Gizsv Lv 1I/2 — fregni ‘may she hear’
Skala óglaðan æva
— orð fregni þat; borða
búumk við þrǫng á þingi —
þegns dóttir mik fregna,
þótt sigrunnar svinnir
segi vôn Heðins kvánar;
verum í Ála éli
austr bragningi at trausti.
Dóttir þegns skala fregna mik æva óglaðan — fregni þat orð; búumk við þrǫng á þingi borða —, þótt svinnir sigrunnar segi vôn kvánar Heðins; verum austr í éli Ála at trausti bragningi.
The retainer’s daughter shall not hear that I am ever [lit. never] unhappy — may she hear of that word; we are preparing for a crush in the assembly of shields [BATTLE] —, though prudent battle-trees [WARRIORS] say there is prospect of the woman of Heðinn <legendary hero> [= Hildr (hildr ‘battle’)]; let us be east in the blizzard of Áli <legendary king> [BATTLE] in loyal support of the king.
readings
[2] orð fregni: orð má 972ˣ, ‘orfregni’ 321ˣ, ‘[...]ð fregne’ Holm4, orð fengan 61, orð fregin Tóm, ‘orðz [...]’ DG8
notes
[2] fregni þat orð ‘may she hear of that word’: The subject is taken here as the woman referred to in l. 4. Alternatively it could be unspecified, and fregni could be taken as pl., hence ‘may they/people hear’. The object (orð ‘word’) is presumably the skald’s defiant speech. Finnur Jónsson (Hkr 1893-1901, IV; Skj B) emended to fengum ‘we gained’, which would be partly justified by the 61 reading fengan, and perhaps by the assumption that fregni in l. 2 erroneously anticipates fregna in l. 4. However, the emendation is unnecessary and only gives good sense on Finnur’s assumption that þat orð would refer to the speaker’s reputation for courage.