Hverr veldr eldi, hverr orrostu,
hverr jarls magni eggjum beitir?
Hof sviðnuðu, hörgar brunnu;
hverr rauð eggjar á yngva nið?
Hverr veldr eldi, hverr orrostu, hverr beitir eggjum magni jarls? Hof sviðnuðu, hörgar brunnu; hverr rauð eggjar á nið yngva?
Who is causing the fire, who [causes] the battle, who is swinging blades with the power of a jarl? Temples were ablaze, sanctuaries burned; who reddened blades on the descendant of a prince?
[8] á yngva nið: ok eyddi hof 344a, á yngva liði 343a
[8] á nið yngva ‘on the descendant of a prince’: Presumably a reference to Álfr bjálki. If he is the speaker of the stanza, then he refers to himself; if Gyðja, she refers to her husband. In the case of the younger mss, ll. 7-8 are somewhat at variance with the prose text, which indicates that Álfr was seriously wounded by Oddr’s stone arrows, whereas the eggjar ‘blades’ of l. 7 suggests sword-play.