, 338, Skj BII, 359, Skald II, 194, NN §124; HjǪ 1720, 48, FSN 3, 491-2, FSGJ 4, 216-17, HjǪ 1970, 39-40, 94-5, 155-6.

Context: Hervǫr gives Hjálmþér more advice about behaviour at her father’s court, urging him to show generosity as befits a ruler.

Notes: [All]: Hervǫr’s advice is conventionally gnomic and not specifically relevant to the situation at Hundingi’s hall. — [3] þágu ‘have received’: An emendation from all mss’ þáðu ‘you (sg.) received’, adopted by most eds from FSN onwards, with the exception of Valdimar Ásmundarson (1885-9), who has þiggja ‘receive’. The 2nd pers. sg. form cannot fit the syntax unless gumar ‘men’ is emended, and does not make good sense in context. — [3] gumar ‘men’: The reading of ÍBR5ˣ, a ms. not used by Finnur Jónsson in Skj A, who emends the other mss’ gunnar to gumnar. Both gumar and gumnar occur as the nom. pl. of gumi ‘man’. — [6] við síðu mildings ‘at the ruler’s side’: Kock (NN §124) contests this interpretation, suggesting instead ‘according to the king’s behaviour’, postulating an unrecorded Old Norse noun cognate with Gmc *sið- ‘behaviour, conduct’.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj A = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15a. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. A: Tekst efter håndskrifterne. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1967. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. FSN = Rafn, Carl Christian, ed. 1829-30. Fornaldar sögur nordrlanda. 3 vols. Copenhagen: Popp.
4. Skald = Kock, Ernst Albin, ed. 1946-50. Den norsk-isländska skaldediktningen. 2 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
5. NN = Kock, Ernst Albin. 1923-44. Notationes Norrœnæ: Anteckningar till Edda och skaldediktning. Lunds Universitets årsskrift new ser. 1. 28 vols. Lund: Gleerup.
6. FSGJ = Guðni Jónsson, ed. 1954. Fornaldar sögur norðurlanda. 4 vols. [Reykjavík]: Íslendingasagnaútgáfan.
7. Valdimar Ásmundarson, ed. 1885-9. Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda. 3 vols. Reykjavík: Sigurður Kristjánsson and Sigmundur Guðmundsson. 2nd edn of Vol. I 1891.
8. HjǪ 1720 = Peringskiöld, Johann, ed. 1720. Hialmters och Olvers saga, Handlande om trenne Konungar i Manahem eller Sverige, Inge, Hialmter, och Inge, samt Olver Jarl och om theras uthresor til Grekeland och Arabien. Stockholm: Horn.
9. HjǪ 1970 = Harris, Richard L., ed. 1970. ‘Hjálmþérs saga: A Scientific Edition’. Ph.D. thesis. University of Iowa.