Tarrin Wills and Stefanie Gropper (eds) 2007, ‘Anonymous Poems, Hugsvinnsmál 42’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry on Christian Subjects. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 7. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 386.
Fláráðs manns orði, þótt fagrt mæli,
þarftu eigi þeim at trúa;
glyslig orð lát þú í gegn koma,
ok gjalt svá líku líkt.
Þarftu eigi at trúa þeim orði fláráðs manns, þótt fagrt mæli; lát þú í gegn koma glyslig orð, ok gjalt svá líku líkt.
You need not believe the word of a deceitful man, even though he may speak fair; let specious words counter them, and thus repay like with like.
Mss: 1199ˣ(73r), 723aˣ(79), 696XV(1v), 401ˣ(1v), 624(142)
Readings: [1] Fláráðs manns orði: Fláráðs manns orðum 723aˣ, 624, ‘Flara[...]’ 696XV, Fláráðr maðr 401ˣ [2] þótt fagrt: þótt hann fagrt 723aˣ, 401ˣ, 624, ‘[...]’ 696XV [3] þarftu: ‘[...]’ 723aˣ, ‘þarf[...]v’ 401ˣ; þeim: so 723aˣ, 624, til honum 1199ˣ, honum 696XV, því 401ˣ [5] í gegn koma: ‘j [...]’ 723aˣ [6] ok gjalt svá: ‘[...]’ 723aˣ, ‘[...]tu’ 696XV, gjaltu 401ˣ, gjaltu svá 624
Editions: Skj AII, 177, Skj BII, 192, Skald II, 100; Hallgrímur Scheving 1831, 14, Konráð Gíslason 1860, 550, Gering 1907, 12, Tuvestrand 1977, 94, Hermann Pálsson 1985, 55.
Notes: [All]: Lat. parallel: (Dist. I, 26) Qui simulat verbis nec corde est fidus amicus, / tu qui fac simile: sic ars deluditur acte ‘Whoever dissimulates in words and is not a faithful friend at heart, treat him the same way: thus artifice is deluded by action’. The advice to be sceptical if somebody praises you too much is quite common in ON-Icel. poetry. Usually the adj. flár is used to denote untruthful or false speech. Cf. for instance Anon Mhkv 28III. Parallels in phrasing occur in Hávm 45 (NK, 24): Ef þú átt annan, | þannz þú illa trúir, | vildu af hánom þó gott geta: | fagrt scaltu við þann mæla, | en flátt hyggia | oc gialda lausung við lygi ‘if you’ve another, whom you don’t trust, but from whom you want nothing but good, speak fairly to him but think falsely and repay treachery with lies’ (Larrington 1996, 20). Cf. also the phrasing in Sól 19, although the st. deals with a different topic.
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