Hvat er þat undra, er ek úti sá
fyrir Dellings durum?
Lýðum lýsir, en loga gleypir
ok keppaz um þat vargar ávalt.
Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
Hvat er undra þat, er ek sá úti fyrir durum Dellings? Lýsir lý́ðum, en gleypir loga, ok vargar keppaz ávalt um þat. Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu.
What is the wonder that I saw outside before Dellingr’s doors? It gives light to men, but swallows flame, and wolves always compete for it. King Heiðrekr, think about the riddle.
[5] loga ‘flame’: The emendation was first suggested by Grundtvig (Heiðr 1873, 246 n. 6); however Bugge, who noted this, chose instead to print lönd öll yfir ‘over all lands’ as l. 5 of this stanza, based on the prose. The eds of Edd. Min. were the first to take up Grundtvig’s proposal, and it is also adopted in Heiðr 1960. The paradox is apt and the sense preferable to the emendation of Skj B and Skald, lǫgr ‘sea’.