Stœrir lét at Stauri
stafnviggs hǫfuð liggja
— gramr vélti svá — gumna.
Gunnblíðr ok ræðr síðan.
Sleit at sverða móti
svǫrð víkinga hǫrðu
unda már fyr eyri.
Jarl goðvǫrðu hjarli.
Stœrir gumna lét hǫfuð stafnviggs liggja at Stauri; gramr vélti svá. Gunnblíðr ok ræðr síðan … Már unda sleit svǫrð víkinga at hǫrðu móti sverða fyr eyri. Jarl goðvǫrðu hjarli …
The strengthener of men [RULER] let the head of the prow-horse [SHIP] lie off Staurr; the ruler arranged it in this way. Rejoicing in battle and rules since then … The gull of wounds [RAVEN/EAGLE] ripped the scalp of the vikings in the hard meeting of swords [BATTLE] off the sand-spit. Jarl god-defended land …
[4] ræðr: so J1ˣ, J2ˣ, réð Kˣ, F, 61, 53, 54, Bb, Flat
[4] ræðr ‘rules’: The pres. tense in ll. 4 and 8 reflects the fact that they belong to the stef and do not share the same temporal perspective as the rest of the stanza (cf. Konráð Gíslason 1879a, 185; Hkr 1893-1901; Skj B; ÍF 26; Hkr 1991). The alternative reading pret. réð ‘ruled’ is better supported in the mss (and F has réð at the repeat of the line in st. 8/4), but it has probably arisen through influence of the other verbs in the stanza. The other two verbs in the stef are uniformly pres. tense in the mss (dregr ‘draws’ in st. 2/8, semr ‘contrives’ in sts 4/8, 7/8), and semr is guaranteed by the metre.