Vlusp 1-8

Text edition: http://titus.uni-frankfurt.de/texte/etcs/germ/anord/edda/eddat.htm

English translation: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm
Other recitals can be found on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xisBERxHJ6g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvwbnrIR9mg
and many others

You will hear the pronunciation for Old Norse given in contemporary grammar books about
this language. I use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for annotation.

It has some particularities compared with modern Icelandic:

1. It differentiates between long and short vowels (e.g. a <> , IPA: [a] <> [a:])
2. Some letters are pronounced differently:
[] (not ), u [u] (not u), y [y] (not i), [:/:] (not ai), au [] (not i)
g [] (not j), hv [xw] (not kv), ll [l:] (not dl), rl [rl] (not rdl), tt [t:] (not t) etc.

Usually, these differences are discounted by Icelanders reciting Old Norse.





Each line of an Old Norse poem contains 4 measures;
between the 2nd and the 3rd measure is a breathing pause, and there may be an upbeat.
Each measure gets the same amount of time, symbolised by a whole note;
open syllables with a short (=unaccented) vowel may be followed by a rest:






Symbols used in my annotation (one bar = one whole note):

Length Tone Symbol
whole note (semibreve) no labeling or
half note (crotchet) alliteration
else -
quarter note alliteration
else

eighth note (quaver) but unlabeled in the upbeat


dotted + short note +


Tone Symbol
fundamental tone (high)

side tone - (lower)

unaccented _ . (lowest)


Quarter rest: |

Stanza M1 M2
Upbeat M3 M4
.
h hh hljo:s biek
-
al:ar


-
h hh helar

-
k
j
inder

.
m mm mere ok
.
m mm min:e |

. ||
m mm mo
.
hemdal:ar
. .
w ww wildo at ek

w ww walfr


w ww wel fyr-
|
tea
1

f ff frn spjl:
||
fira

u er
-
f ff fremst um

man

Hlis bi ec allar helgar kindir,
meiri oc minni, mgo Heimdalar;
vildo, at ec, Valfr, vel fyrtelia
forn spill fira, au er fremst um man.

Stanza M1 M2
Upbeat M3 M4
-
e ee ek man
|
jtna

-
a aa a:r um
|
borna
+
a: er
.
f ff forom mik

|
f ff f:d:a
|
hvo
. .
n nn ni:o man ek
|
hema

. |
n nn ni:o
.
i:wie
2
-
m mm mjtwe
- -- -
m mm m:ran

fr

m mm mold
. ||
nean

Ec man itna, r um borna,
er forom mic fdda hfo;
no man ec heima, no vii,
mitvi mran fyr mold nean.

Stanza M1 M2
Upbeat M3 M4
+
a aa a:r war
|
a aa alda

at er
||
mer
|
bg:e

wara
+ ++ + .
s ss sandr ne:

s ss s:r

ne:
||
s ss swalar
-
uno:er
-
jor fano:ts
. |
:wa

ne:

u uu up:
. ||
himen:
3
||
gap war
.
g
j
in:uga

eno:

g gg gras
|
xwere

r var alda, at er Ymir bygi,
Vara sandr n sr n svalar unnir;
ior fannz va n upphiminn,
gap var ginnunga, enn gras hvergi.

Stanza M1 M2
Upbeat M3 M4

a:r
.
b bb burs sner

. |
b bb bjom um
|
po
-
er er
-
m mm migar

-
m mm m:ran
|
sko:po
-
s ss so:l sk
j
en
-
s ss sun:an

a:
. ||
s ss salar
|
stena
4
-
a: war
- _
g gg grund g gg gro:en

-
g gg gr:nom
|
lk
j
e

r Burs synir biom um ypo,
eir er migar, mran, scpo;
sl scein sunnan salar steina,
var grund grin grnom lauki.






Stanza M1 M2
Upbeat M3 M4
-
s ss so:l warp
-
s ss sun:an

. ||
s ss sin:e
|
ma:na
. .
h hh hende in:e
|
h hh h:ri

um
. ||
h hh himen
. |
jour
.
so:l at ne:
|
wis:e

xwar hon
|
s ss sale
|
a:t:e
. .
stjornor at ne:
|
wis:o

xwar :r
|
s ss stae
|
a:t:o
5
. .
m mm ma:ni at ne:
|
wis:e

xwat han:
|
m mm meens
|
a:t:e

Sl varp sunnan, sinni mna,
hendi inni hgri um himiniour;
sl at n vissi, hvar hon sali tti,
Stiornor at n visso, hvar r stai tto,
mni at n vissi, hvat hann megins tti.


Stanza M1 M2
Upbeat M3 M4
.
a: g
j
ego
_
reen l:

a:

rk
|
sto:la
.
g gg g
j
in:helo

g gg go

. . |
ok um at
-
g gg g
j
:t:uts:
+ ++ +
n nn no:t: ok
. ||
n nn nijom

+ ++ + .
n nn nvn um
. |
ga:vo
-
m mm moren
|
he:to

ok
-
m mm mijan

da
6
.
u uu undorn ok
-
a aa atan

.
a aa a:rom at
. ||
telja

gengo regin ll rcstla,
Ginnheilog go, oc um at gttuz:
ntt oc niiom nfn um gfo,
morgin hto oc miian dag,
undorn oc aptan, rom at telia.

Stanza M1 M2
Upbeat M3 M4
-
hit:ots
-
:ser

a:
||
i ii ia
|
wel:e
-
er er
.
h hh hr ok h hh hov


h hh ha:
. . |
timbroo
|
a aa avla
. |
lo



. . |
smioo
7
|
t tt tag
j
er
. |
sko:po

ok

t tt to:l
|
goro

Hittuz sir Iavelli,
eir er hrg oc hof h timbroo;
afla lgo, au smioo,
tangir scpo oc tl goro.

Stanza M1 M2
Upbeat M3 M4
.
t tt tevlo i:
|
t tt tu:ne

[oc]
-
t tt teter
|
wo:ro
-
w ww war em
.
w ww w:t:eres

-
w ww want o:r
|
gulo:e

unts

rja:r
|
kwo:mo

|
ursa
- |
mjar
8
.
a aa a:ma:tkar

mj[]k

o:r
||
j jj j tun
- |
hemom

Teflo tni, [oc] teitir vro,
var eim vttergis vant r gulli,
unz rir qvmo ursa meyiar,
mtcar mioc, r itunheimom.