Rítar gjörðiz ranglátr
rennir við yfirmenn;
hjartað varð af sökum sárt;
siðir spillaz þar við.
Kvennaástin kvelr hann
— klerkum er það mein — sterk;
var hann ór viti nær
vífa fyrir gleðilíf.
Rennir rítar gjörðiz ranglátr við yfirmenn; hjartað varð sárt af sökum; siðir spillaz þar við. Sterk kvennaástin kvelr hann; það er mein klerkum; hann var nær ór viti fyrir gleðilíf vífa.
The speeder of the shield [WARRIOR] became unjust to his superiors; the heart became wounded by sins; morals are destroyed by that. The strong love of women torments him; that is a harm to clerics; he was almost out of his wits because of a life of pleasure with women.
[1] Rítar: ‘Rítur’ 721
[1] rítar (f. gen. sg.) ‘of the shield’: The emendation is necessary to provide a determinant in the kenning for ‘man’ (rítr is nom. or acc. pl.). Wrightson suggests that rítr could be gen. sg. (the noun is a f. consonant stem; see ANG §413), but the gen. sg. ending -ar is ensured elsewhere by the metre (e.g. Mv I 21).