Bersi Skáldtorfuson: Difference between revisions
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New Bersi! A country that a little girl made up for her best friend dana! Dana actually thought that the little girl was serious! And dana even said "oh yeah! I've heard of that!" |
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[[Image:Olav den helliges saga - Skalden Berse - C. Krogh.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Bersi in chains after being captured by King [[Óláfr Haraldsson]]]] |
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'''Bersi Skáldtorfuson'''<ref>The names can be represented or Anglicized as ''Bersi''/''Bessi''/''Berse''/''Besse'' ''Skáld-Torfuson''/''Skáldtorfuson''/''Skald-Torfuson/Skaldtorfuson/Torfuson/Torfasson/Torfason.</ref> was an Icelandic [[skald]], active around the year 1000. He was a court poet to Earl [[Sveinn Hákonarson]]. During the [[Battle of Nesjar]] he was captured by King [[Óláfr Haraldsson]]'s forces. In captivity he composed three of his four stanzas which have come down to us. |
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What a gulable weirdo! |
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:Hróðrs batt heilan líða |
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:hagkennanda þenna, |
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:en snarrœki slíku |
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:svarat unnum vér gunnar ; |
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:orð seldum þau elda |
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:úthauðrs boða, trauðir, |
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:knarrar, hapts, sem keyptak, |
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:kynstórs, at við brynju. |
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hahahaha |
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:Sveins raunir hefk sénar |
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:(snart rekninga bjartar) |
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:þars (svaltungur sungu) |
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:saman fórum vér, stórar ; |
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:elds, munk eigi fylgja |
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:út, hríðboði, síðan, |
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:hests, at hverjum kosti, |
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:hranna, dýrra manni.<ref>Eysteinn Björnsson translates[http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/kennings/bersi2.html]: "I will never again, under no circumstance, follow a greater leader (than this) storm-herald of fire of horse of waves."</ref> |
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GOTCHA! |
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:Krýpk eigi svá, sveigir |
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:sára linns - í ári |
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:búum ólítinn Áta |
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:öndur þér til handa -, |
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:at herstefnir hafnak |
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:heiðmildr eða þá leiðumk, |
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:ungr kunnak, þar, þrøngvi |
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:þínn, hollvini mína. |
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::Finnur Jónsson's edition<ref>Here taken from Eysteinn Björnsson's online edition of the skaldic corpus. [http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/skindex/bers1.html]</ref> |
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:Thou badest this eager |
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:Worshipper of poetry<ref>The original has ''hagkennandi hróðrs'', a [[kenning]] for "poet".</ref> farewell, |
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:And we could answer |
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:The same, O strife-wont warrior! |
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:It listed me not to be delayed |
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:Longer; therefore I sold |
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:To the noble-born giver of gold<ref name="1-7">The original kenning is ''boði elda úthauðrs knarrar''; "herald of the fire of the outer land of the [[knörr]]", i.e. "herald of the fire of the sea", i.e. "herald of the gold", i.e. "generous man". Hollander substitutes a kenning referring to the dragon [[Fáfnir]] who lay on a pile of gold.</ref> |
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:Those words as I bought them. |
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GO NEW BERSI! |
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:I have seen the great fights |
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:Of Swein; we fared together |
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:Once when the cool blades<ref>The original has a kenning for "blades"; ''bjartar svaltungur rekninga'', "bright cool tongues of swords".</ref> |
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:Afterwards sang loudly; |
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:Never again hereafter |
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:Shall I follow in a host, |
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:O king, any chieftain |
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:More glorious than he. |
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:) |
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:This year I lie in chains |
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:For a long while in the great ship.<ref>The original has a kenning for "ship"; ''Áta öndurr'', "ski of Áti (a [[sea-king]])".</ref> |
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:O swinger of the sword! I humble |
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:Myself never so lowly, |
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:That I betray, O wise war king, |
