Another Morguhn verse (or Two Couplets Revised)

Good morning! Last summer after my annual vacation at the Pennsic Wars, I wrote a post that has two couplets I wrote while on vacation. It is time for revision of these verses into a full verse.

The couplets with the translations I provided are as follows:

Verse One

haslaði á holm-gang
holinn-menn fyrir gull-hringr

Challenged (he) to holm-gang
bragging-men for gold-ring-the

Verse Two

röskar Morghun rauð-harr
ræti hamingja leitinn

brave Morguhn red-haired
rode (his) fortune seeking

When I looked at these couplets, I saw definite strengths, but considerable weaknesses in three areas: internal rhymes in the first lines, syllable counts, and inflections. These three are difficult, but can be overcome with practice. That caused me to revise these couplets and to expand them into a full verse. That verse follows.

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On Morguhn

Old Norse Verse	Word-by-Word Translation	Prose-Order Translation
Rǫskr Morguhn rauð-harr ræti auðna leitinn; létta skellihlátr lǫngun ofan ǫnda. Skora karpinn sverðum á sártíð fyrir dýrðum sjaufjald krúnas sinnum sló menn inni hǫsldala.	Brave Morguhn red-haired rode fortune seeking lightened roaring laughter longing up spirits. Challenged bragging swords to wound-hours for treasure; seven crown's times slew men in hazel-dale.	Brave red-haired Morguhn rode seeking (his) fortune; Roaring laughter lightened longing spirits up. Bragging swords (he) challenged to wound-hours for treasure; Seven times (he) slew men in the crown's hazel-dale.

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Kennings Used

karpinn sverðum > bragging swords > FIGHTERS
sártíð > wound-hours > BATTLES
hǫsldala > hazel-dale > LIST FIELD

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Comments

As always, I hope I got the grammar right. There are times when the inflections I use may be inadvertently incorrect. If you see a mistake, please let me know.

I keep coming back to this theme, The Legend of Morguhn, because it has some universal truths in it: chivalry, courtesy, prowess, and fate. I only know that these verities bear further consideration. If you have suggestions on different topics I can use to explore these ideas, please let me know through comments.

Finally, any other comments you have - questions, remarks, likes and dislikes - are very important to me. You can use the box below, or you can e-mail me.

Old Wine in New Bottles, Part Two

Another new verse, based on previously written material. Like the earlier verse today, this is for the Crown Tournament þáttr.

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Old Icelandic	Line-by-Line Translation	Prose-Order Translation
Stef-grannr klofað stríðs-maðr staðfastr á flaðg's-mór; kyrtil gróm-lauss kongsgjøf kompásað miðli stríðs-manns. Folk-Tyr mattig (fagr-eygr) (furu-rafir) krúnu fara andvigr (fylgt hinn) feginn-samligr (legg ást).	stem-thin strides strife-man stedfast to the ogress-moor Stainless belt the king's gift compasses middle of strife-man. Army-god mighty (fair-eyed) (fir tree of amber) crown goes to fight for (guide him) joyfulness-filled (by love)	Stedfast stem-thin strife-man strides to the ogress-moor; The King's gift, a stainless belt compasses the strfe-man's waist The army-Tyr goes joyfully to fight for the crown; the fair-eyed amber fir-tree guides him by her love

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KENNINGS USED

stríðs-maðr & stríðs-manns > strife-man > WARRIOR

flaðg's-mór > ogress-moor > BATTLE FIELD (the ogress being a symbol of disharmony)

Folk-Tyr > Army-god > WARRIOR

furu-rafir > fir tree of amber > WOMAN

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Krónu þáttr miðju sumars [Tale of Midsummer Crown], UPDATED NOVEMBER 30!!!!

Hej!


As promised earlier today, here is the first part of a new þáttr about a tournament.  In it, I´m using verses that you've seen before, with some needed modifications.  The whole tale is about four paragraphs and six verses long and will be published over the next few weeks. Look for updates. 


