Vóx hræðilig huxan,
hitt, er allir kvitta,
myndar margvíss fjandi,
milli fólksins illa.
Sagði sveit, að lagðiz
seimkennandi að henni;
því mundi svá sendi
sax kunnum frú unna.
Hræðilig huxan vóx milli fólksins illa; hitt, er allir kvitta, myndar margvíss fjandi. Sveit sagði, að seimkennandi lagðiz að henni; því mundi frú unna kunnum sendi sax svá.
A terrible thought grew among the wicked people; that, which they all gossip about, a very crafty devil creates. The crowd said that the gold-tester [MAN] lay with her; [and] therefore [that] the lady must love the famous sender of the sword [WARRIOR] so much.
[8] sax: ‘sa̋r’ 721
[7-8] sendi sax ‘the sender of the sword [WARRIOR]’: ‘Semdí’ and ‘sa̋r’ (sár ‘wound’) (so 721) must be parts of a kenning for ‘man’. The emendation to sendi (m. dat. sg.) ‘sender’ is supported by the internal rhyme (-und- : -end-), and ‘sa̋r’ must be a corrupt version of the determinant (here: sax [n. gen. sg.] ‘of the sword’). The emendations follow those of Skj B and Skald. Sperber suggests sendi sárs ‘the sender of the wound’ i.e. ‘warrior, man’ (so also Wrightson).