Hfr ErfÓl 25I/7 — k ‘I’
Illt vas, þats ulfa sultar
optþverri stóðk ferri,
mest þars malmar brustu,
mein, þótt smátt sé und einum.
Skiliðr em ek við skylja;
skalmǫld hefr því valdit;
vættik virða dróttins;
vils mest ok dul flestum.
Illt mein vas, þats stóðk ferri optþverri sultar ulfa, þars malmar brustu mest, þótt smátt sé und einum. Skiliðr em ek við skylja; skalmǫld hefr valdit því; vættik dróttins virða; flestum [e]s mest vil ok dul.
It was an evil, harmful thing that I stood far from the frequent diminisher of the famine of wolves [WARRIOR], where metal weapons clashed most, though little may depend on one man. I am separated from the ruler; a sword-age [BATTLE] has caused that; I hope for the lord of men [RULER]; to most it [that hope] is the greatest wilfulness and delusion.
readings
[7] vættik (‘vætti ek’): ‘uetta ec’ Tˣ, ‘v[…]ti […]’ B, vætti ek 744ˣ
notes
[7-8]: The sense of these lines is somewhat elusive, but seems to be ‘I hope for the ruler (Óláfr), but most people count that hope as a delusion’. As in sts 19-23, Hallfreðr seems to raise the possibility that Óláfr is alive only to reject it. Skj B emends vættik ‘I expect’ to vætta ‘(to) expect’ and construes ll. 7-8 as: flestum es mest vil ok dul vætta virða dróttins ‘for most it is the greatest wilfulness and delusion to expect the lord of men [RULER]’; so also Skald.