Mberf Lv 3II/6 — verr ‘defends’
Sús ein, es mér meinar,
Maktildr, ok vekr hildi
— már drekkr suðr ór sôrum
sveita — leik ok teiti.
Sá kennir mér svanni,
sín lǫnd es verr rǫndu,
— sverð bitu Hǫgna hurðir —
hvítjarpr sofa lítit.
Sús ein, Maktildr, es meinar mér leik ok teiti ok vekr hildi; suðr drekkr már sveita ór sôrum. Sá hvítjarpr svanni, es verr lǫnd sín rǫndu, kennir mér sofa lítit; sverð bitu hurðir Hǫgna.
There is one, Maktildr, who denies me fun and pleasure and stirs up strife; in the south the seagull of gore [RAVEN/EAGLE] drinks from wounds. That lady with the light-brown hair, who defends her lands with the shield, teaches me to sleep but little; swords bit the doors of Hǫgni <legendary hero> [SHIELDS].
notes
[6] es verr lǫnd sín rǫndu ‘who defends her lands with the shield’: If Matilda was indeed the object of Magnús’s affections, the warlike activities attributed to her in this st. are somewhat peculiar (see Note to l. 2 above). For a similar mixture of admiration for a highborn woman and battle-imagery, see Rv Lv 15, 17, 19-22.