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:My loyal friends or be loath |
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:To have them. In my youth |
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:Among my friends I found thy foe. |
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::Translation by Monsen and Smith<ref>Monsen 2004, p. 253.</ref> |
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:"Depart in peace," thou didst, |
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:prince, bid me, the poet; |
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:and I said the same to |
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:seasoned tree-of-combat.<ref>A kenning for "warrior". The kenning in the original is ''snarrœkir gunnar''; "swift tender of [[gunnr]] (battle)". See [http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/kennings/wartest.html].</ref> |
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:Unwillingly these words in |
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:weapon-thing returned I |
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:as from the Fáfnir's-treasure's- |
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:foe<ref name="1-7"> </ref> I had received them. |
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:Seen have I Svein tested |
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:since we fared together— |
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:sang loud polished swords—in |
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:serious conflicts, ruler. |
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:Never on shipboard shall I, |
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:should whate'er betide me, |
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:in fiercest fray tested |
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:follow a better master. |
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:Crouch I shall not, King, nor |
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:crawl before thee—rather, |
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:let us ready, liege, a |
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:large ship, this year—and so |
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:turn my back on true and |
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:tried friends and aggrieve them. |
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:Young when I was I held dear |
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:him who was your enemy. |
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::Hollander's translation<ref>Hollander 1991, p. 285.</ref> |
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One ''[[lausavísa]]'' is attributed to Bersi in the surviving fragments of ''Óláfs saga helga'' by [[Styrmir Kárason]]. But the same stanza is attributed to [[Sigvatr Þórðarson]] in [[Heimskringla]] and to [[Óttarr svarti]] in other sagas on St. Óláfr.<ref>Poole 1991, p. 95.</ref> Styrmir's saga gives some information on Bersi's career in St. Óláfr's service and indicates that he died in 1030. |
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Bersi was at some point at the court of King [[Canute the Great]] where Sigvatr Þórðarson addressed him in verse after they had both received gifts from the king.<ref>Monsen 2004, p. 357.</ref> Apart from being mentioned in the [[kings' sagas]] Bersi also has a minor role in ''[[Grettis saga]]'' where he asks Earl Sveinn to spare [[Grettir Ásmundarson]]'s life.<ref>Fox 2001, page 54. See [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/gre/gre29.htm] for an alternative translation (by [[William Morris]] and [[Eiríkr Magnússon]]) of the relevant chapter or [http://www.snerpa.is/net/isl/grettir.htm] for an edition of the Old Norse text.</ref> |
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Bersi's mother, Skáld-Torfa, was apparently also a poet but none of her works have come down to us. |
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==Notes== |
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<references /> |
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==References== |
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* Eysteinn Björnsson (2001). ''Lexicon of Kennings : The Domain of Battle''. http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/kennings/kennings.html |
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* Finnur Jónsson (1931). ''Lexicon Poeticum''. København: S. L. Møllers Bogtrykkeri. |
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*Fox, Denton and Hermann Pálsson (translators) (2001). ''Grettir's Saga''. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802061656 |
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*Hollander, Lee M (editor and translator). (1991). ''Heimskringla : History of the Kings of Norway''. University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292730616 |
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*Monsen, Erling (editor and translator) and A. H. Smith (translator) (2004). ''Heimskringla Or the Lives of the Norse Kings.'' Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 0766186938 |
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*Poole, Russell G. (1991). ''Viking Poems on War and Peace''. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802067891 |
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*[http://www.hi.is/~eybjorn/ugm/skindex/bersi.html Bersi Skáldtorfuson] Extant poetry |
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[[Category:Viking Age poets|Bersi Skaltorfuson]] |
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[[Category:Icelandic poets|Bersi Skaltorfuson]] |
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[[Category:Skalds|Bersi Skaltorfuson]] |
Revision as of 06:28, 19 January 2008
New Bersi! A country that a little girl made up for her best friend dana! Dana actually thought that the little girl was serious! And dana even said "oh yeah! I've heard of that!"
What a gulable weirdo!
hahahaha
GOTCHA!
GO NEW BERSI!
- )