Original Old Norse: | Auden & Taylor: | Bellows: | Bray: |
sjúkum kálfi sjálfráða þræli völu vilmæli val nýfeldum |
A witch' s welcome, the wit of a slave, A sick calf, a corpse still fresh, |
In a calf that is sick | or a stubborn thrall, A flattering witch | or a foe new slain. |
sickly calf or self-willed thrall, witch's flattery, new-slain foe, brother's slayer, though seen on the highway, half burned house, or horse too swift -- be never so trustful as these to trust. |
Chisholm: | Hollander: | Terry: | Thorpe: |
A sick calf, an uppity thrall, the pleasant talk of a volva, the fresh fallen warrior. |
A sickly calf, a self-willed thrall, the smooth words foa witch, warriors fresh-slain, |
a sick calf, a willful slave, sweet words from witches, the newly slain, |
a sick calf, a self-willed thrall, a flattering prophetess, a corpse newly slain, (a serene sky, a laughing lord, a barking dog, and a harlot’s grief); |
Bellow's Note: 87. The stanza is doubtless incomplete. Some editors add from a late paper manuscript two lines running: "In a light, clear sky | or a laughing throng, In the bowl of a dog | or a harlot's grief!" |
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Stanzas 85-88 are a pretty comprehensive list of things not to be trusted in life. All are things that may harm you. |
Monday, May 14, 2018
Stanza 87
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