Mætum stend eg að móti
mensveigjanda eigi;
rís eg við Ránar eisu
runni flærðarkunnum.
Því heit eg víst að veita
vígs dreingiligt geingi;
þier heit eg mest að móti
meginstrangliga að ganga.
Eg stend eigi að móti mætum mensveigjanda; eg rís við flærðarkunnum runni eisu Ránar. Eg heit því víst að veita dreingiligt geingi vígs; eg heit mest að ganga meginstrangliga að móti þier.
I do not stand opposed to the excellent necklace-distributor [GENEROUS MAN]; I oppose the notoriously deceitful tree of the fire of Rán <goddess> [GOLD > MAN]. I certainly promise to give valiant support in a fight; I promise most to oppose you very strongly.
[2] men‑: ‘man’ W
[2] mensveigjanda ‘necklace-distributor [GENEROUS MAN]’: The emendation men- ‘necklace’ from W’s ‘man’ was first proposed by Björn Magnússon Ólsen (FoGT 1884, 279-80) and has been adopted by all subsequent eds. Man might mean a female slave, though this sense would be inappropriate in context. SnE 1848-87, III, 160 proposed the meaning ‘horse’ (from manr adj. ‘maned one’, only in Akv 29/2), but this sense of the cpd cannot be paralleled.