Thursday, February 14, 2013

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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LIKE THEM? HATE THEM? GOT QUESTIONS?


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