Jǫrð rétt vígi at varða
vígreifr fyr Ôleifi;
brauzt við bragning nýztan
bág; þat kveðk mik frôgu.
Fyrr gekkt á stað Stiklar
stór verk, en óð merki;
satts, at sókn of veittir
snjallr, unz gramr vas fallinn.
Vígreifr, rétt at varða jǫrð vígi fyr Ôleifi; brauzt bág við nýztan bragning; þat kveðk mik frôgu. Fyrr gekkt stór verk á Stiklarstað, en merki óð; satts, at of veittir snjallr sókn, unz gramr vas fallinn.
War-cheerful, you set about defending the land with war against Óláfr; you raised hostility against the most excellent king; I declare that I heard that. Before, you achieved great deeds at Stiklestad, and the standard surged; it is true that you kept up the attack, brave, until the king had fallen.
[5] á stað Stiklar: í styr strǫngum 61, Flat, Tóm, styrs unz stilli Bb; Stiklar: Stikla 73aˣ, Holm4, 325V, 325VII, Kˣ
[5] Stiklarstað ‘Stiklestad’: The p. n. elements are reversed in the text in a mild form of tmesis, as often with place names in skaldic lines; Sigv ErfÓl 10/7 is a direct parallel (see Note). On the p. n. Stikla(r)staðir, here sg. rather than the normal pl., see Note to Þorm Lv 23/3-4, and on the battle see ‘Óláfr inn helgi Haraldsson’ in ‘Ruler biographies’ in Introduction to this volume.