The complete text
Guðrúnarkviða II
Guðrún Remembers Her Sorrows
About these two editions
These are complete reading editions of the poem and its accompanying prose, rather than a facsimile of Codex Regius. Bellows sometimes orders, divides, or supplements stanzas differently, so the two editions do not always share stanza numbers. Editorial introductions and footnotes are omitted; follow the source links for that commentary.
Original wording is retained. Obvious transcription errors in stanza numbering have been corrected. Spelling and names differ from the modern retelling.
Tap an underlined name for an explanation. Switch editions above at any time.
Old Norse
Normalized Old Norse · Guðni Jónsson edition · Source ↗
konungr var með ok hafði þar látit flesta alla menn sína. ok kærðu harma sín á milli. Hon sagði hánum ok kvað:
Stanza 1Mær var ek meyja, - móðir mik fæddi, - björt í búri, unna ek vel bræðrum, - unz mik gulli reifði, gulli reifði, gaf .
Stanza 2Svá var of sonum sem væri grænn laukr ór grasi vaxinn eða hjörtr hábeinn of hvössum dýrum eða gull glóðrautt af gráu silfri.
Stanza 3Unz mér fyrmunðu mínir bræðr, at ek ætta ver öllum fremra; sofa þeir né máttu-t né of sakar dæma, áðr þeir svelta létu.
Stanza 4 rann at þingi, - gnýr var at heyra, - en þá sjalfr eigi kom; öll váru söðuldýr sveita stokkin ok of vanið vási und vegöndum.
Stanza 5Gekk ek grátandi við ræða, úrughlýra jó frá ek spjalla; hnipnaði þá, drap í gras höfði, jór þat vissi, eigendr né lifðu-t.
Stanza 6Lengi hvarfaðak, lengi hugir deildusk, áðr ek of frægak folkvörð at gram.
Stanza 7Hnipnaði , sagði mér frá sárum dauða: "Liggr of höggvinn fyr handan ver Gothorms bani of gefinn ulfum.
Stanza 8Líttu þar á suðrvega; þá heyrir þú hrafna gjalla, örnu gjalla æzli fegna, varga þjóta of veri þínum."
Stanza 9"Hví þú mér, , harma slíka viljalaussi vill of segja? Þitt skyli hjarta hrafnar slíta við lönd yfir en þú vitir manna!"
Stanza 10Svaraði sinni einu, trauðr góðs hugar, af trega stórum: "Þess áttu, , græti at fleiri, at hjarta mitt hrafnar slíti."
Stanza 11Hvarf ek ein þaðan annspilli frá á við lesa varga leifar; gerðig-a ek hjúfra né höndum slá né kveina um sem konur aðrar, þá er sat soltin of .
Stanza 12Nótt þótti mér niðmyrkr vera, er ek sárla satk yfir ; ulfar þóttumk öllu betri, ef þeir léti mik lífi týna eða brenndi mik sem birkinn við.
Stanza 13Fór ek af fjalli fimm dægr talið, unz ek höll Halfs háva þekkðak.
Stanza 14Sat ek með Þóru sjau misseri, dætr Hákonar í Danmörku; hon mér at gamni gullbókaði sali suðræna ok svani danska.
Stanza 15Hafðu vit á skriftum þat er skatar léku, ok á hannyrðum hilmis þegna, randir rauðar, rekka Húna, hjördrótt, hjalmdrótt, hilmis fylgju.
Stanza 16Skip skriðu frá landi, gylltar grímur, grafnir stafnar; byrðu vit á borða, þat er þeir börðusk ok Siggeirr suðr á Fjóni.
Stanza 17Þá frá Grimildr, gotnesk kona, hvat ek væra hyggjuð -- --; hon brá borða ok buri heimti þrágjarnliga þess at spyrja, hverr vildi son systur bæta eða ver veginn vildi gjalda.
Stanza 18Görr lézk gull at bjóða sakar at bæta, ok it sama . Hon frétti at því, hverr fara vildi vigg at söðla vagn at beita, hesti ríða, hauki fleygja, öðrum at skjóta af ýboga.
