Vôru sogns með sára
syni Maddaðar staddir
mágrenni (fekksk) manna
(máttigr) tigir átta.
Þrimr skútum tók þreytir
þann jarl drasils hranna;
hraustr gaf hræskúfs nistir
hǫfuð sitt frǫmum jǫfri.
Átta tigir manna vôru staddir með sogns sára mágrenni, syni Maddaðar; máttigr fekksk. Þrimr skútum tók þreytir drasils hranna þann jarl; hraustr nistir hræskúfs gaf frǫmum jǫfri hǫfuð sitt.
Eighty men were stationed with the feeder of the seagull of the fjord of wounds [(lit. ‘seagull-feeder of the fjord of wounds’) BLOOD > RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR], Maddaðr’s son [= Haraldr]; the mighty one was captured. With three ships the tester of the steed of waves [SHIP > SEAFARER] seized that jarl; the bold feeder of the carrion-skua [RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR] surrendered his head to the outstanding prince.
[3] fekksk: so F, ‘fezc’ Kˣ, fremsk E, J2ˣ, H, Hr, Mork
[3] fekksk ‘was captured’: For this sense, see LP: 2. fáa, fá 4. The variant fremsk (3rd pers. sg. pres. indic.) ‘promotes oneself’ (so J2ˣ, E, H, Hr, Mork) gives the reading máttigr fremsk ‘the mighty one (i.e. Eysteinn) promotes himself’. However, the use of the pres. tense here would certainly speak against the attribution of this st. to a memorial poem about Eysteinn (see Introduction, above, and Fidjestøl 1982, 155).