Hrauzk ór hervôðum, hratt á vǫll brynju,
vísi verðungar, áðr til vígs tœki.
Lék við ljóðmǫgu — skyldi land verja —
gramr inn glaðværi; stóð und gollhjalmi.
Vísi verðungar hrauzk ór hervôðum, hratt brynju á vǫll, áðr tœki til vígs. Inn glaðværi gramr lék við ljóðmǫgu; skyldi verja land; stóð und gollhjalmi.
The leader of the retinue [Hákon] threw off his war-garments [ARMOUR], cast his mail-shirt to the ground, before beginning the battle. The cheerful ruler joked with his men; he had to protect the land; he stood under a golden helmet.
[1] hrauzk ór hervôðum ‘threw off his war-garments [ARMOUR]’: Lit. ‘threw himself out of his war-garments’. This could be a heroic gesture, though the Fsk context asserts that the day was warm. According to the F reading in st. 2/2, Hákon had already taken off his mail-shirt (see Note). Herbert (1804, 110) accordingly translates hrauzk here as ‘has cast’.