Ferð vann friðskerðis
fræg ok óvægin
Bót af baugnjótum
breiða guðleiðum.
Hreyfðiz hjörklufðu
hrafn of valtafni
— fellu fjandr stillis —
fleygr í Suðreyjum.
Fræg ok óvægin ferð friðskerðis vann breiða Bót af guðleiðum baugnjótum. Fleygr hrafn hreyfðiz of hjörklufðu valtafni í Suðreyjum; fjandr stillis fellu.
The famous and unsparing troop of the peace-diminisher [WARRIOR] captured broad Bute from the godforsaken ring-users [GENEROUS MEN]. The flying raven gloated above the sword-cloven slaughter-food [CORPSES] in the Hebrides; the ruler’s enemies fell.
[5] hjörklufðu (n. dat. sg.) ‘sword-cloven’: All mss give a form of the adj. in the m. acc. sg., but n. dat. sg. is required by the syntax (the adj. qualifies valtafni (n. dat. sg.) ‘slaughter-food’ (l. 6)). Klufð- (so 325X) is the p. p. of the verb klyfja ‘cleave’ and klyfð- (so 8, Flat) the p. p. of klyfja ‘fasten a pack to an animal’. Kleyfð- (so F) is not an ON word.