31. Then forth she brought | the vessels full,
With silver covered, | and set before them,
Meat all browned, | and well-cooked birds;
In the pitcher was wine, | of plate were the cups,
So drank they and talked | till the day was gone.
32. Rig knew well | wise words to speak,
Soon did he rise, | made ready to sleep;
So in the bed | himself did he lay,
And on either side | the others were.
33. Thus was he there | for three nights long,
Then forward he went | on the midmost way,
And so nine months | were soon passed by.
34. A son had Mothir, | in silk they wrapped him,
With water they sprinkled him, | Jarl he was;
Blond was his hair, | and bright his cheeks,
Grim as a snake's | were his glowing eyes.
35. To grow in the house | did Jarl begin,
Shields he brandished, | and bow-strings wound,
Bows he shot, | and shafts he fashioned,
Arrows he loosened, | and lances wielded,
Horses he rode, | and hounds unleashed,
Swords he handled, | and sounds he swam.
[31. The manuscript of lines 1-3 is obviously defective, as there are too many words for two lines, and not enough for the full three. The meaning, however,
is clearly very much as indicated in the translation. Gering's emendation, which I have followed, consists simply in shifting "set before them" from the
first line to the second--where the manuscript has no verb,--and supplying the verb "brought" in line 1. The various editions contain all sorts of
suggestions.
32. The manuscript begins both line 1 and line 2 with a capital {footnote p. 212} preceded by a period, which has led to all sorts of strange
stanza-combinations and guesses at lost lines in the various editions. The confusion includes stanza 33, wherein no line is marked in the manuscript
as beginning a stanza.
34. Jarl: "Nobly-Born."
35. Various lines have been regarded as interpolations, 3 and 6 being most often thus rejected.]
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31. Þá tók Móðir merkðan dúk,
hvítan af hörvi, hulði bjóð,
hon tók at þat hleifa þunna,
hvíta af hveiti, ok hulði dúk.
32. Framm setti hon fulla skutla,
silfri varða, á bjóð, fáin fleski
ok fugla steikða, vín var í könnu,
varðir kálkar;
drukku ok dæmðu, dagr var á sinnum.
33. Rígr kunni þeim ráð at segja;
reis hann at þat, rekkju gerði.
Þar var hann at þat þríar nætr saman;
gekk hann meir at þat miðrar brautar;
liðu meir at þat mánuðr níu.
34. Svein ól Móðir, silki vafði,
jósu vatni, Jarl létu heita;
bleikt var hár, bjartir vangar,
ötul váru augu sem yrmlingi.
35. Upp óx þar Jarl á fletjum;
lind nam at skelfa, leggja strengi,
alm at beygja, örvar skefta,
flein at fleygja, frökkur dýja,
hestum ríða, hundum verpa,
sverðum bregða, sund at fremja.
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