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Apr. 22nd, 2022 06:51 pmSo, I'm finally getting around to reading Jackson Crawford's translation of the Poetic Edda. I just started it - tonight I'm reading the Voluspa.
For those who haven't read it*, the Voluspa is narrated by a seeress who has been consulted by Odin. It starts by talking about stuff at the beginning of the worlds - the creation of the worlds, the creation of humans, the first war, etc - and ends with a prophecy about Ragnarok and what leads up to it. Several of the verses end the same way - it's a sort of ritualized question, the seeress asking Odin if she should continue talking.
Most of the other translations I've read translate that question as something like "Would you know more?" It often feels like an invitation (though often an ill-intentioned one - the seeress doesn't seem to want to be talking to Odin), a lure to draw Odin along and keep him interested.
Crawford has translated it as "Have you learned enough yet, Allfather?" And it's amazing how much that changes the tone of the end of the poem. Coupled with the increasingly terrible events the seeress is describing, it feels like a hammer, pounding at the end of the stanza. "Your sons are going to murder each other - have you learned enough yet, Allfather?" "Your friend lies bound in a cave while his wife weeps over him - have you learned enough yet, Allfather?" "The world is going end in fire and war - have you learned enough yet, Allfather?"
It's really an amazing effect. And when it comes back, when the poem starts talking about what happens after Ragnarok, it still has that bite to it. "Your sons will live again, but you won't be there - have you learned enough yet, Allfather?" "The world will be peaceful and you will be gone - have you learned enough yet, Allfather?"
It's a fucking amazing choice and it makes me so excited to read the rest of his translations.
*While I recommend the Crawford and the Hollander translations, there are also free public domain translations of the Voluspa available online, if you want. However, there is also a candle company called Voluspa, so you may want to add "poem" or "edda" to your search terms. Unless you want candles, I guess.
For those who haven't read it*, the Voluspa is narrated by a seeress who has been consulted by Odin. It starts by talking about stuff at the beginning of the worlds - the creation of the worlds, the creation of humans, the first war, etc - and ends with a prophecy about Ragnarok and what leads up to it. Several of the verses end the same way - it's a sort of ritualized question, the seeress asking Odin if she should continue talking.
Most of the other translations I've read translate that question as something like "Would you know more?" It often feels like an invitation (though often an ill-intentioned one - the seeress doesn't seem to want to be talking to Odin), a lure to draw Odin along and keep him interested.
Crawford has translated it as "Have you learned enough yet, Allfather?" And it's amazing how much that changes the tone of the end of the poem. Coupled with the increasingly terrible events the seeress is describing, it feels like a hammer, pounding at the end of the stanza. "Your sons are going to murder each other - have you learned enough yet, Allfather?" "Your friend lies bound in a cave while his wife weeps over him - have you learned enough yet, Allfather?" "The world is going end in fire and war - have you learned enough yet, Allfather?"
It's really an amazing effect. And when it comes back, when the poem starts talking about what happens after Ragnarok, it still has that bite to it. "Your sons will live again, but you won't be there - have you learned enough yet, Allfather?" "The world will be peaceful and you will be gone - have you learned enough yet, Allfather?"
It's a fucking amazing choice and it makes me so excited to read the rest of his translations.
*While I recommend the Crawford and the Hollander translations, there are also free public domain translations of the Voluspa available online, if you want. However, there is also a candle company called Voluspa, so you may want to add "poem" or "edda" to your search terms. Unless you want candles, I guess.
