Hǫrs gnótt hrunda sléttum
hljóðs kveðk mér at óði
randhvéls rennu Þundi;
Rekstefju tekk hefja.
Skýrunn* skjaldar linna
skalk fríðum lof smíða
þing-Baldr Þróttar mildum,
þeims fremstr varð beima.
Kveðk mér hljóðs gnótt hrunda hǫrs at sléttum óði Þundi rennu randhvéls; tekk hefja Rekstefju. Skalk smíða lof fríðum skjaldar linna skýrunn*, mildum Þróttar þing-Baldr, þeims varð fremstr beima.
I ask silence for myself from the great number of valkyries of linen [WOMEN] for the smooth poem about the Þundr <= Óðinn> of the rush of the rim-wheel [SHIELD > BATTLE > WARRIOR = Óláfr Tryggvason]; I commence Rekstefja (‘Split-refrain’ (?)). I will forge a praise-poem for the handsome tree of the cloud of the snakes of the shield [(lit. ‘cloud-tree of the snakes of the shield’) SWORDS > SHIELD > WARRIOR = Óláfr], for the generous Baldr <god> of the assembly of Þróttr <= Óðinn> [(lit. ‘assembly-Baldr of Þróttr’) BATTLE > WARRIOR = Óláfr], who was the best of men.
[5] Skýrunn*: ‘skvrvnzst’ Bb
[5] skýrunn* ‘tree of the cloud (lit. ‘cloud-tree’)’: (a) Finnur Jónsson in Skj B, partly following SHI 3, 271, emends the incomprehensible ms. reading ‘skurunzst’ to skýrunns (gen. sg.) ‘cloud-tree’, and assumes that the warrior-kenning of which runn- ‘tree’ is base-word forms a gen. with lof, hence ‘praise-poem about the warrior’. (b) The present edn, with Konráð Gíslason (1895-7) and Kock (NN §1167), prefers to take skýrunn as a dat. sg. with lof and to assume that two kennings stand in apposition. Both Konráð and Kock point to a parallel for endingless dat. sg. -runn rather than the more usual -runni.
case: dat.