Nisti ferð í frosti
fárlunduð við tré sáran
— vasa hann verðugr písla —
várn græðara járnum.
Glymr varð hár af hömrum
heyrðr, þá er nagla keyrðu
hjálms gnýviðir hilmi
hófs í ristr ok lófa.
Fárlunduð ferð nisti várn sáran græðara járnum við tré í frosti; hann vasa verðugr písla. Hár glymr varð heyrðr af hömrum, þá er hjálms gnýviðir keyrðu nagla í ristr ok lófa hilmi hófs.
A harm-minded host nailed our wounded Saviour with irons to the tree in the frost; he was not deserving of torment. High clanging was heard from hammers, when the trees of the din of the helmet [(lit. ‘din-trees of the helmet’) BATTLE > WARRIORS] drove nails into the insteps and palms of the prince of moderation [VIRTUOUS RULER = Christ].
[1] nisti ‘nailed, pinned’: The verb is often used in the sense of ‘to pin, transfix’ with a spear or arrow, which is consonant with the warrior imagery of the st. Except in 32/4 nista does not appear to be used of the Crucifixion elsewhere in ON until late medieval poetry: see Píslargrátur 37/4, Krossvísur I, 9/3 and 40/4 and Krossvísur II, 8/3-4 (ÍM I.2, 204, 254, 260, 263).