Lítk optliga ýta
ólíkan mik fíkjum
— aukumsk sôr í slíku
sótt — ástvinum dróttins.
Þeir bundusk vel vándra
verka ógnar sterkir,
brigða skjótt ok bœttu
bógsvells metendr, ella.
Lítk mik optliga fíkjum ólíkan ástvinum dróttins ýta; sôr sótt aukumsk í slíku. Þeir metendr bógsvells, sterkir ógnar, bundusk vel vándra verka ok bœttu ella brigða skjótt.
I see myself often [as] terribly unlike the dear friends of the lord of men [= God > SAINTS]; bitter distress increases for me because of this. Those valuers of arm’s ice [SILVER > MEN], strong in battle, kept themselves well away from evil deeds, or else made amends extremely quickly.
[1, 4] ástvinum dróttins ýta ‘dear friends of the lord of men [= God > SAINTS]’: Ástvinr ‘dear friend’ (lit. ‘love-friend’) is a popular designation of saints and Apostles in Christian poetry after Gamli and, apart from one appearance in Egill St 7/4V, is found only in poetry dating from the C12th or later (LP: ástvinr). Arngrímr Brandsson’s drápa on Guðmundr Árason twice characterises the bishop as ástvinr ýta ‘dear friend of men’ (Arngr Gd 18/1, 50/7IV).