Anon Óldr 27I/4 — tókumsk ‘began’
Fyrr létu frœknan gørva
fenskúfs vala benja
fríðri skǫld of fœði
fagrbjór*, an vér tókumsk.
†Eygi† fleygs fyr því þeygi
þann vissak hlyn manna
geirs frá geymiôrum
…
Fyrr létu fríðri skǫld gørva fagrbjór* of frœknan benja vala fenskúfs fœði an vér tókumsk. Vissak þeygi þann hlyn … frá geymiôrum fleygs geirs †eygi† … fyr því … manna …
Finer poets caused beautiful beer [poetry] to be made about the valiant feeder of the skua of the fen of the falcons of wounds [(lit. ‘feeder of the fen-skua of the falcons of wounds’) RAVENS/EAGLES > BLOOD > RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR], before we [I] began. I have not known of that maple … from guarding-envoys of the flying spear … because of that … of men …
notes
[4] an vér tókumsk ‘before we [I] began’: The m. v. takask in the sense ‘begin, get under way, arise’ is normally predicated to abstract subjects rather than human ones (as in Sigv Tryggfl 1/2 morð tóksk ‘killing arose’, and cf. Anon Mv I 4/8VII). However, it also occurs in the idiom takask orðum ‘begin to speak, begin in/with words’ (cf. Þfagr Sveinn 9/6II), and in the present helmingr it is possible that fagrbjór ‘beautiful beer [poetry]’, as well as being the object to the first clause, is understood (now in the dat.) as a counterpart to orðum. Such a dual role, a kind of apo koinou, is rare, but for possible parallels see Notes to Eyv Hál 11/7-8, Sigv Austv 6/2, Þorm Lv 10/4.