Monday, May 9, 2011

The New War Poem: víg þeyr - War Song (Updated 5/28/2011)

This poem is moderately long with a refrain (stef) at beginning and end.  It is in straight dróttkvætt except for the stef  which is runhent.  A verse by verse translation follows the poem.  The first seven verses are descriptive of the seven Baronies of Æthelmearc, the kingdom I belong to in the Society for Creative Anachronisms.  As always, comments are requested (cherished, even).  And NEW today, you can hear it here! (This a new recording with the poem for you to read as you listen)

VÍG - ÞEYR (WAR STORM)

Rúni minna rekka
rikis-faðirs sagna
hug-runr Munin halda
Hugin geirþey á-gætta
holt-græn brynjar  hafta
holt-græn riki heilsa
Bil-seim fríðust blása
Baldr-styr mattig beita
Ór hrafna erfíð-virkr heim 
Hamðís skyrtur kvámað
kallsað hefndar kaldar
á-kafligr blóða krefði
ígul-kottar útan
ógn-ligr halað frækn-ligr
bogir skyrtur  barað
blóðstar kamað drotinn
Svartrfjallar ór suðri
sigrvíðum þú gaum-gæfa
flyta lindr-vitr Freyar
fellbaugs geig-tönn dregga
hlýðað grimmir hírð-menn
halir með almreyrs 
kalla hann tré-konungr
kol-gim goði mót-svar
Veik í Eystri-dæll veðr-kvern
viking-ligr inn leiðangr
glæsi varra Gugnis
gó-ligr ljóm á sól-róð
hurðir standa Hǫgna
hlífgranda víð fjanda
mikill-rjóðar máttig
malma hvikaði aldri
Hálar fylgja hersar
hesta-líð hans heðra
endi-lauss ala afla
áræðis-snarr þeirra
fjandar þeirra flýjað
fyrir vignestr ýrinn
brenna hrækost bjartr
bráðr-hestr hlaðit tapa

Mennin skjöldar mattig
mýra safal reyrað
undreyr snarað aldtregi
ú-vin skytir benjað
vættar-sókngifrs vafla
vigtungt gönur flosað
rotti kattar-rófa
grænn-holt hersir mæta
Dreki-elligr arms hyr
is-lög vetrar hrista
sumars far-gim svell folks
slíðr-beittr leysa víg-örr
herrir norð-vinda hvass-eygr
hjalm-drött víg-bjart samna
eið-færr barún ör-vedr
is-dreki strengja-heitið
Ór stjörnu-vegi standa
staðfastr fé-styrkr dauð-ligr
leiðangr blóð ok laraðr
lands-mark varða mann-ligr
ríða merki rauð-gull
rönd-ullir. undir  konungs
hala-stjarna hafta
hersir  brim-stormr styr-vindr 
Horsk-ligr konung her-fara!
hlýða þú ok fýlgja
hersir gætr ok herrar
herflokkr gætr ok ýr-menn
kol-augr samna kappsamr
kast-vella eskiaskar
hírð-menn kama á her-ferð
horsk-ligr konungr ör-fara!
Rúni minna rekka
rikis-faðirs sagna
hug-runr Munin halda
Hugin geirþey á-gætta
holt-græn brynjar  hafta
holt-græn riki heilsa
Bil-seim fríðust blása
Baldr-styr mattig beita

STEF:

Counselor of warriors remeber your ancestors´lessons.  Munin holds wisdom and Hugin praises battle [geir-þey  “spear breeze” > BATTLE].  The Sylvan army [brynjar  “mail-shirts” > WARRIORS > ARMY] joins; The Sylvan realm salutes!  Fairest queen [Bil-seim “Godess of gold” > QUEEN] inspires!  Mighty king [Baldr-styr “God of war” > KING] leads!

VERSE ONE:

From hard-working Raven´s Heim [Thescorre], an army [Hamðís skyrtur “the shirts of Hamðir (a famous warrior)” > MAIL SHIRTS > ARMY] arrives.  They demand cold vengeance;  they demand hot blood! They boldly haul out terrible war-engines [ígul-kottar “hedgehogs” > WAR ENGINES]; archers bear their bows.  The raven [blóðstar “blood-starling” > RAVEN] lord comes!

