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Translation
The Long Serpent
Would you hear my ballad?
Would you believe the words
about Olaf Tryggvason?
The poem shall turn here.
A ship was built in the land of Norway;
it was good in ability.
Eighteen and fourty ells2
there were between the keel and stern.
Dance resounds in the hall;
dance in a ring!
Gladly ride Norway's men
to Hildr's Thing.
There came a man down off the hill
with a strong bow in hand:
"The jarl of Hringaríki3
sent me here."
Dance resounds in the hall;
dance in a ring!
Gladly ride Norway's men
to Hildr's Thing.
"You shall call me Einar;4
I can draw a bow well.
Tambar5 is the name of my bold bow,
letting arrows fly."
Dance resounds in the hall;
dance in a ring!
Gladly ride Norway's men
to Hildr's Thing.
"Hear this, young man,
will you travel with me?
You shall be my bowshot
to defend the Serpent."
Dance resounds in the hall;
dance in a ring!
Gladly ride Norway's men
to Hildr's Thing.
They went down to the shore,
powerful men and the rest;
the runners broke and the earth shook:
they dragged the ship from the boathouse.
Dance resounds in the hall;
dance in a ring!
Gladly ride Norway's men
to Hildr's Thing.
Einar drew a third time,
meaning to hit the jarl,
when the bowstring of strong steel burst;
the bow began to crack.
Dance resounds in the hall;
dance in a ring!
Gladly ride Norway's men
to Hildr's Thing.
Everyone heard the bowstring snap;
the king was surprised:
"What is it on my ship
thundering so terribly?"
Dance resounds in the hall;
dance in a ring!
Gladly ride Norway's men
to Hildr's Thing.
Einar Thambarskelfir answered
- throwing his bow -:
"Now Norway has burst from your hand,
my king, my lord!"
Dance resounds in the hall;
dance in a ring!
Gladly ride Norway's men
to Hildr's Thing.
Now I shall finish my song;
I'll speak no longer this time.
Now shall I take up another section6
and better keep it in my mind!
Dance resounds in the hall;
dance in a ring!
Gladly ride Norway's men
to Hildr's Thing.
- 1. Hildr is a Valkyrie who personifies battle in Norse mythology, and whose name is often used to refer to battle. A Thing is a political meeting or body akin to Parliament. So Hildr's Thing is a metaphor for battle.
- 2. An ell was a unit of measurement from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger (about 18 inches). 59 ells is about 88 feet or 27 meters.
- 3. A jarl was a rank of noble in early Scandinavia akin to an earl.
- 4. Einarr Þambarskelfir
- 5. "Stretcher", though the connotations of the verb "at tamba" are more along the lines of pulling something apart or warping it.
- 6. The word "táttur" doesn't really have an English equivalent; it's a section of a ballad. It literally means "thread".
Leherenn
Thoriel✕
Týr: Top 3
| 1. | Sinklars Vísa |
| 2. | Ragnars Kvæði |
| 3. | Ormurin Langi |
Comments
About translator
All credits go to Fall Phantom for its wonderful translation.