Rétt við rausn at hætta,
reiðmæltr jǫfurr, skeiðum,
prýddr (lá byrr at breiddu)
Blálands á vit (stáli).
Laust, en lauka reisti
lofðungr við sæ þungan,
skúr á skjaldrim dýra
skokks mjǫll á þrǫm stokkinn.
Prýddr, reiðmæltr jǫfurr, rétt at hætta skeiðum við rausn á vit Blálands; byrr lá at breiddu stáli. Skúr laust á dýra skjaldrim, mjǫll skokks á stokkinn þrǫm, en lofðungr reisti lauka við þungan sæ.
Splendid, angry-spoken prince, you risked the warships with splendour on a visit to North Africa; a favourable wind pressed against the spread-out prow. The rain-shower struck at the precious shield-rail, the snow of the bottom-board [SEA-SPRAY] [struck] at the splattered rim, and the ruler raised the masts in heavy sea.
[5] laust (3rd pers. sg. pret. indic.) ‘struck’: The second helmingr is unusual in that the verb laust ‘struck’ functions as the predicate in two parallel constructions (skúr laust … mjǫll skokks [laust] ‘the rain-shower struck … the snow of the bottom-board [struck]’; see NN §1142). Skj B suggests the reading skúr laust á dýra skjaldrim á þrǫm skokks stokkinn mjǫll ‘the wind struck against the precious shields, against the ship-side, splattered with foam’ which is impossible because mjǫll (f. ō-stem) cannot be a dat. form (mjǫllu; see ANG §376).