Hilmir rauð ok hjalma
hjalmskóð í dyn malma;
skjǫldungr komat skildi
skjaldfimr í bug sjaldan.
Bǫrr lét vígs at vígi
vígreyr lituð dreyra,
þvít gunnþorinn gunni
gunn-Freyr hvata kunni.
Hilmir rauð hjalmskóð ok hjalma í dyn malma; skjaldfimr skjǫldungr komat sjaldan í bug skildi. Bǫrr vígs lét vígreyr lituð dreyra at vígi, þvít gunnþorinn gunn-Freyr kunni hvata gunni.
The ruler reddened helmet-harmers [SWORDS] and helmets in the din of swords [BATTLE]; the shield-deft lord did not seldom advance in the hollow of the shield. The tree of slaughter [WARRIOR] let slaughter-reeds [WEAPONS] be coloured with blood at the slaughter, because the battle-daring battle-Freyr <god> [WARRIOR] knew how to hasten battle.
[3] skildi (m. dat. sg.) ‘of the shield’: Skj B and Skald emend to skjaldi (m. dat. sg.) ‘shield’ to preserve the identical rhyming syllable (for the earlier form skjaldi, see ANG §396 Anm. 1 and Note to Þhorn Harkv 10/4I). However, as Jón Helgason (Hl 1941) points out, similar infelicities occur in other lines of sts 57-8 as well (see sts 57/3, 58/1).