Stanza 19Valdarr Dönum með Jarizleifi, Eymóðr þriði með Jarizskári inn gengu þá, jöfrum líkir, Langbarðs liðar, höfðu loða rauða, stuttar brynjur, steypða hjalma, skalmum gyrðir, höfðu skarar jarpar.
Stanza 20Hverr vildi mér hnossir velja, hnossir velja ok hugat mæla, ef þeir mætti mér margra súta tryggðir vinna, - né ek trúa gerða.
Stanza 21Færði mér full at drekka svalt ok sárligt, né ek sakar munðak; þat var of aukit jarðar magni, svalköldum sæ ok sónum dreyra.
Stanza 22Váru í horni hvers kyns stafir ristnir ok roðnir, - ráða ek né máttak, - lyngfiskr langr, lands Haddingja ax óskorit, innleið dyra.
Stanza 23Váru þeim bjóri böl mörg saman, urt alls viðar ok akarn brunnin, umdögg arins, iðrar blótnar, svíns lifr soðin, því at hon sakar deyfði.
Stanza 24En þá gleymðu, er getit höfðu, öll jöfurs jórbjúg í sal; kómu konungar fyr kné þrennir, áðr hon sjalfa mik sótti at máli.
kvað:
Stanza 25"Gef ek þér, , gull at þiggja, fjölð alls féar, at þinn föður dauðan, hringa rauða, Hlöðvés sali, ársal allan at jöfur fallinn.
Stanza 26Húnskar meyjar, þær er hlaða spjöldum ok gera gull fagrt, svá at þér gaman þykki; ein skaltu ráða auði Buðla, gulli göfguð ok gefin ."
kvað:
Stanza 27"Vilk eigi ek með veri ganga né bróður eiga; samir eigi mér við son Buðla ætt at auka né una lífi."
kvað:
Stanza 28"Hirð-a-ðu hölðum heiftir gjalda, því at vér höfum valdit fyrri; svá skaltu láta, sem þeir lifi báðir ok , ef þú sonu fæðir."
kvað:
Stanza 29"Mák-a ek, , glaumi bella né vígrisins vánir telja, siz sárla drukku hrægífr, huginn hjartblóð saman."
kvað:
Stanza 30"Þann hefi ek allra ættgöfgastan fylki fundit ok framast nökkvi; hann skaltu eiga, unz þik aldr viðr, verlaus vera, nema þú vilir þenna."
kvað:
Stanza 31"Hirð-a-ðu bjóða bölvafullar þrágjarnliga þær kindir mér; hann mun grandi beita ok ór hjarta slíta; munk-at ek létta, áðr lífshvatan eggleiks hvötuð aldri næmik."
Stanza 32Grátandi greip við orði, er burum sínum bölva vætti ok mögum sínum meina stórra.
kvað:
Stanza 33"Lönd gef ek enn þér, lýða sinni, , , ef þú vill þiggja; eigðu um aldr þat ok uni, dóttir."
kvað:
Stanza 34"Þann mun ek kjósa af konungum ok þó af niðjum nauðig hafa; verðr eigi mér verr at ynði né böl bræðra at bura skjóli."
Stanza 35Senn var á hesti hverr drengr litinn, en víf valnesk hafið í vagna; vér sjau daga svalt land riðum, en aðra sjau unnir kníðum, en ina þriðju sjau þurrt land stigum.
Stanza 36Þar hliðverðir hárar borgar grind upp luku, áðr í garð riðum.
Stanza 37Vakði mik , en ek vera þóttumk full ills hugar at frændr dauða.
kvað:
Stanza 38"Svá mik nýliga nornir vekja," - vílsinnis spá vildi, at ek réða, - "hugða ek þik, dóttir, læblöndnum hjör leggja mik í gögnum."
kvað:
Stanza 39"Þat er fyr eldi, er éarn dreyma, fyr dul ok vil drósar reiði; mun ek þik við bölvi brenna ganga, líkna ok lækna, þótt mér leiðir séir."
kvað:
Stanza 40"Hugða ek hér í túni teina fallna, þá er ek vildak vaxna láta, rifnir með rótum, roðnir í blóði, bornir á bekki, beðit mik at tyggva.
