Hvarfat aptr, áðr erfðan,
óðstafr, fǫður hafði,
(herforðuðr réð Hǫrða)
hjǫrveðrs (konungs fjǫrvi).
Varðat Freyr, sás fœri,
folkskíðs, né mun síðan,
— því bregðr ǫld við aðra —
jarls ríki framm slíku.
Óðstafr hjǫrveðrs hvarfat aptr, áðr hafði erfðan fǫður; herforðuðr réð fjǫrvi konungs Hǫrða. Varðat Freyr folkskíðs, né mun síðan, sás fœri framm slíku ríki jarls; því bregðr ǫld við aðra.
The furious stave of the sword-storm [BATTLE > WARRIOR] did not return before he had done honour to his father’s memory; the army-protector [RULER] had power over the life of the king of the Hǫrðar [NORWEGIAN KING = Haraldr gráfeldr]. There has not been a Freyr <god> of the battle-ski [SWORD > WARRIOR], nor will there be afterwards, who proceeded with such power of a jarl; so say the people to one another.
[2, 4] óðstafr hjǫrveðrs ‘the furious stave of the sword-storm [BATTLE > WARRIOR]’: The mss offer either ‘ostafr’ or ‘odd(a)sta(r)f’. Although oddstafr ‘arrow-stave’ is a possible warrior-kenning it is not acceptable here because the kenning would have two determinants (odd- ‘arrow, point’ and hjǫrveðrs ‘sword-storm’). A minor emendation produces óð- ‘furious’ in óðstafr, which functions as an adj. qualifying the entire kenning.