Bauð, sás beztrar tíðar
borinn varð und miðgarði,
ríkri þjóð at rjóða
randir Sveinn á landi.
Þó lézk heldr, ef heldi
hvatráðr konungr láði,
á byrjar Val berjask
bilstyggr Haraldr vilja.
Sveinn, sás varð borinn beztrar tíðar und miðgarði, bauð ríkri þjóð at rjóða randir á landi. Þó lézk bilstyggr Haraldr heldr vilja berjask á Val byrjar, ef hvatráðr konungr heldi láði.
Sveinn, who was born at the luckiest time on earth, told the powerful people to redden shield-rims ashore. Yet hesitation-shy Haraldr said he preferred to fight on the Valr <horse> of fair wind [SHIP], if the quick-witted king withheld land [from him].
[2] und: ‘vnn’ Flat, ‘uns i’ FskBˣ
[2] und miðgarði ‘on earth’: Lit. ‘within the middle enclosure’. The prep. und usually denotes a spatial relation ‘under’, either in the sense ‘beneath’ or ‘next to something that towers above’ (see Fritzner: und; LP: und). The phrase und miðgarði ‘within the middle enclosure’ is used regularly in both prose and poetry for ‘on earth’ (see Fritzner: miðgarðr 3; LP: Miðgarðr). Miðgarðr was the mythical stronghold built for men, protecting them from the giants. The use of und ‘beneath’ in this context must have originated in the idea that people lived next to the towering rampart which enclosed Miðgarðr.