Anon Mhkv 5III
Roberta Frank (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Málsháttakvæði 5’ in Kari Ellen Gade and Edith Marold (eds), Poetry from Treatises on Poetics. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 3. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1219.
text and translation
Alllítit er ungs manns gaman;
einum þykkir daufligt saman;
annars barn er sem úlf at frjá;
óðfúss myndi blindr at sjá.
Dýrt láta menn dróttins orð;
drekarnir rísa opt á sporð;
ǫðlingr skyldi einkar rǫskr;
œpa kann í mœrum frǫskr.
Alllítit er gaman ungs manns; daufligt þykkir einum saman; barn annars er sem úlf at frjá; óðfúss myndi blindr at sjá. Menn láta dýrt orð dróttins; drekarnir rísa opt á sporð; ǫðlingr skyldi einkar rǫskr; frǫskr kann œpa í mœrum.
‘It takes very little to amuse a young man; life seems dreary to one alone; to love another’s child is like cherishing a wolf; desperately would the blind one wish to see. People say a lord’s word is precious; dragons often rise up on their tail; a prince should be especially brave; a frog can croak in the marshes. ’
notes and context
Finnur Jónsson (1890a, 266) attempted to illustrate a close contextual fit between the eight proverbs in this stanza and the narrator’s lovesickness. — [1-2]: For related proverbs, see Ísl. Málsh.: gaman, einn. — [5]: This proverb is widely cited in Old Norse texts: cf. Laxdœla saga (Laxd ch. 47, ÍF 5, 147): Dýrt mun mér verða dróttins orð ‘The royal command is worth a lot to me’; Kjalnesinga saga (Kjaln ch. 15, ÍF 14, 35): Dýrt er dróttins orð; Óláfs saga helga (ÓHHkr, ÍF 27, 126): dýrt er dróttins orð; and the allusive use of the saying in Sigv Berv 9/3II dróttins orð til dýrðar ‘the royal command [opens the path] to glory’. — [6]: On a dragon’s strength residing in its tail, see Isidore, Etym. 12.3.4-5.
sources
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
-
GKS 2367 4° (R) — 54v/12 - 54v/14
imagesAllítit er vngs maɴz gaman einvm þickir davflíkt saman aɴars barn er sem vlf at fria | oðfvs mvndi blindr at sia : dyrt lata menn drottins orð drekarnir risa opt asporð avðlingr | skyldi einkar ravskr æpa kaɴ imavrvm fravskr · |
(VEÞ)
editions and texts
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XIII], A. [1]. Málsháttakvæði 5: AII, 131-2, BII, 139, Skald II, 74; Möbius 1874, 4, Wisén 1886-9, I, 73.
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.