Rv Lv 20II/6 — væn ‘beautiful’
Vôn ák — út á Spáni
vas skjótt rekinn flótti —
— flýði margr af mœði
menlundr — konu fundar.
Því erum vér, at vôru*
væn hljóð kveðin þjóðum,
— valr tók vǫll at hylja —
verðir Ermingerðar.
Ák vôn fundar konu; flótti vas rekinn skjótt út á Spáni; margr menlundr flýði af mœði. Því erum vér verðir Ermingerðar, at væn hljóð vôru* kveðin þjóðum; valr tók at hylja vǫll.
I have hopes of meeting the woman; the fleeing host was chased swiftly out in Spain; many a neck-ring tree [MAN] fled because of exhaustion. This is why we are worthy of Ermingerðr, because beautiful sounds were spoken to people; corpses began to cover the field.
notes
[6] væn hljóð ‘beautiful sounds’: It is not clear what these are. Bibire 1988 translates ‘splendid voices (of war)’, but does not really link this expression to why the poet considers himself worthy of Ermingerðr. Finnbogi Guðmundsson (ÍF 34) does link the two, but glosses the sentence as að barizt var með miklu braki ‘because the fighting took place with much noise’, following Skj B, which however emends to vápnhljóð ‘weapon-sounds’. It seems more likely that Rǫgnvaldr is referring to his own poetry and developing the contrast between past and present activities. He is not averse to praising himself (see Note to Lv 16/2), and refers to his own poetry in sts 11 and 23, and to his role as poet in st. 35, as well as, of course, in st. 1.