Stanza 41Hugða ek mér af hendi hauka fljúga bráðalausa bölranna til; hjörtu hugða ek þeira við hunang tuggin, sorgmóðs sefa, sollin blóði.
Stanza 42Hugða ek mér af hendi hvelpa losna, glaums andvana, gylli báðir; hold hugða ek þeira at hræum orðit, nauðigr nái nýta ek skyldak."
kvað:
Stanza 43"Þar munu seggir of sæing dæma ok hvítinga höfði næma; þeir munu feigir fára nátta fyrir dag litlu, drótt of bergja."
kvað:
Stanza 44"Lægja ek síðan, né ek sofa vildak, þrágjarn í kör; þat man ek görva."
English translation
Henry Adams Bellows · First published 1923 · Source & commentary ↗
King was with , and had lost most of his men. and lamented their griefs together. She spoke to him, saying:
Stanza 1A maid of maids | my mother bore me, Bright in my bower, | my brothers I loved, Till dowered | me with gold, Dowered with gold, | and to gave me.
Stanza 2So rose | o'er 's sons As the leek grows green | above the grass, Or the stag o'er all | the beasts doth stand, Or as glow-red gold | above silver gray.
Stanza 3Till my brothers let me | no longer have The best of heroes | my husband to be; Sleep they could not, | or quarrels settle, Till they | at last had slain.
Stanza 4From the Thing ran | with thundering feet, But thence did | himself come never; Covered with sweat | was the saddle-bearer, Wont the warrior's | weight to bear.
Stanza 5Weeping I sought | with to speak, With tear-wet cheeks | for the tale I asked; The head of | was bowed to the grass, The steed knew well | his master was slain.
Stanza 6Long I waited | and pondered well Ere ever the king | for tidings I asked. . . . . . . . . . .
Stanza 7His head bowed , | but told The news full sore | of slain: "Hewed to death | at our hands he lies, 's slayer, | given to wolves.
Stanza 8"On the southern road | thou shalt see, Where hear thou canst | the ravens cry; The eagles cry | as food they crave, And about thy husband | wolves are howling."
Stanza 9"Why dost thou, , | such a horror Let me hear, | all joyless left? Ravens yet | thy heart shall rend In a land that never | thou hast known."
Stanza 10Few the words | of were, Bitter his heart | from heavy sorrow: "Greater, , | thy grief shall be If the ravens so | my heart shall rend."
Stanza 11From him who spake | I turned me soon, In the woods to find | what the wolves had left; Tears I had not, | nor wrung my bands, wailing went, | as other women, (When by | slain I sat).
Stanza 12Never so black | had seemed the night As when in sorrow | by I sat; The wolves . . . . . . . . . .
Stanza 13. . . . . . . . . . Best of all | methought 'twould be If I my life | could only lose, Or like to birch-wood | burned might be.
Stanza 14From the mountain forth | five days I fared, Till 's hall | so high I saw; Seven half-years | with I stayed, 's daughter, | in then.
Stanza 15With gold she broidered, | to bring me joy, Southern halls | and Danish swans; On the tapestry wove we | warrior's deeds, And the hero's thanes | on our handiwork; (Flashing shields | and fighters armed, Sword-throng, helm-throng, | the host of the king).
Stanza 16's ship | by the land was sailing, Golden the figure-head, | gay the beaks; On board we wove | the warriors faring, and , | south to .
Stanza 17Then asked, | the queen, Whether willingly would I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Stanza 18Her needlework cast she | aside, and called Her sons to ask, | with stern resolve, Who amends to their sister | would make for her son, Or the wife requite | for her husband killed.
Stanza 19Ready was | gold to give, Amends for my hurt, | and too; Then would she know | who now would go, The horse to saddle, | the wagon to harness, (The horse to ride, | the hawk to fly, And shafts from bows | of yew to shoot).
Stanza 20(, king | of the Danes, was come, With , , | and ). In like princes | came they all, The long-beard men, | with mantles red, Short their mail-coats, | mighty their helms, Swords at their belts, | and brown their hair.
