Magnús, hlýð til máttigs óðar;
manngi veit ek fremra annan;
yppa rôðumk yðru kappi,
Jóta gramr, í kvæði fljótu.
Haukr réttr estu, Hǫrða dróttinn,
hverr gramr es þér stóru verri;
meiri verði þinn an þeira
þrifnuðr allr, unz himinn rifnar.
Magnús, hlýð til máttigs óðar; ek veit manngi annan fremra; rôðumk yppa kappi yðru, gramr Jóta, í fljótu kvæði. Estu réttr haukr, dróttinn Hǫrða; hverr gramr es stóru verri þér; allr þrifnuðr þinn verði meiri an þeira, unz himinn rifnar.
Magnús, hear a mighty poem; I know no other [to be] more outstanding; I mean to raise up your prowess, prince of the Jótar [DANISH KING = Magnús], in a swift poem. You are a just hawk, lord of the Hǫrðar [NORWEGIAN KING = Magnús]; every prince is far below you [lit. worse by much than you]; may your whole success be greater than theirs, until the sky tears apart.
[5] estu réttr haukr ‘you are a just hawk’: A rare instance of a metaphor that is not a kenning. The hawk image presumably conveys the hero’s boldness (see Whaley 1998, 147-8 and references there). Cf. the simile in st. 16 and other ‘hawk’ metaphors in ÞjóðA Lv 10 and Anon (MErl) l. 7.