Love Song for Odin
I am she who curled twisted and lamed in the water-dark womb.
('Not all sick men are utterly wretched.')
Spilled breathless and blue into a tainted world.
('But naked, I was a nobody.')
Allfather, hard-won came the holy gift from Your hand.
('Breath gave Othinn')
I am Your dream-reaver,
The living lament of the war-riven mother.
('Woden, Id est Furor!')
I carry the mourning of Mothers.
Grimnir, stricken fathers languish in Your shadow.
('Hopes are often liars.')
O, Veratyr! Endless sun-blighted days where I merely exist,
I pray my mere being serves You.
('It is always better to be alive.')
Ah, Atridi, never will You accept my surrender!
You storm my sagging defenses.
I must rise or perish.
('The best man is marred by faults,
The worst is not without worth.')
O, Oski, I serve as Your wish-maiden,
Set by Wyrd and will in this Middle-Gard.
('Enjoy the good you are given.')
Unnr, Unnr, full-trui with deep-seeing gaze,
In joy and pain, You continue to remake me.
('The mind alone knows what is near the heart.')
--Selena A. Durante
NJ, 2015
Quotes taken from multiple public domain translations of:
Havamal, Runatal, Volospo, Adam of Brenan)
I am she who curled twisted and lamed in the water-dark womb.
('Not all sick men are utterly wretched.')
Spilled breathless and blue into a tainted world.
('But naked, I was a nobody.')
Allfather, hard-won came the holy gift from Your hand.
('Breath gave Othinn')
I am Your dream-reaver,
The living lament of the war-riven mother.
('Woden, Id est Furor!')
I carry the mourning of Mothers.
Grimnir, stricken fathers languish in Your shadow.
('Hopes are often liars.')
O, Veratyr! Endless sun-blighted days where I merely exist,
I pray my mere being serves You.
('It is always better to be alive.')
Ah, Atridi, never will You accept my surrender!
You storm my sagging defenses.
I must rise or perish.
('The best man is marred by faults,
The worst is not without worth.')
O, Oski, I serve as Your wish-maiden,
Set by Wyrd and will in this Middle-Gard.
('Enjoy the good you are given.')
Unnr, Unnr, full-trui with deep-seeing gaze,
In joy and pain, You continue to remake me.
('The mind alone knows what is near the heart.')
--Selena A. Durante
NJ, 2015
Quotes taken from multiple public domain translations of:
Havamal, Runatal, Volospo, Adam of Brenan)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.