Ungr, vask með þér, þengill,
þat haust, es komt austan;
einn, stillir, mátt alla
jǫrð hegna, svá fregnisk.
Himin þóttusk þá heiðan
hafa, es landa krafðir,
lofðungs burr, ok lifðir,
landfolk tekit hǫndum.
Ungr þengill, vask með þér þat haust, es komt austan; stillir, mátt einn hegna alla jǫrð; svá fregnisk. Landfolk þóttusk þá hafa tekit heiðan himin hǫndum, es krafðir landa, burr lofðungs, ok lifðir.
Young prince, I was with you that autumn when you came from the east; lord, you alone can secure the entire country; that will be heard. The countrymen then thought they had caught the bright heaven with their hands when you claimed the lands, king’s son, and were alive.
[5] þóttusk: so Hr, 325XI 3, Flat, þóttumsk H
[5] þóttusk (3rd pers. pl. pret. indic.) ‘thought’: The subject is a collective in the sg. (landfolk ‘countrymen’, lit. ‘country-folk’ (l. 8)), and Skj B emends to þóttisk (3rd pers. sg. pret. indic.) ‘thought’. That emendation is unnecessary if we assume a suppressed pl. subject (‘they’) referring to the later collective (see NN §§1865, 3097H; NS §10b).