Fjarðlinna óð fannir
fast vetrliði rastar;
hljóp of húna gnípur
hvalranns íugtanni.
Bjǫrn gekk framm á fornar
flóðs hafskíða slóðir;
skúrǫrðigr braut skorðu
skers glymfjǫtur bersi.
Vetrliði rastar óð fast fannir fjarðlinna; íugtanni hvalranns hljóp of gnípur húna. Bjǫrn flóðs gekk framm á fornar slóðir hafskíða; skúrǫrðigr bersi skorðu braut glymfjǫtur skers.
The winter-survivor <bear> of the maelstrom [SHIP] waded steadily through the snowdrifts of fjord-snakes [FISH > WAVES]; the greedy-toothed one <bear> of the whale-house [SEA > SHIP] leapt across crags of mastheads [WAVES]. The bear of the flood [SHIP] went forward on the old tracks of ocean-skis [SHIPS > WAVES]; the storm-battling little bear of the prop [SHIP] broke the resounding fetter of the skerry [SEA].
[4] hvalranns íugtanni: hval þann íugtanni R, hval vígtanni Tˣ, hval íugtanni hranna W, hvallands íugtanni A
[4] hvalranns ‘of the whale-house [SEA]’: The present emendation follows Skj B and Skald. The R reading, þann íugtanni hvals lit. ‘that greedy-toothed one <bear> of the whale’, fails to conform to any known kenning pattern for ‘ship’. The Tˣ variant (hval vígtanni) is hypometrical, and the A variant (hvallands íugtanni) does not contain the required aðalhending. The reading of W (hval íugtanni hranna) is unmetrical with resolution in metrical position 2, and hval m. acc. sg. ‘whale’ cannot be accommodated syntactically. Faulkes (SnE 1998) construes ll. 3-4 as hljóp of *húna ‑gnípur | hvals *rann- íugtanni i.e. íugtanni húna hljóp of ranngnípur hvals ‘the bear of mastheads [SHIP] ran over the peaks of the whale’s house [SEA > WAVES]’, which results in a highly tortuous word order.
case: gen.