Erat sem ekkja
á þik vili drekka,
björt baugvara
biði nær fara.
Sölt eru augu,
sitkak í laugu;
bálskorð arma,
bítr mér í hvarma.
Erat sem ekkja vili drekka á þik, björt baugvara biði fara nær. Augu eru sölt, sitkak í laugu; arma bálskorð, bítr mér í hvarma.
It it not as if a woman would want to drink to you, [or that] a bright ring-bearer [WOMAN] would ask [you] to come close. [My] eyes are salty, I am not sitting in a bath; prop of the fire of arms [(lit. ‘fire-prop of arms’) GOLD > WOMAN], my eye-lids are stinging.
[2] á þik vili drekka: so papp17ˣ, 109a IIˣ, 1006ˣ, 173ˣ, ‘at austur fir oss drekkie’ 510, at ek drekka 568ˣ, ‘aur at drecka’ 27ˣ
[2]: Á þik vili drekka is the reading of the B redaction mss. The text of the A mss is inconsistent, but may allude to the women of Baldrshagi situated east of where the men now are on their Orkney voyage. Skj B presents the following text of ll. 1-2: Erat sem ekkja | austr á þik drekki … ‘It is not as if a woman is drinking to you in the east …’.