Harald frák, Halfdan, spyrja
herðibrǫgð, en lǫgðis
sýnisk svartleitr reyni
sjá bragr, inn hárfagra.
Halfdan, frák Harald inn hárfagra spyrja herðibrǫgð, en sjá bragr sýnisk svartleitr reyni lǫgðis.
Hálfdan, I have learned that Haraldr inn hárfagri (‘Fair-hair’) heard about [your] tough deeds, and that poem seems dark-faced to the tester of the sword [WARRIOR].
[2] herðibrǫgð: ‘herði braug’ Holm2, herði brǫgð 972ˣ, hreystibrǫgð Flat
[2] herðibrǫgð ‘tough deeds’: A hap. leg. Compounds in herði- occur mainly, though not exclusively, in late poetry, cf. Bjbp Jóms 8/7 (í) herðiraunum ‘(in) tough trials’. The reference is presumably to Halfdán’s attempted murder of his brother Eiríkr at Sǫlvi (see Introduction).