In writing this þáttr, I have gone a different route, attempting to write the prose without using any translation tools, except a dictionary and grammar. I've used  the on-line Cleasby-Vigfusson and Michael Barnes's A New Introduction to Old Norse.  Of course, all of the writing and errors are mine. Please. comment and suggest how my clumsy prose can be improved. 


UPDATED - November 30. The new section is red-lettered.

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Krónu þáttr miðju-sumars

Maðr er nefndr Isenulfr, sonr Thorhalls. Orrostur mørg børðusk hann ok er konung máttugr. Hann gékk at eiga Rosalindis, einn kona tignar Frankis. Réðu þeir í samt nítján vetra, en kynsæll ekki þeir. Svá at konung-ríkit arfuna hafa, Isenulfr kvað at orði einn burt-reið mikla. Sigrmagnaðinn taka arf at krónu aptir Isenulf ok Rosalinidis. Isenulfr konung gørða orð til allra herjar -  "Kóma allt til boðit at miðju sumri ok gangu á hólm mín!"

Svá segir skald-gamli:


Hvélinn skein á hólar

himins enda-lauss dimmir -

Stýri gildr bauð skatna

stafar malregns djarfr
Ildest.
Sverð-taka jarn-fastr

ok ýtar fresknastr rítar;

forú át mó fleins flug

finnar erfingi þínna.


*****
Margir menn kómu til konungs-bús á Midju-sumars vaku. þeir váru heilsat af báðra Isenulf ok Rosalindis. Bóð mikil er haldin. Nóttina var dá-samligr ok sérhverr váru plagaðusk með mann-doma. Konung gaf þeimall gull-hring vér skulum marka áf burt-reidinn.  Talði þeim hann burtreiðar-løginn.  Burt-reiðainn skyldi vera berjaði með vapnum eggum-vølr. Striðs-mennin ok dómandír skydi gripa á loturin. Alla striðsmenn látum at burt-reiðdarinn ok festat á hlýða.  Næsta morgin, fyrðarinir géngu á hasel-vøll burdeiga. Kvenna kusu nafn ok øttu. Burdeigaðu fyrðar til midju-dag. Skininn var sól ok dagr var heitr.

Svá segir skald-gamli:

Blaka merki bik-svart
bor'a með gull ok vørar
Kallarir hrósat hringa
hrað-mæltr sírar glaðligr.
Fram-leitat þjórar from-fuss
frýði gjórdar-vitr prýddr -
Kallad her-blástr koll-hufs
á kró litr-járn gnýs-odda.

The Tale of Mid-Summer Crown

There was a man named Eisenwulf son of Thorhall. He had fought many battles and had become a great king. He was married to Rosalindis, a noble woman from France.  Together, they had ruled for nineteen winters, but they had not been blessed with children. In order that the kingdom would have an heir, Isenwulf decreed that a great tourney be held. The victor would be the heir to the crown after Isenwulf and Rosalinda. King Isenwulf sent words to all warriors: "All come to the Midsummer feast and meet my challenge!"

As the old skald says:

(The wheel of heaven shone on

endless dusky hills.

Mighty ruler you summoned

metal-rain staves bold.

Iron-fast sword-takers elder

and bold shield-impellers come

to the spear flight moor

to find your heir.)

*****



Many men came to the royal-house on Mid-summer's eve. They were warmly greeted by both Eisenwulf and Rosalindis. They held a sumptuous feast. The night was glorious and everyone was treated with great generosity.  The king gave each fighter a gold ring to mark him for the tournament. He told them the rules. The tournament would be fought with blunt-edged weapons. The fighters and judges would decide each bout.  All the fighters swore that they would follow the rules.


The next morning, the warriors met on the hazel-field. The Queen drew and matched names. The fighters battled until the mid-day. The sun shone and the day was hot.


As the old skald says:


(pitch black banners broidered
with gold and fur flew
Heralds quick of speech
praised cheerful ring-saplings.
Eager honor seeking young bulls
challenged adorned white belts -
war-trumpets called iron-skull-caps
to the sword-pint pen.)

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Of course, when translating the SCA into Old Icelandic, some liberties get taken, and I apologize here and now to Their Majesties, Isenwulf and Rosalinda, for fictionalizing slightly. I hope I do not offend.

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