And here's my February post..........

If it seems as though I've slowed down recently, it's just because I have. I've been trying to get focused on a troubling situation which calls for poetry (or will far too soon), and as I do that, I'm working on studying Old Norse grammar, in order to become a better poet. So, I've slowed down in my writing.

However, I do have a couple of verses that I wrote to meet a challenge: Write a Poem about "Cold".

Now, that's a topic an Icelander can get up on. Two verses: one is brand-new; the other, a reworking of an older piece.

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VERSE ONE

Old Norse Verses	Poetic Translation
Hverja nótt húns hvirfil hvesti vindr eystri; fingr ísarns fanga ok furu besti gnesti; Skikkja undir Skáðis sofinn hreinsá dofna; svan-mærr of snælandum standa hvela Manis.	Every night of the bear whirl- sharpens wind eastern fingers of ice-iron grab and fir´s bark crack. Cloak under Skadi's sleeping reindeer-river drowses Swan-bright over snow-land stands the wheel of Mani

Prose Order: Every "night of the bear" eastern whirlwinds sharpen; Ice-iron fingers grab and crack the fir's bark; under Skáði's sleeping cloak, the reindeer-river drowses. Over/above snowfields, Mani's wheel stands.

Kennings Used

nótt húns - night of the bear - WINTER
finger ísarns - fingers of iron - COLD
Skáðis skikkja - Skaði´s cloak - SNOW (Skaði is the goddess of winter)
hreinsá - reindeer´s river - GROUND
hvela Mánis - Mani's wheel - MOON (Mani is the ON representation of the moon)

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VERSE TWO

Old Norse Verses	Poetic Translation
Þagnar þá er þegnar þorra flugar bruggar; festar snjóvita fastliga fagrast kæfa gerðin; hremma at hrimþursar hringumgrundar blindir jakar frystat Jokuls ýsna fyrir lýtegu	Grow silent when thegns of Thorra bees scheme; Chains snow-white tightly fairest choke fenced fields; Clutch at rime-giants rings of field blind; Ice-flows freeze of Jokull of haddocks over fish-fields.

Prose Order: Bees grow silent when Thegns of Thor scheme; Snow-white chains tightly choke fairest gardens; Blind rime-giants clutch at rings of the field; Jokull´s ice-flows freeze over haddock´s fish-fields.

Kennings Used

þegnar þorra - þorra´s thegns - SNOW (þorra is a Freyja name)
hrimþursar - Rime giants - STORMS
hringumgrundar - rings of the field - SNAKES
jakar Jokuls - Jokul's ice-flows - SNOW & ICE (Jokull is a Giant name)
ýsna lýtegu - haddocks' fish fields - PONDS

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Sólmyrkvi: Lausavísur on the recent solar eclipse

I am often in search on inspiration and, as a recent pizza ad says, "the answer is in the stars" (or in this case, the skies over the Southern hemisphere). I wrote the following verse on the occasion of the solar eclipse this past autumn. In it I incorporated several Norse myths about the sun. The usual pattern here, two verses plus English poetic translations, followed by a key to the kennings and heiti used.

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Old Norse Verses	Poetic Translation
Hyrrinn brenna heiðs hnoðrum skýa á ǫski en alskíra himins eltask ártali skarptoski. Skjaldar himna Skǫlli skapthár flýgr frá bólginn. Ljósgim fengit lastvarr ljómandi hafði faststar.	Fire of the clear-sky burns sky-fleece to ashes, but year-counter sharp-toothed chases heaven's all-bright. The shaft-high heaven's shield flees from Skǫll wrath-swollen. Hard-eyed Gleamer captured guileless light-jewel.

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Kennings and Heiti Used

Hyrrinn brenna heiðs > Fire of clear sky > SUN
hnoðrum skýa > sky-fleece > CLOUDS
alskíra himins > heaven's all-bright > SUN
ártali skarptoski > sharp-toothed year-counter > MOON
Skjaldar himna skapthár > Shaft-high heaven's shield > SUN AT DAWN
Skǫlli bólginn > Skulker swollen > MOON
Ljósgim lastvarr > guileless light-gem > SUN
ljómandi faststar > Hard-eyed Gleamer > MOON

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May the Jólabál burn brightly in your heart!

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