Sighvats es hugr hizig
Hǫrðaknúts í garði,
mildr nema mjǫk vel skaldi
Magnús konungr fagni.
Fórk með feðrum þeira
— fekk ungum mér tunga
golls; vask enn með ǫllu
óskeggjaðr þá — beggja.
Hugr Sighvats es hizig í garði Hǫrðaknúts, nema mildr Magnús konungr fagni skaldi mjǫk vel. Fórk með feðrum þeira beggja; þá vask enn með ǫllu óskeggjaðr; tunga fekk ungum mér golls.
Sigvatr’s heart will be there in Hǫrðaknútr’s hall unless generous King Magnús welcomes the skald very well. I followed the fathers of them both; then I was still altogether beardless; my tongue brought me gold as a youth.
[1] es hugr: hugr er both
[1] Sighvats es hugr hizig ‘Sigvatr’s heart will be there’: The ms. readings are unmetrical. In a noun phrase consisting of two elements, alliteration cannot fall on the second element without the first element also alliterating (see NN §3067; Gade 1995a, 37-8). The present emendation, which was first suggested by Kock (NN §3067), rewrites the l. as a Type XE4 (see Gade 1995a, 97-9). Skj B emends to Sigvats hugr mun hittask ‘Sigvatr’s heart will yearn’, which is also unmetrical and without support in the ms. witnesses. Hizig ‘there’ was first suggested by Árni Magnússon in 761bˣ(326r) and, separately, by Kock (NN §3067).