Slíðrar tungur snarpar gengu;
sullu benjar; hlífðir gullu;
hilmir vakði — hneitir rakði
hjǫrva salma — skúrir malma.
Hyggju knarrar harða veggi
hjoggu sverðum vísa ferðir
vægðar trauð*ar valskrar þjóðar
varg at tafni knífum grafna.
Snarpar tungur slíðrar gengu; benjar sullu; hlífðir gullu; hilmir vakði skúrir malma; hneitir rakði salma hjǫrva. Ferðir vísa, trauð*ar vægðar, hjoggu sverðum harða veggi knarrar hyggju, grafna knífum, valskrar þjóðar varg at tafni.
Sharp tongues of the scabbard [SWORDS] wagged; wounds swelled; shields resounded; the ruler stirred up showers of weapons [BATTLES]; the sword spread psalms of swords [BATTLES]. The leader’s companies, reluctant to grant mercy, cut with swords the hard walls of the ship of thought [HEART > CHESTS], incised by knives, of French people as food for the wolf.
[8] varg at: veigar papp25ˣ, R683ˣ
[8] varg at tafni ‘as food for the wolf’: This interpretation follows Hl 1941. Skj B emends ‘væigar tafne’ (l. 7) to veigar hrafna ‘of the ravens’ intoxicant [BLOOD]’ as a qualifier to knífum (‘knives of blood’ i.e. ‘swords’; so also Skald). As Jón Helgason points out (Hl 1941), the reading tafni ‘carrion’ is supported by both mss, and Rugman may have misread varg at as ‘væigar’. For varg (m. dat. sg.) ‘wolf’, see ANG §358.3.