ÞGísl Búdr 11I/4 — sára ‘of wounds’
Sté fyrir húf hesti
hrófs inn þrekmesti
gœðir gunnskára;
gladdisk naðr sára.
Niðr kom bens bára;
Búi nam sér hvára
— ferð hykk friðar misstu —
frœkn í hǫnd kistu.
Inn þrekmesti gœðir gunnskára sté fyrir húf hesti hrófs; naðr sára gladdisk. Bára bens kom niðr; frœkn Búi nam kistu í hvára hǫnd sér; hykk ferð misstu friðar.
The most powerful endower of battle-gulls [RAVENS/EAGLES > WARRIOR] leapt from the hull of the horse of the boat-shed [SHIP]; the snake of wounds [SWORD] was gladdened. The wave of the wound [BLOOD] poured down; the valiant Búi took a chest in each of his hands; I think men missed out on peace.
notes
[4] naðr sára ‘the snake of wounds [SWORD]’: (a) This is attested in each of the extant mss and is retained here. As subject of gladdisk ‘was gladdened’, the sword is slightly personified, which is unusual, but is matched in st. 6/3 (see Note). (b) Fms retained naðr sára, glossing it as hræfuglinn ‘the carrion bird’. (c) In SHI 1, 206, Skj B and Skald, naðr is emended to nagr ‘bird’, resulting in a kenning for a bird of battle, which would be more natural in the context (and see TorfE Lv 3/7 and Note for a parallel involving nagr). CVC: nagr also regards naðr as a misspelling for nagr and suggests that the bird is a magpie.
kennings
- naðr sára — the snake of wounds [SWORD]
grammar
number: pl.