Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1967, Page 61

the poetry of egill skalla-grímsson
43
escort to his friend King Athelstan
°f England.
After this adventure it was only
natural that Egill should want to
compose a poem of undying praise
ln honor of the friend who always
had stood him in good stead and
here even risked his life for him
~~ for that Arinbjörn had to do be-
fore he could move his master to
let Egill go free. And though the
poem seems to have been less pre-
tentious than the Headransom (Höf-
wðlausn) being only a flokkr without
rcfrains (síef) and not composed in
the sparkling ‘running rime’ but
rather in another varition of the Old
permanic meter called kviðuhátfr,
h more than makes up for these
formal defects by its genuine
sincerity of feeling. Unfortunately
i-he poem is badly preserved, only
^5 stanzas and fragments of stanzas
have come down to us. An English
translation of the first part of this
Poem follows:
1- Quick am I
a king to praise,
but silent
about saving princes —
outspoken
about splendid deeds,
but fawn not
on false greatness.
2. With braggarts
I can bear nowise,
Good friends though,
I gladly laud.
Sought have I
the seats of kings
with unfeigned
flood of Odin.
3- Had I drawn
down upon me
the king’s wrath,
the royal scion’s ...
donned I then
the daring-hat
and sought out
the atheling’s hall.
4. Where held sway,
‘neath helm-of-fear,
the land-steward,
with lavish gifts.
Stern-minded,
he steadfast ruled
in York castle
over coastal lands.
5. Fearsome was’it
to face, nor flinch,
the angry glance
of Eric’s brow-moons,
when sharply
they shot keen beams
from under
the athling’s brows.
6. Yet dared I
the draught to offer,
by Gunnlod
given to Odin:
Yggs-beaker
thus brimming came
to ear-mouth
of every man.
7. Unhandsome
to the hird did seem
the poet’s meed
in the prince’s hall,
for Ygg’s-draught
when my ugly head,
wolfgray all,
as reward I got.
8. With it came,
of kindred hue,
both my eyes
‘neath brows shaggy,
my mouth eke
which ere had spoken
the “Head-ransom”
in the hall of Eric.
9. Teeth and tongue
I took back thence,
and my ears
eke from the king;
but these gifts
than gold better seemed,
by the liege
lavished on me.
10. By me stood,
strong as a host,
shielding me
shoulder to shoulder,
my own friend,
whom I could trust
honor-corwned
in all he did.
The beginning of this poem has
been quoted because of the humor-
ous selfportrait it contains. This was