Stanza 21Each to give me | gifts was fain, Gifts to give, | and goodly speech, Comfort so | for my sorrows great To bring they tried, | but I trusted them not.
Stanza 22A draught did | give me to drink, Bitter and cold; | I forgot my cares; For mingled therein was magic earth, Ice-cold sea, and the blood of swine.
Stanza 23In the cup were of every kind, Written and reddened, I could not read them; A heather-fish from the ' land, An ear uncut, and the entrails of beasts.
Stanza 24Much evil was brewed within the beer, Blossoms of trees, and acorns burned, Dew of the hearth, and holy entrails, The liver of swine,-- all grief to allay.
Stanza 25Then I forgot, when the draught they gave me, There in the hall, my husband's slaying; On their knees the kings all three did kneel, Ere she herself to speak began:
Stanza 26", gold | to thee I give, The wealth that once | thy father's was, Rings to have, | and 's halls, And the hangings all | that the monarch had.
Stanza 27" women, | skilled in weaving, Who gold make fair | to give thee joy, And the wealth of | thine shall be, Gold-decked one, | as 's wife."
spake:
Stanza 28"A husband now | I will not have, wife of 's | brother be; It beseems me not | with 's son Happy to be, | and heirs to bear."
spake:
Stanza 29"Seek not on men | to avenge thy sorrows, Though the blame at first | with us hath been; Happy shalt be | as if both still lived, and , | if sons thou bearest."
spake:
Stanza 30", I may not | gladness find, hold forth hopes | to heroes now, Since once the raven | and ravening wolf 's heart's-blood | hungrily lapped."
spake:
Stanza 31"Noblest of birth | is the ruler now I have found for thee, | and foremost of all; Him shalt thou have | while life thou hast, Or husbandless be | if him thou wilt choose not."
spake:
Stanza 32"Seek not so eagerly | me to send To be a bride | of yon baneful race; On first | his wrath shall fall, And the heart will he tear | from 's breast."
Stanza 33Weeping | heard the words That fate full sore | for her sons foretold, (And mighty woe | for them should work;) "Lands I give thee, | with all that live there, ( is thine, | and too,) Have them forever, | but hear me, daughter."
Stanza 34So must I do | as the kings besought, And against my will | for my kinsmen wed, Ne'er with my husband | joy I had, And my sons by my brothers' | fate were saved not.
Stanza 35. . . . . . . . . . I could not rest | till of life I had robbed The warrior bold, | the maker of battles.
Stanza 36Soon on horseback | each hero was, And the foreign women | in wagons faring; A week through lands | so cold we went, And a second week | the waves we smote, (And a third through lands | that water lacked).
Stanza 37The warders now | on the lofty walls Opened the gates, | and in we rode.
Stanza 38 woke me, | for ever I seemed Of bitterness full | for my brothers' death.
spake:
Stanza 39"Now from sleep | the Norris have waked me With visions of terror,-- | to thee will I tell them; Methought thou, , | 's daughter, With poisoned blade | didst pierce my body."
spake:
Stanza 40"Fire a dream | of steel shall follow And willful pride | one of woman's wrath; A baneful sore | I shall burn from thee, And tend and heal thee, | though hated thou am"
spake:
Stanza 41"Of plants I dreamed, | in the garden drooping, That fain would I have | full high to grow; Plucked by the roots, | and red with blood, They brought them hither, | and bade me eat.
Stanza 42"I dreamed my hawks | from my hand had flown, Eager for food, | to an evil house; I dreamed their hearts | with honey I ate, Soaked in blood, | and heavy my sorrow.
Stanza 43"Hounds I dreamed | from my hand I loosed, Loud in hunger | and pain they howled; Their flesh methought | was eagles' food, And their bodies now | I needs must eat."
spake:
Stanza 44"Men shall soon | of sacrifice speak, And off the heads | of beasts shall hew Die they shall | ere day has dawned, A few nights hence, | and the folk shall have them."
spake:
Stanza 45"On my bed I sank, | nor slumber sought, Weary with woe,-- | full well I remember. . . . . . . . . . .