Sigv Lv 25I/5 — Fréttik ‘I enquire’
Enn lystir mik (austan
erut of spǫrð ór Gǫrðum)
frá ǫðlingi ungum
(opt byrjuð lof) spyrja.
Fréttik smás, þótt smæstir
smoglir ástar foglar
(þinig ljúgumk fǫr) fljúgi
(fylkis niðs) á miðli.
Enn lystir mik spyrja frá ungum ǫðlingi; lof opt byrjuð austan ór Gǫrðum erut of spǫrð. Fréttik smás, þótt smæstir, smoglir foglar ástar fljúgi á miðli; ljúgumk fǫr þinig niðs fylkis.
Still it pleases me to ask about the young prince; the praises often conveyed from the east out of Russia are not too sparing. I enquire about little, though the smallest, smuggling birds of affection fly between; I am cheated of the journey hither of the leader’s offspring [RULER = Magnús].
notes
[5] fréttik smás ‘I enquire about little’: It is debatable whether the import of this is ‘I ask for very little information’ (so Finnur Jónsson in Skj B) or ‘I enquire about small things’ (so Jón Skaptason 1983). (Note that the clause cannot mean ‘I hear very little’, as we should then expect smátt for smás.) Finnur Jónsson (LH II, 596) takes the sense to be ‘I am informed of the king’s movements, though only small birds of affection fly back and forth between us’.