Hjuggu vér með hjörvi.
Hví sé drengr at feigri,
at hann í odda éli
öndurðr látinn verði?
Opt sýtir sá ævi,
er aldrigi nistir
— ilt kveða argan eggja —
örn at sverða leiki.
Hugblauðum kemr hvergi
hjarta sitt at gagni.
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi. Hví sé drengr at feigri, at hann verði látinn öndurðr í éli odda? Sá, er aldrigi nistir örn at leiki sverða, sýtir opt ævi; kveða ilt eggja argan. Hugblauðum kemr hjarta sitt hvergi at gagni.
We hewed with the sword. Why should a fellow be any the more likely to die, because he is placed in the front line in the shower of spear-points [BATTLE]? He who never feeds the eagle in the game of swords [BATTLE] often regrets his life; they say it’s a troublesome business egging on a coward. The heart of a cowardly man is never of any use to him.
[6] nistir: ‘nester’ LR, corrected from ‘nester’ R693ˣ
[6, 8] nistir örn ‘feeds the eagle’: This phrasing uses similar vocabulary to ESk Hardr I 1/6II and ESk Geisl 25/6VII, where the warrior-kennings ulfnistandi ‘wolf-feeder’ and nistandi ulfs ‘feeder of the wolf’ occur respectively, cf. de Vries (1964-7, II, 40 n. 68).