Hvervetna frák heyja
Harald bardaga stóra;
þeir ruðu bitra branda
bǫðgjarnastir niðjar.
Sjá knáttu þar síðan
siðfornir glym járna;
þótti þeim at efla
þǫrf Véseta arfa.
Frák Harald heyja stóra bardaga hvervetna; þeir bǫðgjarnastir niðjar ruðu bitra branda. Síðan knáttu siðfornir sjá þar glym járna; þótti þeim þǫrf at efla arfa Véseta.
I have heard that Haraldr fought great battles everywhere; those extremely battle-eager kinsmen reddened sharp blades. Then heathens could see there the crash of iron weapons [BATTLE]; it seemed necessary to them to support the heir of Véseti [= Búi].
[2] Harald ‘Haraldr’: Two rulers named Haraldr belong to the previous generation to the one commemorated in the poem (see Context to st. 10). Skj B takes this as King Haraldr blátǫnn ‘Blue-tooth’ Gormsson, but Strút-Haraldr ‘Jutting-hood-Haraldr’ is more likely (so Fms 12), since like Búi, mentioned in l. 8, he is a Jómsvíkingr, and since the term siðfornir ‘heathens’ in l. 6 would be apt for him but not for Haraldr blátǫnn, who famously converted to Christianity.