BjHall Kálffl 4I/6 — urðu ‘there was’
Áttu Engla dróttni,
ógnrakkr, gjafar þakka,
jarls niðr; komtu yðru
ótála vel máli.
Þér lét fold, áðr fœrir
— frest urðu þess — vestan,
— líf þitt esa lítit —
Lundúna gramr fundna.
Áttu þakka dróttni Engla gjafar, ógnrakkr niðr jarls; komtu ótála máli yðru vel. Gramr Lundúna lét fold fundna þér, áðr fœrir vestan; frest urðu þess; líf þitt esa lítit.
You have the lord of the English [= Knútr] to thank for gifts, battle-bold descendant of a jarl [= Kálfr]; you undoubtedly advanced your case well. The lord of London [= Knútr] said that land was found for you before you travelled from the west; there was delay in this; your life is not insignificant.
notes
[6] frest urðu þess ‘there was delay in this’: I.e. in the fulfilment of Knútr’s promise of land. Frest is n. pl., hence the pl. verb urðu, lit. ‘were, came about’. Hkr 1893-1901, Skj B and Skald emend urðu to urðut, giving the opposite meaning ‘there was no delay in this’, in order to avoid the contradiction with the stanza’s statement that Kálfr did receive gifts from the king (see Hkr 1893-1901, IV). But the original reading could express an ironically understated comment that the king’s promises never materialised, or simply that conditions had to be met before the promised lands were handed over.