Fórk at finna bôru
— fríðs vættak mér — síðan
brjót, þanns bragnar létu,
bliks, vildastan miklu.
Grefs leit við mér gætir
gerstr; þás illr inn versti,
— lítt reiðik þó lýða
lǫst — ef sjás inn bazti.
Fórk síðan at finna brjót bliks bôru, þanns bragnar létu miklu vildastan; vættak mér fríðs. Gætir grefs leit gerstr við mér; þás inn versti illr, ef sjás inn bazti; þó reiðik lítt lǫst lýða.
I went afterwards to find a breaker of the gleam of the wave [GOLD > GENEROUS MAN], one whom warriors counted by far the most excellent; for myself I expected something fine. The minder of the hoe [FARMER] looked at me annoyed; then the worst is bad [indeed], if this is the best; yet I broadcast people’s faults little.
[6] gerstr: so 75a, Holm4, Kˣ, gerst Holm2, J2ˣ, gest R686ˣ, 972ˣ, gestr 325VI, 73aˣ, 68, 61, 325VII, Flat, Tóm, Bb
[6] gerstr ‘annoyed’: ‘Annoyed’ is the literal meaning, and by extension, ‘sour, dismal’. The reading gerst of Holm2 and others makes sense as an adverbial n. meaning ‘bitterly, hardly, cruelly’ (Turville-Petre 1976, 83), but the distribution of variants favours gerstr.