Lôtum langra nóta
lǫgsóta verfótum
at spáþernum sporna
sporðfjǫðruðum norðan,
vita, ef akrmurur jǫkla,
ǫl-Gerðr, falar verði,
ítr, þærs upp of róta
unnsvín, vinum mínum.
Lôtum lǫgsóta sporna verfótum norðan at sporðfjǫðruðum spáþernum langra nóta, vita, ef jǫkla akrmurur, þærs unnsvín of róta upp, verði falar vinum mínum, ítr ǫl-Gerðr.
Let us make the ocean-steed [SHIP] pace with sea-feet [OARS] from the north to the tailfin-feathered prophesying terns of the long nets [HERRINGS], to see if the silverweeds of the field of ice-floes [(lit. ‘field-silverweeds of ice-floes’) SEA > HERRINGS] that the wave-swine [SHIPS] root up will prove marketable for my friends, splendid ale-Gerðr <goddess> [WOMAN].
[2] ver‑: nær F
[2] verfótum ‘with sea-feet [OARS]’: This nonce-kenning is explained by Konráð Gíslason (1866b, 188-90). In association with the verb sporna ‘pace, prance’ it represents a manneristic extension of ‘horse of the sea’, a familiar pattern for ship-kennings. Ver n. means ‘fishing-ground’ in prose but functions as a generic sea-heiti in poetry (CVC: ver).