Kantu mjúkligar, mær in harðleita,
leika at hrækerti en hölðar aðrir sex.
Sel þú mér sárloga sveipinn orms dýnu;
fús em ek fljóð at kyssa; fer sem má jöfri.
In harðleita mær, kantu leika at hrækerti mjúkligar en sex aðrir hölðar. Sel þú mér sárloga sveipinn dýnu orms; ek em fús at kyssa fljóð; fer jöfri sem má.
Hard-faced girl, you know how to play with the corpse-candle [SWORD] more nimbly than six other champions. Give me the wound-flame [SWORD], wrapped in the eiderdown of the serpent [GOLD]; I am eager to kiss the woman; let it go as it may with the prince [me].
[6] sveipinn: ‘sueyps’ 109a IIIˣ, ‘sueijfz’ with ‘z’ crossed out papp6ˣ, ‘sueips’ ÍBR5ˣ
[6] sveipinn ‘wrapped’: None of the ms. forms are satisfactory here. They have thus been emended to the appropriate form of the p. p. of the strong verb sveipa ‘sweep, stroke, wrap’. FSGJ favours the form sveiptan (from sveipa, ‑ta, ‑tr) with the same meaning. The notion of wrapping the sword in gold may refer to the sword hilt, which was frequently wrapped around with gold wires.