ESk Geisl 64^VII

Hverrs svá horskr, at byrjar
hans vegs megi of segja
ljóss í lífi þessu
lofðungs gjafar tunga,
þars hreggsalar hyggjum
heitfastr jǫfurr veitir
— skreytt megu skatnar líta
skrín — dýrðar vin sínum?

Hverrs svá horskr, at hans tunga megi of segja gjafar {lofðungs {ljóss vegs byrjar}} í lífi þessu, þars hyggjum {heitfastr jǫfurr {hreggsalar}} veitir dýrðar vin sínum? Skatnar megu líta skreytt skrín.

Who is so wise that his tongue can tell of the gifts {of the prince {of the bright path of fair wind}} [SKY/HEAVEN > = God] in this life, where we think [that] {the oath-firm king {of the storm-hall}} [SKY/HEAVEN > = God] gives honours to his friend? Men can see the ornamented shrine.

Mss: Flat(2va), Bb(118rb-va)

Readings: [1] byrjar: so Bb, hyrjar Flat    [2] hans: háss Bb;    vegs: so Bb, veg Flat;    of: om. Bb    [4] tunga: tungna Bb    [5] þars (‘þar er’): ‘þær er’ Bb;    hreggsalar hyggjum: hims ok himna Bb    [7] megu: er of Bb;    skatnar: skatna Bb;    líta: dróttinn Bb    [8] sínum: þínum Bb

Editions: Skj AI, 471, Skj BI, 443, Skald I, 218, NN §950; Flat 1860-8, I, 7, Cederschiöld 1873, 9, Chase 2005, 114, 164.

Notes: [1] byrjar ‘of fair wind’: Bb’s reading is superior to Flat’s hyrjar ‘of fire’ because the latter produces three alliterative staves rather than the expected two. Additionally, the heaven-kenning produced with this reading, ljóss vegs hyrjar ‘of the bright path of fire’ (ll. 1, 2, 3), is abnormal (cf. Meissner, 106). — [5-8]: The second helmingr differs substantially between Flat and Bb, and neither is fully satisfactory. Here Flat’s version is followed, beginning with a subordinate cl., (‘in this life, where’) and assuming a suppressed at (which is quite irregular), while Bb’s (followed by Skj B and Skald), begins with the rel. pron. þær es (f. pl.), referring directly back to gjafar (l. 4). Following the Bb text (with minor emendation of ‘hims’ to heims in l. 5 and skrín to skríns in l. 8) gives the following sense: þærs heitfastr jǫfurr heims ok himna veitir sínum dýrðarvin – skreytt skríns of dróttin skatna ‘(the gifts) which the oath-firm king of the world and the heavens grants to his honoured friend – an ornamented shrine stands [lit. is] above the lord of men’.

References

1. Bibliography
2. Skj B = Finnur Jónsson, ed. 1912-15b. Den norsk-islandske skjaldedigtning. B: Rettet tekst. 2 vols. Copenhagen: Villadsen & Christensen. Rpt. 1973. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger.
3. Cederschiöld, Gustaf J. Chr., ed. 1873b. ‘Bandamanna saga’. Acta Universitatis Lundensis 10.
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. Meissner = Meissner, Rudolf. 1921. Die Kenningar der Skalden: Ein Beitrag zur skaldischen Poetik. Rheinische Beiträge und Hülfsbücher zur germanischen Philologie und Volkskunde 1. Bonn and Leipzig: Schroeder. Rpt. 1984. Hildesheim etc.: Olms.
7. Cederschiöld, Gustaf J. Chr., ed. 1873a. Geisli eða Óláfs Drápa ens Helga er Einarr orti Skúlason: efter ‘Bergsboken’ utgifven. Acta Universitatis Lundensis 10. Lund: Berling.
8. Chase, Martin, ed. 2005. Einarr Skúlason’s Geisli. A Critical Edition. Toronto Old Norse and Icelandic Studies 1. Toronto, Buffalo and London: Toronto University Press.
9. Flat 1860-8 = Gudbrand Vigfusson [Guðbrandur Vigfússon] and C. R. Unger, eds. 1860-8. Flateyjarbók. En samling af norske konge-sagaer med indskudte mindre fortællinger om begivenheder i og udenfor Norge samt annaler. 3 vols. Christiania (Oslo): Malling.