Knútr vas und himnum.
Hykk ætt at frétt
Haralds í her
hug vel duga.
Lét lýrgǫtu
lið suðr ór Nið
Óláfr jǫfurr
ársæll fara.
Knútr vas und himnum … Hykk at frétt hug duga ætt Haralds vel í her. Óláfr, ársæll jǫfurr, lét lið fara lýrgǫtu suðr ór Nið.
Knútr was under the heavens … I believe, according to reports, [his] courage served the descendant of Haraldr [= Óláfr] well in battle. Óláfr, the season-blessed prince, let his fleet travel the pollack-path [SEA] south from Nidelven.
[4] hug duga ... vel ‘[his] courage served ... well’: Lit. ‘courage to serve well’, duga ‘serve, avail, suffice’ being the inf. in an acc. with inf. construction. (a) Here hug ‘courage’ is taken as acc. sg., with ætt ‘descendant’ as dat. object to duga. (b) Finnur Jónsson (Skj B) takes ætt as acc. sg., which gives Hykk at frétt ætt Haralds duga vel hug i her, rendered loosely Jeg ved af fortælling, at Haralds sön var modig i kamp ‘I know from reports that Haraldr’s son was courageous in battle’. In LP: duga 1 Finnur explains duga here as absolute but construed with dat. hug ‘mind, courage’ .