Austr réð allvaldr rísta
ótála haf stáli;
varð at vitja Garða
vígmóðr Haralds bróðir.
Enn of íðnir manna
emkak tamr at samna
skrǫkvi; at skilnað ykkarn
skjótt lézt Knút of sóttan.
Allvaldr réð ótála rísta haf austr stáli; vígmóðr bróðir Haralds varð at vitja Garða. Enn emkak tamr at samna skrǫkvi of íðnir manna; at skilnað ykkarn lézt skjótt Knút of sóttan.
The mighty ruler undoubtedly set about carving the ocean eastwards with the prow; the battle-weary brother of Haraldr [= Óláfr] had to make his way to Russia. But I am not ready to gather false stories about people’s actions; after your parting you quickly went to seek out Knútr.
[6] at: om. J2ˣ
[5-7] enn emkak tamr at samna skrǫkvi of íðnir manna ‘but I am not ready to gather false stories about people’s actions’: The unusually emphatic assertion of the reliability of the poet’s account may simply focus attention on the telling moment of Kálfr’s abandonment of his allegiance to Óláfr, or it may perhaps indicate some controversy about Kálfr’s actions, particularly in light of the poem’s composition some years after the events recorded. Indeed, the narrative in ÓH-Hkr does not entirely follow the stanza’s assertion that Kálfr went immediately to Knútr, instead indicating that he first visited his estates, and pledged allegiance to Hákon jarl Eiríksson.