Einn vas maðr sá, es myrkva frétt
fyr skata skýrum skynja kunni.
Hét yngva vinr Ambrósíus,
en inn ágæti ǫðru nafni
Merlínus sá maðr kallaðisk.
Sá maðr vas einn, es kunni skynja myrkva frétt fyr skýrum skata. Vinr yngva hét Ambrósíus, en sá inn ágæti maðr kallaðisk ǫðru nafni Merlínus.
That man was [the] only [one], who could explain the obscure portent to the wise king. The friend of the king was called Ambrosius but that excellent man was known by another name, Merlin.
[3] skýrum ‘wise’: So Bret 1848-9 and Skj B. Kock (NN §3142, followed by Merl 2012) sees it as awkward to attribute wisdom to Vortigern, who has expressed himself baffled by the portent, and proposes that skýrum instead be taken adverbially, meaning ‘clearly’. But the adj. may allude to Vortigern’s reputation for wisdom as he assumes power (cf. DGB VI: Reeve and Wright 2007, 120-1); cf. the similar application of the adj. spǫkum ‘sagacious’ to him in I 11/8.