Mjök drekkr á mik; mær mun kløkkva,
ef ek skal søkkva í svana brekku,
— austr er orðinn í Elliða —
þó lá blæja á bliki nökkut.
Drekkr mjök á mik; mær mun kløkkva, ef ek skal søkkva í brekku svana, þó lá blæja nökkut á bliki; austr er orðinn í Elliða.
My ship is taking on a great deal of water; the young woman will sob, if I must sink in the hillside of swans [WAVE], although bed-linen lay ableaching somewhat; baling has taken place on board Elliði.
[4] í brekku svana ‘in the hillside of swans [WAVE]’: Possibly a sea-kenning, cf. ESk Frag 9/2III strindar svana ‘of the land of swans [SEA]’, but more likely a kenning for a wave, in which the base-word is a term for hill or mountain; cf. SnSt Ht 76/5, 8III hríðfeld fjǫll svana ‘the stormy mountains of swans [WAVES]’ and Ht 83/4III svanfjalla ‘of swan-mountains [WAVES]’, as well as st. 7/6 above.
case: acc.