Árm Lv 3II/7 — brúðr ‘the lady’
Ek mun Ermingerði,
nema ǫnnur skǫp verði,
— margr elr sorg of svinna —
síðan aldri finna.
Værak sæll, ef ek svæfa
— sýn væri þat gæfa —
— brúðr hefr allfagrt enni —
eina nótt hjá henni.
Ek mun aldri síðan finna Ermingerði, nema ǫnnur skǫp verði; margr elr sorg of svinna. Værak sæll, ef ek svæfa eina nótt hjá henni; þat væri sýn gæfa; brúðr hefr allfagrt enni.
I shall never again meet Ermingerðr, unless another fate comes about; many a man nurtures grief for the wise lady. I would be blessed if I could sleep one night beside her; that would be obvious luck; the lady has a very attractive forehead.
notes
[7] brúðr ‘the lady’: This can mean ‘(affianced) bride’, ‘wife’, or ‘woman’ in general. Here, Ármóðr picks up on Rǫgnvaldr’s use of the same word in Rv Lv 16. Although Ermengard of Narbonne’s exact birth date is not known, she would have been in her early twenties at this time and already twice married. However, her first marriage was soon dissolved, her second appears to have been a marriage of convenience, and she never had children (Cheyette 2001, 14-25). She is presented in the saga and in Rv Lv 15 as youthful and as an unmarried woman with loose hair, see Note to Rv Lv 15/6, 7. See also Note to Rv Lv 15 [All].