Hilmir fór með herskap stóran
hildar borðs á Upplǫnd norðan;
merki skókusk ljós á Láku;
lá ferð vegin skǫrpum sverðum.
Þunnum reið til Þrándheims sunnan
þingfrœkn jǫfurr Vǫlum stinga;
herskip brendi hilmir grundar
hyggjugegn, en líf gaf þegnum.
Hilmir borðs hildar fór norðan á Upplǫnd með stóran herskap; ljós merki skókusk á Láku; ferð lá vegin skǫrpum sverðum. Þingfrœkn jǫfurr reið þunnum Vǫlum stinga sunnan til Þrándheims; hyggjugegn hilmir grundar brendi herskip, en gaf þegnum líf.
The ruler of the board of battle [SHIELD > WARRIOR = Skúli] went from the north to Opplandene with a large retinue; bright standards shook at Låke; the host lay slain by sharp swords. The battle-daring prince rode the slender Valir <horses> of rods [SHIPS] from the south to Trøndelag; the clever-minded ruler of the land [= Hákon] burned warships but spared the lives of men.
[3] skókusk: skárusk all
[3] skókusk ‘shook’: Following Kock (NN §1346), skárusk ‘were cut’ (so all mss) has been emended to skókusk ‘shook’ to supply the missing internal rhyme in l. 3 (skókusk : Láku). Merki skókusk ‘standards shook’ is preferable to merki skárusk ‘standards were cut’, since the motif of standards shaking or waving is attested in battle contexts elsewhere in skaldic poetry (cf. merki hristisk ‘the banner waved’, Arn Þorfdr 18/3, 4; gullmerkð vé skolla ‘gold-embroidered banners flutter’, Þfagr Sveinn 5/5, 8).