The Rune Poems
(fé) veldr frænda rógi; fœðisk úlfr í skógi.wealth 1 causes strife amongst kinsmen; the wolf feeds in the woods.
(úr) es 2
af illu járni; opt hleypr hreinn á hjarni.flakes are from bad iron; often the reindeer gallops over hard snow.
(þurs) veldr kvenna kvillu; kátr verðr fár af illu.giants cause women's illness; few are merry from misfortune.
(óss) es flestra ferða för; en skálpr 3
er sverða.estuaries are fared most on journeys; and a scabbard is for swords.
(reið)
kveða hrossum versta; Reginn sló sverðit bezta.riding is said to be worst for horses; Reginn forged the best sword.
(kaun) es beygja barna; böl gørir mann fölvan.a sore is the affliction of children; misfortune makes a man pale.
(hagall) es kaldastr korna; Kristr 4
skóp heim inn forna.hail is the coldest of grains; Christ shaped the world in ancient times.
(nauð) gørir hneppa kosti; nøktan kelr í frosti.need makes for scant choice; the naked freeze in the frost.
(ís) köllum brú breiða; blindan þarf at leiða.ice is called a broad bridge; the blind need to be led.
(ár)
es gumna góði; getk at örr vas Fróði. the year 5 is men's profit; I say that Fróði was generous.
(sól) es landa ljómi; lútik helgum dómi. the sun is the light of the land; I bow to holy doom.
(Týr) es einhendr Ása; opt verðr smiðr at blása. Týr is the one-handed god; often must a smith blow.
(bjarkan)'s laufgrœnstr líma; Loki bar flærðar tíma.birch has limbs of the greenest leaves; Loki bore deceit's luck.
(maðr)
es moldar auki; mikil es greip á hauki.man is augmented earth; mighty is the grip of the hawk.
(lögr)'s, es fellr ór fjalli, foss; en gull eru hnossir.water is, when falling from a mountain, a force; and gold things are costly.
(ýr) es vetrgrœnstr viða; vant's, es brennr, at sviða.yew is an evergreen tree; and is hard, when burning, to light.
Footnotes:
1. Wealth, measured in livestock (cattle or sheep)" , this line can be read with both meanings. [back]
2. This version of the text, from E. V. Gordon, An Introduction to Old Norse, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 2nd ed., 1957, is in the earliest form of the language, thus 'es' instead of 'er', and 'vas' instead of 'var', as in standardised ON spelling. [back]
3. Something of a double-entendre - skálpr is also a type of boat, perhaps akin to a coracle, since the normal meaning is "a leather sheath". [back]
4. Kristr, "Christ", is the form found in the original text. Edred Thorsson, in his translation, has substituted Hroptr in its place, on what basis, I don't know. "Hroptr" is one of the names of Óðinn. [back]
5. Also harvest. [back]
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