Brunnu benjeldar í blóðgum undum;
lutu langbarðar at lýða fjǫrvi.
Svarraði sárgymir á sverða nesi;
fell flóð fleina í fjǫru Storðar.
Benjeldar brunnu í blóðgum undum; langbarðar lutu at fjǫrvi lýða. Sárgymir svarraði á nesi sverða; flóð fleina fell í fjǫru Storðar.
Wound-fires [SWORDS] burned in bloody wounds; swords swung down on men’s lives. The wound-sea [BLOOD] roared on the headland of swords [SHIELD]; the flood of barbs [BLOOD] fell on the shore of Stord.
[3] langbarðar ‘swords’: A sword-heiti (cf. Þul Sverða 2/3III), lit. ‘long-beards’ or conceivably ‘long-prows’. Since Langbarðar can refer to the Lombards or Langobards (LP: langbarðr 5), the word is interpreted by some (e.g. ÍF 29; Hkr 1991) to have referred to weapons of Lombardic origin. Others (e.g. Herbert 1804, 110; Munch and Unger 1847, 185; Hallberg 1975, 119) have taken it to refer to axes (cf. barða ‘axe’ in Þul Øxar 1/8III), and Geijer (1816, 54) to shields.