‘Svá tœmir láð lýða bǫrnum,
— drífr hryggr heðan herr ór landi —
at skógar þar skjótla vaxa,
es ársamir akrar vôru
fyrr með fyrðum á fold Breta.
‘Svá tœmir láð bǫrnum lýða — hryggr herr drífr heðan ór landi —, at skógar vaxa skjótla þar, es fyrr vôru ársamir akrar með fyrðum á fold Breta.
‘Thus the land will be emptied of the children of men [MANKIND] — the grieving people will stream from here out of the land — so that the forests will quickly grow there where previously among men there were fertile fields in the land of the Britons.
[5] skógar: skjótla Hb
[5] skógar ‘forests’: Emended by Bret 1848-9, followed by all eds, for ms. skjótla ‘quickly’ (not refreshed), an anticipation of the next line. Also possible would be the reverse order skjótla … skógar.