Koch, Ludovica. Il corvo della memoria e il corvo del pensiero

• Author: Koch, Ludovica
• Title: Il corvo della memoria e il corvo del pensiero. Problemi dell’improvvisazione nella poesia degli scaldi
• Published in: Al di qua o al di là dell’umano
• Place, Publisher: Roma: Donzelli Editore
• Year: 1997
• Pages: 35-51
• E-text:
• Reference: Koch, Ludovica. “Il corvo della memoria e il corvo del pensiero. Problemi dell’improvvisazione nella poesia degli scaldi.” Al di qua o al di là dell’umano. Roma: Donzelli Editore, 1997, pp. 35-51.

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Annotation

This article is part of a volume that collects Ludovica Koch’s writings on the problems of analyzing and translating ‘distant’ literary works, while paying special attention is placed on the Nordic ‘crepuscular’ nature of literature. In this essay the artistry of the scalds is elucidated by exploiting the myth of Odin’s crows. The binary nature of composing scaldic poetry is examined by considering passages from Egil's saga, in which the poems Egil performs under deeply emotional circumstances reveal the uncontrolled and violent matter of scaldic poetry, while also displaying the artistry of the poet in overcoming the contrasting activity of Memory and Thought. Examples to the analysis are taken especially from the poems Arínbjarnarkviða and Sonatorrek.

References

Chapter 31: þykir ekki góður viðskiptis: "a deadly 'split' personality, that alternates excesses of violence with hypochondriac crises. […]. Clinically, Egil would be probably regarded as a cyclothymic." (Italian text: “un carattere funestamente «diviso», che alterna eccessi di violenza a crisi di ipocondria. [...]. Clinicamente, Egill sarebbe forse un ciclotimico” (pp. 42-43).)

Chapter 56: hvað kveður þú nú?: "Most of non-strictly commemorative poetry stems from anger, sadness or regret. It is enough that Egil turns silent, absents and isolates himself by hiding underneath the cloak for his friend Arinbjörn to preoccupy and ask him: "what verse are you now repeating?"". (Italian text: “Gran parte della poesia non strettamente celebrativa nasce dalla rabbia, dalla tristezza, dal rimpianto. Basta che Egill ammutolisca, si assenti, si isoli coprendosi la testa col mantello perché l’amico Arinbjörn si preoccupi subito di domandargli: «che versi stai componendo?»" (p. 43).)

Chapter 62: úr hlátra ham: "How can one not think here that Egil expects the auditor, especially the king, to temporarily disorientate oneself, [...] so that the arrogance [in the poem] may be retrieved with sufficient delay for him to escape to safety?" (Italian text: “Come non pensare che Egill conti qui su un provvisorio spaesamento di chi l’ascolta, il re in testa [...] perché l’arroganza venga colta con un ritardo sufficiente a mettersi in salvo?” (p. 44).)

Links

• Written by: Martina Ceolin
• Icelandic translation: