Vánarstjarna fló — þá var ek fæddr —
burt frá brjósti mér;
hátt at hon fló; hvergi hon settiz,
svát hon mætti hvílð hafa.
Vánarstjarna fló burt frá brjósti mér; þá var ek fæddr; hon fló hátt at; hon settiz hvergi, svát hon mætti hafa hvílð.
A star of hope flew away from my breast; then I was born; it flew on high; nowhere did it come down so that it might have rest.
[2] þá var ek: var ek þá 10575ˣ
[2] þá var ek fæddr ‘then I was born’: The sense seems to be that the narrator is now being born in spirit into the next life; he hopes, but cannot yet be certain, that he will find rest among the blessed. Skj B normalises to þás fœddr of vask to regularise the metre, while Skald emends fæddr to hræddr ‘afraid’.