Lausavísur from English to Old Norse

Last winter, as an exercise to keep my poet "serpent-brain" working, I undertook to write lausavísur "loose-verses", not connected to other verses, on subjects that my FaceBook friends suggested.  There were some good verses written, but all in English.

Thus, this fall, while waiting for new inspiration/requests to come up, I am going to craft the lausavísur from English to Old Norse-Icelandic.  I expect to do two postings of these verses a week.

Here is the first, a poem for my wife, Orianna.  There is a full verse and a half-verse that may someday become a stef (refrain) for a longer drápa.  It is in this order: original verses in English, verses in Old Norse-Icelandic, verse-order translation, and prose-order translation.

Original verse in English:

Green leaved willow graceful

grey-eyed precious lady -

draw me to your dreaming

diamond-Freya smiling.

Give my verses glory

gifts of Yggr's drifting

Love for silk-prop light voiced

Lofn of my soul's path.

Rise o Sif of Silk Trees

Sultry daystar wakes you

sing your bright song bravely

Bring my soul to fullness

lausavísur in Old Norse-Icelandic

Grás-víðr lið-mjukr grár-eygn

græn-blað dýr-hallr fagr-buínn

spenja á þin svefna

skirdræpr Freya hýrlega.

Gefa minna gáfar

gulla hornstraum fulla --

Horna gjallar hvítings

hlátr fylgja sáls-gata

Silki logi skýja

Sága vakir svæla

singrað kvik-ligr söngr

skyli hjartinn fylla

Verse-order translation:

Willow dear-slope grey-eyed / green-blade lithe bright-dressed / draw (me) to your dreaming /

dazzling Freya smiling.  / Give my gifts / golden horn-storms full -- / Horna ringing drinking horn’s / 

laughter guides souls-path.

Silk flame of the gods / Saga wakes you sultry / singing brisk song / shall the heart fill.

Prose-order translation:

Lithe green-leaved willow [Grás-víðr > gray-withy > willow > woman] , grey-eyed bright-dressed love [dýr-hallr  dear-slope > loved woman] draw me to your dreaming, dazzling smiling Freya [Freya > goddess > woman].   Give me gifts - full of golden verses [hornstraum > horn-storms > poetry] -- Woman’s [Horna hvítings > Horna of drinking horns > goddess > woman] laughter guides my soul’s path.

The sultry sun [logi skýja > flame of the clouds > sun] wakes you, woman [Silki-Sága > silk-Saga > silk goddess > woman] -- singing your brisk song shall fill the heart.


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For those who like process stuff, here's a quick explanation.


I started with the verses in English and searched for vocabulary and kennings, one couplet at a time, and crafted the English into an Old Norse couplet (vísufjórðungr).  Then I smoothed the vísufjórðungar into four line half-stanzas (helmingar) and the helmingar into verses (vísur).


After the Old Norse-Icelandic verses are written, I translate them into English again.  Here is an image of my note page.