Anon Mhkv 27III
Roberta Frank (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Málsháttakvæði 27’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1240.
Gullormr ‘The gold-serpent’
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gullormr (noun m.): [gold-serpent]
á ‘has’
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2. eiga (verb; °á/eigr (præs. pl. 3. pers. eigu/eiga); átti, áttu; átt): own, have
sér ‘for itself’
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sik (pron.; °gen. sín, dat. sér): (refl. pron.)
brennheitt ‘a burning-hot’
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brennheitr (adj.): [a burning-hot]
notes
[1] brennheitt ‘burning-hot’: The adj. is attested only once more in poetry, in ESk Geisl 35/6VII, where it refers to oven-baked bread. The image here suggests gold glowing like hot fire.
ból ‘den’
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ból (noun n.; °-s; -): dwelling
bjartast ‘brightest’
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bjartr (adj.; °compar. -ari, superl. -astr): bright
[2] bjartast: ‘bialltað’ R
notes
[2] bjartast ‘brightest’: Emendation by Jón Sigurðsson (Möbius 1874, 11 n.). Cf. Alain de Lille, Liber parabolarum, 33-4: clarior est solito, post maxima nubila, Phebus ‘the sun is usually more brilliant after many clouds’; the conclusion: ‘after quarrels, love too is more radiant’.
skínn ‘shines’
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skína (verb): shine
í ‘in’
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í (prep.): in, into
notes
[2] í heiði ‘in a cloudless sky’: Möbius (1874, 40, 66) has heiðr f. ‘heath’ (corrected by Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, II 142). Cf. Gamlkan Has 14/7-8VII hyrr heiðs ‘fire of the clear sky [SUN]’.
heiði ‘a cloudless sky’
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4. heiðr (adj.): bright
notes
[2] í heiði ‘in a cloudless sky’: Möbius (1874, 40, 66) has heiðr f. ‘heath’ (corrected by Konráð Gíslason 1895-7, II 142). Cf. Gamlkan Has 14/7-8VII hyrr heiðs ‘fire of the clear sky [SUN]’.
sól ‘the sun’
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sól (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u/-; -ir): sun
undrum ‘wondrously’
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2. undr (noun n.; °-s; -): wonder, marvel
notes
[3] undrum ‘wondrously’: Dat. pl. used adverbially. The adv. is rare in poetry, but cf. SnSt Ht 4/7.
þykkir ‘seems’
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2. þykkja (verb): seem, think
gagnsætt ‘transparent’
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gagnsær (adj.): [transparent]
gler ‘glass’
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gler (noun n.): glass
notes
[3] gler ‘glass’: The word is infrequent in verse, but see Anon Lil 33/3VII on the image of the incarnation as a ray of sunlight shining through glass.
glymjandi ‘roaring’
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glymja (verb): resound
fellr ‘falls’
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falla (verb): fall
hrǫnn ‘the wave’
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hrǫnn (noun f.; °; dat. -um): wave
of ‘over’
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3. of (prep.): around, from; too
sker ‘the skerry’
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sker (noun n.; °-s; -, gen. -ja): skerry
Allar ‘All’
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allr (adj.): all
girnask ‘yearn’
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girna (verb): desire
í ‘to’
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í (prep.): in, into
sjá ‘the sea’
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sjór (noun m.): sea
ekki ‘nothing’
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2. ekki (adv.): not
er ‘is’
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2. vera (verb): be, is, was, were, are, am
manni ‘for a man’
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maðr (noun m.): man, person
verra ‘worse’
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verri (adj. comp.): worse, worst
en ‘than’
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4. en (conj.): than
þrá ‘longing’
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1. þrá (noun f.): longing, yearning
fýsa ‘urge’
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fýsa (verb): desire, encourage
munk ‘I shall’
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munu (verb): will, must
fyrra ‘prior’
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1. fyrri (adj. comp.; °superl. fyrstr): first
vara ‘caution’
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1. vǫr (noun f.; °varar; varir/varar): landing-stage
flestr ‘most’
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fleiri (adj. comp.; °superl. flestr): more, most
mun ‘men’
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munu (verb): will, must
sik ‘themselves’
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sik (pron.; °gen. sín, dat. sér): (refl. pron.)
til ‘for’
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til (prep.): to
nǫkkurs ‘something’
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nøkkurr (pron.): some, a certain
spara ‘will save’
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2. spara (verb): spare, withhold
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
The gold-serpent has for itself a burning-hot den; the sun shines brightest in a cloudless sky; glass seems wondrously transparent; the wave falls roaring over the skerry. All rivers yearn to run to the sea; nothing is worse for a man than longing; I shall urge prior caution; most men will save themselves for something.
[1]: Cf. ESk Geisl 41/4VII ból dreka ‘dwelling of the dragon [GOLD]’. The kenning alludes to the dragon Fáfnir and his hoard (Skm, SnE 1998, I, 47): gullit er kallat ból eða bygð Fáfnis ‘gold is called the lair or dwelling of Fáfnir’. — [5]: Cf. Eccles 1.7: omnia flumina intrant in mare ‘all rivers run to the sea’. See also ÚlfrU Húsdr 12/1, 3 and Sveinn Frag ll. 1, 4.
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