The Poetic Edda: Of Hjorvarth and Sigrlin II
“Late wilt thou, Helgi, | have hoard of rings,Thou battle-tree fierce, | or of shining fields,—The eagle screams soon,— | if never thou speakest,Though, hero, hard | thy heart may cry.”
“What gift shall I have | with Helgi’s name,Glorious maid, | for the giving is thine?All thy words | shall I think on well,But I want them not | if I win not thee.”
“Swords I know lying | in Sigarsholm,Fifty there are | save only four;One there is | that is best of all,The shield-destroyer, | with gold it shines.
“In the hilt is fame, | in the haft is courage,In the point is fear, | for its owner’s foes;On the blade there lies | a blood-flecked snake,And a serpent’s tail | round the flat is twisted.”
Eylimi was the name of a king, whose daughter was Svava; she was aValkyrie, and rode air and sea. She gave Helgi this name, and shieldedhim oft thereafter in battle. Helgi spake:
“Hjorvarth, king, | unwholesome thy counsels,Though famed thou art | in leading the folk,Letting fire the homes | of heroes eat,Who evil deed | had never done thee.
“Yet Hrothmar still | the hoard doth hold,The wealth that once | our kinsmen wielded;Full seldom care | the king disturbs,Heir to dead men | he deems himself.”
Words in this poem
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
- haft n.
- A handle; that part of an instrument or vessel taken into the hand, and by which it is held and used; -- said chiefly of a knife, sword, or dagger; the hilt. [AS. hæft; akin to D. & G. heft, Icel. hepti, and to E. Heave, or have. Cf. Heft.]
- rode n.
- Redness; complexion. [See Rud.]
- thereafter adv.
- After that; afterward. [AS. th\'d6ræfter after that. See There, and After.]
- folk n.
- In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel. f, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E. follow.]
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Poetic Edda: Of Hjorvarth and Sigrlin II is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetic Edda, Project Gutenberg ebook #73533, the Henry Adams Bellows translation; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Anonymous, The Poetic Edda: Of Hjorvarth and Sigrlin II, in The Poetic Edda (1923), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #73533, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/poetic-edda/the-poetic-edda-of-hjorvarth-and-sigrlin-ii.html, id L15726.
Form and metre
The Poetic Edda: Of Hjorvarth and Sigrlin II is 27 lines in 7 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 79%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.9 syllables. 6 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 7% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter, other poems in blank verse.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| “Late wilt thou, Helgi, | have hoard of rings, | 9 | ········· |
| Thou battle-tree fierce, | or of shining fields,— | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| The eagle screams soon,— | if never thou speakest, | 11 | ·/˘···/˘·/˘ |
| Though, hero, hard | thy heart may cry.” | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| “What gift shall I have | with Helgi’s name, | 9 | ········· |
| Glorious maid, | for the giving is thine? | 10 | /˘˘···/˘·· |
| All thy words | shall I think on well, | 8 | ········ |
| But I want them not | if I win not thee.” | 10 | ·········· |
| “Swords I know lying | in Sigarsholm, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Fifty there are | save only four; | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| One there is | that is best of all, | 8 | ········ |
| The shield-destroyer, | with gold it shines. | 9 | ··˘/˘···· |
| “In the hilt is fame, | in the haft is courage, | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| In the point is fear, | for its owner’s foes; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| On the blade there lies | a blood-flecked snake, | 9 | ········· |
| And a serpent’s tail | round the flat is twisted.” | 11 | ··/˘·····/˘ |
| Eylimi was the name of a king, whose daughter was Svava; she was a | 18 | ··········/˘······ |
| Valkyrie, and rode air and sea. She gave Helgi this name, and shielded | 17 | ···············/˘ |
| him oft thereafter in battle. Helgi spake: | 11 | ··˘/˘·/˘··· |
| “Hjorvarth, king, | unwholesome thy counsels, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Though famed thou art | in leading the folk, | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| Letting fire the homes | of heroes eat, | 10 | /˘/˘···/˘· |
| Who evil deed | had never done thee. | 9 | ·/˘··/˘·· |
| “Yet Hrothmar still | the hoard doth hold, | 8 | ········ |
| The wealth that once | our kinsmen wielded; | 10 | ····/˘··/˘ |
| Full seldom care | the king disturbs, | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| Heir to dead men | he deems himself.” | 8 | ······˘/ |
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