Vítt dró sínar sveitir
saman stórhugaðr Þórir
— heldr vôrut þau hauldum
haglig rôð — með Agli.
Snǫrp frák á, þvís urpu,
endr Skjalgs vinum, lendir
menn við morðvals brynni,
mein, of afl sér steini.
Stórhugaðr Þórir dró vítt saman sveitir sínar með Agli; þau rôð vôrut heldr haglig hauldum. Frák snǫrp mein vinum Skjalgs endr á, þvís lendir menn urpu steini of afl sér við brynni morðvals.
Great-spirited Þórir gathered his companies far and wide with Egill; those ventures were not very convenient for the freeholders. I heard that great harm formerly befell Skjálgr’s friends because the district chieftains threw a stone beyond their strength against the thirst-quencher of the strife-falcon [RAVEN/EAGLE > WARRIOR].
[5, 8] urpu steini of afl sér ‘threw a stone beyond their strength’: The expression ‘to throw a stone beyond one’s strength’ (i.e. ‘to take on more than one can handle’) is also found in Eg (ÍF 2, 198): at þú, Egill, munir hafa kastat steini um megn þér í yðrum skiptum ‘that you, Egill, may have thrown a stone beyond your strength as far as your dealings are concerned’.