Valfasta, bjótt vestan,
veðrǫrr, tváa knǫrru;
hætt hafið ér í ótta
opt, skjǫldunga þopti.
Næði straumr, ef stœði,
strangr kaupskipum angra,
innanborðs, á unnum,
erringar lið verra.
Valfasta veðrǫrr, bjótt tváa knǫrru vestan; þopti skjǫldunga, ér hafið opt hætt í ótta. Strangr straumr næði angra kaupskipum á unnum, ef verra lið erringar stœði innanborðs.
Brisk in the weather of the fire of the slain [(lit. ‘weather-brisk of the slain-fire’) SWORD > BATTLE], you prepared two cargo-ships from the west; benchmate of kings [RULER], you have often ventured into danger. The strong current would have been able to trouble the merchant-ships on the waves if a crew poorer in vigour had stood on board.
[4] þopti: þoptum 73aˣ, 78aˣ, þoptu 68, 61
[4] þopti skjǫldunga ‘benchmate of kings [RULER]’: Skald and ÍF 27 divide the helmingr into couplets, as here. Skj B takes the ruler-kenning as an apostrophe belonging with bjótt ‘you prepared’ (l. 1), and thus regards the helmingr as consisting of a main clause in ll. 1-2 and part of l. 4, with an intercalary clause in between.
case: nom.