Hvat skulum heimfǫr kvitta?
Hugrs minn í Dyflinni,
enn til Kaupangs kvinna
kømkat austr í hausti.
Unik, þvít eigi synjar
ingjan gamansþinga;
œrskan veldr, þvít írskum
annk betr an mér svanna.
Hvat skulum kvitta heimfǫr? Minn hugrs í Dyflinni, enn kømkat austr til kvinna Kaupangs í hausti. Unik, þvít ingjan synjar eigi gamansþinga; œrskan veldr, þvít annk írskum svanna betr an mér.
Why should we talk of the journey home? My heart is in Dublin, and I shall not return east to the women of Trondheim this autumn. I am content, because the girl does not deny me meetings of pleasure; youth causes [it], for I love the Irish woman better than myself.
[7] œrskan: so H, 301ˣ, ‘orscan’ Mork, ‘æska’ Hr
[7] œrskan veldr ‘youth causes [it]’: I.e. his youthful infatuation causes him to be content. The reference to Magnús’s youth is somewhat exaggerated, because he was close to thirty years old when he was killed in Ulster in 1103 (see ÍF 28, 237).