Seinkun varð, þás hlébarðs hanka
hnikaði ôr in ljóta bára.
Seinkun varð, þás in ljóta bára hnikaði ôr hlébarðs hanka.
Delay came about, as the foul breaker drove against the oar of the bear of the cleat [SHIP].
[2] ôr ‘oar’: This forms a very natural phrasal unit with hlébarðs hanka, hence ‘oar of the bear of the cleat [SHIP]’, cf. typpi élmars ‘mast-heads of the storm-steed [SHIP]’ in st. 10. The phrase is taken as dat. sg. object of hnikaði ‘drove against’, which gives excellent sense in the context, since delay or drag (seinkun) in the ship’s advance would result from the counter-thrust of the sea against the oar. For an alternative interpretation, see LP (1860): hlæbarðr.