VERSE TWO:

Warriors [Sigrvíðum “Victory-trees” > WARRIORS] from the southern black mountains you pay heed.  Knights [Lindr-vitr Freyar  “White-belt Freyar” > KNIGHTS] hasten and pull the fang [geig-tönn “deadly-tooth” > FANG] of the serpent [fellbaugs “fell ring” > SERPENT].  Grim hirth-men march with archers [halir almreyrs “heroes of the elm reed” >  ARROWS > ARCHERS]; The Sylvan King [tré-konungr “´tree-king”] calls him {and} the chieftain of the onyx [kol-gim “coal gem” > ONYX] answers.

VERSE THREE:

The windmill turns in the Eastern lands -  the levy is viking-like.  Their joyful spear heads [varra Gugnis “lips of Gugnir” > SPEAR-BLADES] gleam bright in the dawn [sól-ród  “Sun-red” > DAWN].  The shield-wall [hurðír Hogna  “doors of Hogni” > SHIELDS] stands against the enemy’s attack [hlífgranda  “defense-destroyers” > WEAPONS].  The  great, mighty warriors [Malma-rjóðar  “grinding path clearers” > FIGHTERS] never waver.

VERSE FOUR:

The Hill-lord leads his horse-clans hither; their endless great-courage gives {us} strength.  Their enemies flee before abundant spears [vignestr  “war-needles” > SPEARS]; The fiery horses destroy {them}; the high-piled corpse-mounds burns brightly.

VERSE FIVE:




The mighty swamp-men rattle sable shields.  Archers fling deadly arrows [undreyr “wound reeds” > ARROWS] and mortally injure the enemy.  Axe wielders [sókngifrs “of the battle-witch” > AXE] wildly splinter wavering shields [vigtungt “battle-moons” > SHIELDS]. The Cattail chieftain joins the Sylvan [grænn-holt  “green-woods”] force.

VERSE SIX:

The golden dragon [dreki-elligr  “drake of fire” > DRAGON + arms hyr  “of the arm’s fire” > GOLD] shakes off winter´s ice.  The summer sun[far-gim  “fair-gem” > SUN] thaws war-eager sharp edged swords [sliðr-beittr  “sharp as a razor” + svell folks “ice sheets of battle”> SWORD BLADES].  Sharp eyed knghts of the north wind {and} a war-bright  army [hjalm-drött  “helmet-host” > WARRIORS] gather.  The able Baron of the ice-dragon strongly vows his archers´service [ör-vedr  “shower of shafts”].

VERSE SEVEN:




From the starry way, the deadly main force stands stedfast.  The bloody, weary warölevy manfully defends the marches.  The King´s shield-men ride benath the red-gold banneræ the Comet-lord joins the war-song [brim-stormr styr-vindr  “gale-force war wind.”]

VERSE EIGHT:




The Noble King goes to war!  Your noble barons follow and noble knights obey!  Your noble warriors march!  Your coal-eyed eager bowmen gather!  Excited spear-men [spear-ash-trees “spear-ash-trees” > SPEAR MEN]and hirth-men come to battle.  The Noble King goes to war!

3 comments:

  1. I really like your use of imagery to convey places and people. I'd like to hear this recited some time.

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  2. Wow!!!That's really something! Forgive my ignorance but what are 'sable shields?'
    I agree with BlackWolf, it would be really nice to hear it recited with a ancient instrument to accompany the recital.

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  3. Hej!

    elfmother, sable refers to the color "black" or to a pelt. In this case, the shields that the particular group would use are black.

    To both of you - I plan to record the poem today or tomorrow and to have it with me at AEthelmearc War Practice, looped, on my computer at the Artisan's display on Saturday. If I think the recording sounds good enough, I may try to "attach" it to this post at a later date.

    Thanks for your comments!

    Fridrikr

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