Keth Lv 10VIII (Ket 15)/4 — karli ‘the man’
Fljúga fólknöðrur, frækn er Dalakappi;
ljótr er leikr sverða, litat er skegg á karli.
Skrapa skinnkyrtlar, skjálfa hringskyrtur,
hristaz járnserkir, hræðiz biðill meyjar.
Fólknöðrur fljúga, Dalakappi er frækn; ljótr er leikr sverða, skegg á karli er litat. Skinnkyrtlar skrapa, hringskyrtur skjálfa, járnserkir hristaz, biðill meyjar hræðiz.
Battle-snakes [SPEARS] fly, Dalakappi (‘the Dale-champion’) [= Áli Uppdalakappi] is bold; the play of swords [BATTLE], is ugly, the beard on the man is coloured [with blood]. The hide-kirtles rustle, the ring shirts quiver, the iron shirts shake, the suitor of the girl is afraid.
notes
[4]: An alternative reading (so 471) is lítit er skegg á karli ‘there is little beard on the man’. This reading is preferred by Skj B and Skald. It is indubitably an insult which implies that the opponent is old (hairless and feeble) or not a ‘real man’ (cf. the derogatory remark about the beardless Njáll in Nj chs 41, 44, ÍF 12, 107, 113). A similar remark about an opponent’s beard appears in Ket 38/1.