Fekk meira lið miklu
mildr an gløggr til hildar,
hirð þás hugði forðask
heið þjóðkonungs reiði.
En vinlausum vísa
varð, þeim es fé sparði,
— háðisk víg fyr víðum
vangi — þunnt of stangir.
Mildr fekk miklu meira lið til hildar an gløggr, þás heið hirð hugði forðask reiði þjóðkonungs. En vinlausum vísa, þeim es sparði fé, varð þunnt of stangir; víg háðisk fyr víðum vangi.
The generous one [Óláfr] gained a much greater force for the battle than the mean one [Sveinn], when the illustrious retinue thought to escape the wrath of the mighty king. But for the friendless leader [Sveinn], he who scrimped on payment, it became sparse around the standards; war was waged off the broad plain.
[8] stangir ‘the standards’: Strictly speaking, the word stǫng denotes the pole on which the banner (merki or vé) is held aloft (Jesch 2001a, 253). Evidently Sveinn assembles his forces beneath these standards before they board the ships. The phrase þunnt of stangir ‘sparse around the standards’ also occurs in Anon (Hák) 3/6II.