Roberta Frank (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Málsháttakvæði 17’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1231.
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sýna (verb): show, seem
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allr (adj.): all
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sem (conj.): as, which
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[2] *ýtum ‘to those men’: The scribal error that supplied ‘sytvm’ with s- as hǫfuðstafr may have been encouraged by the two words beginning with s- in the previous line; emendation by Jón Sigurðsson.
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
[2] er drer bægir ‘afflicted by eye-disease’: Lit. ‘whom eye-disease hinders’. Drer ‘cataract, eye-ailment’ is a terminus technicus, attested in poetry only here (see Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, II, 140-1; Møller-Christensen 1976, 642-3; AEW: drør). For bægja e-m ‘distress, hinder sby’, see ONP: bægja 2. Wisén (1886-9, I) could make no sense of the line and replaced it with eigi brýtr gæfumaðr gler ‘a lucky man does not break glass’.
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2. bægja (verb; °-gð-): contend
[2] bægir drer: ‘bæg[...]er’ R, ‘bægir drers’ RFJ, ‘bægir drer?’ RJS
[2] er drer bægir ‘afflicted by eye-disease’: Lit. ‘whom eye-disease hinders’. Drer ‘cataract, eye-ailment’ is a terminus technicus, attested in poetry only here (see Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, II, 140-1; Møller-Christensen 1976, 642-3; AEW: drør). For bægja e-m ‘distress, hinder sby’, see ONP: bægja 2. Wisén (1886-9, I) could make no sense of the line and replaced it with eigi brýtr gæfumaðr gler ‘a lucky man does not break glass’.
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drør (noun n.): [by eye-disease]
[2] bægir drer: ‘bæg[...]er’ R, ‘bægir drers’ RFJ, ‘bægir drer?’ RJS
[2] er drer bægir ‘afflicted by eye-disease’: Lit. ‘whom eye-disease hinders’. Drer ‘cataract, eye-ailment’ is a terminus technicus, attested in poetry only here (see Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, II, 140-1; Møller-Christensen 1976, 642-3; AEW: drør). For bægja e-m ‘distress, hinder sby’, see ONP: bægja 2. Wisén (1886-9, I) could make no sense of the line and replaced it with eigi brýtr gæfumaðr gler ‘a lucky man does not break glass’.
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3. eigi (adv.): not
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3. at (prep.): at, to
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2. einn (pron.; °decl. cf. einn num.): one, alone
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
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í (prep.): in, into
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fagr (adj.; °fagran; compar. fegri, superl. fegrstr): fair, beautiful
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fengr (noun m.; °-jar/-s, dat. -/-i): loot
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2. finna (verb): find, meet
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munu (verb): will, must
[4] mun þat er reynt er lengr: ‘[…]g[…]’ R, ‘mvn […] er reynt er lengr’ RFJ
[4] mun þat er reynt er lengr: ‘[…]g[…]’ R, ‘mvn […] er reynt er lengr’ RFJ
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2. er (conj.): who, which, when
[4] mun þat er reynt er lengr: ‘[…]g[…]’ R, ‘mvn […] er reynt er lengr’ RFJ
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reyna (verb): test, try, experience
[4] mun þat er reynt er lengr: ‘[…]g[…]’ R, ‘mvn […] er reynt er lengr’ RFJ
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[4] mun þat er reynt er lengr: ‘[…]g[…]’ R, ‘mvn […] er reynt er lengr’ RFJ
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lengr (adv.): for a long time
[4] mun þat er reynt er lengr: ‘[…]g[…]’ R, ‘mvn […] er reynt er lengr’ RFJ
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2. ekki (adv.): not
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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forðum (adv.): formerly, once
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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farald (noun n.): malady
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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Finnr (noun m.): Saami (person)
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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2. geta (verb): to beget, give birth to, mention, speak of; to think well of, like, love
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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þó (adv.): though
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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œra (verb): out of one’s mind
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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Haraldr (noun m.): Haraldr
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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hann (pron.; °gen. hans, dat. honum; f. hon, gen. hennar, acc. hana): he, she, it, they, them...
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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2. þykkja (verb): seem, think
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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sólbjartr (adj.): sun-bright
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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2. slíkr (adj.): such
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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dœmi (noun n.; °-s; -): judgement, example
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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1. verða (verb): become, be
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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2. margr (adj.; °-an): many
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
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nú (adv.): now
[5, 6, 7, 8] Ekki var þat forðum farald Finnan gat þó œrðan Harald hánum þótti sólbjǫrt sú slíks dœmi verðr mǫrgum nú: ‘[...]’ R
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
All seems hardly as it is to those men afflicted by eye-disease; not only in the beautiful is there gain; that shall come to light which is inquired into the longer. It wasn’t a malady in the old days; still, the Saami girl drove Haraldr out of his mind; to him she seemed bright as the sun; instances of such happen to many now.
[1-2]: One of the few run-on couplets in Mhkv. — [4]: A favourite proverb in Grettis saga and other sagas: Fleira veit sá, er fleira reynir ‘He learns more who investigates more’ (Gr ch. 14, ÍF 7, 38); Þá veit þat, er reynt er ‘That will be shown when it has been tested’, i.e. ‘that remains to be seen’ (Gr ch. 40, ÍF 7, 136). See also Ísl. Málsh.: reyna. — [4]: The reading here is based on the transcripts of RFJ and RJS, who confirm all the words except for þat. — [5-8]: The refrain has been supplied from st. 11/5-8.
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